How well do you know yourself?

How well do you know yourself?

I feel the universe puts people in my path every day that remind me that we are all human.  This evening I went for a walk in the park near my house. Along the way I stopped to have a chat with a man about his shiba inu, a beautiful small dog with a curly fluffy tail.  He suggested to me to do research on the breed before I bought one; in his opinion they are NOTHING like other breeds.  "They aren't really a dog that you get just to have around. You have to really pay attention to them. They talk you know, it's called yodeling. They tell you everything you just have to really listen to figure out what they need," he said.  "They are different you have to basically convince them that what you want them to do will inevitably benefit them. They don't want to do anything unless they are going to benefit from doing it."  I laughed, "That's how I am!"  He smiled and said, "That is why I got a shiba inu." We grinned at each other and went our separate ways.

Another insight into my life by a stranger along my path, literally this time.

We all want connection

I went to dinner with a friend last night at a Moroccan restaurant in Denver.  We had the entire place to ourselves, which later I remembered because of Ramadan.  The owner was hobbling around with his broken foot waiting on us diligently, engaging in our conversation.  When we were getting up to go he invited us to come back after Ramadan for the live music.  I had to ask him some questions about Ramadan because I am in a continuous stage of soaking up as much information as I can, always wanting to learn.  He told us about the importance of fasting during Ramadan and how it can open your eyes to so many incredible things God wants to show you.  Going to bed hungry is a feeling that is way more prevalent than we could possibly imagine.  By fasting you are able to feel empathy for those that are poor and hungry, they may even be your family members.  He shared with us how he feels that Christianity should adopt a fasting ritual similar to Ramadan because it can bring you to such a higher understanding of God's heart and the cleansing benefits our bodies reap from a sunrise to sun up fast. He compared us to cars running 24 hours a day, needing a break. The most important thing I took away from this conversation with him was the importance of taking care of each other in a familial and community level.  He said that in his faith you feed the hungry poor people in your family FIRST, then you branch out to your neighborhood and then FINALLY your community.

Everyone has their own opinions on religion, eating habits, and spirituality.  But isn't it incredible that he was able to share this deep insight into what is important to him?  I feel that he wanted to connect on a deeper level, his heart was yearning for it.  I was intrigued by his truth and the importance he placed on the things that made his heart soar.  At the end of the day humans need connection, we want to share our truths with others; how we get it is unique to each of us.



  

Miserable Sunburn

For a feeling that makes you feel very much alive, sensitive to every movement of your being, and aware of the vibrations of your environment, thereís nothing like a good sunburn. Paul Sweeney

If a sunburn wasn't enough my legs had to swell up to twice their size!  These were taken in Pheonix on our 6 hour layover on our way back from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  I got this sunburn 2 days ago.

The first thing my grandpa said to me when he say me was, "Don't you know better?"  HA, yes I do.  I have no real excuses, basically I forgot to to put sunblock on my legs!! Oh yeah, because I stepped on a piece of glass that tore a gash in my foot and I was so overwhelmed by that that I couldn't focus enough to think about anything else.

Wear sunblock, while a tan is sexy .. a peeling sunburn is not!  A lesson I have learned multiple times in my life .. I think.

Love People, Love Life Words from a Stranger

I was at a local bank with my grandfather in the lobby waiting on a customer service agent, when a man began to talk to me.  He told me he came to America 37 years ago from Pakistan. When he arrived he went to Denver University, they taught him that if you are a nice, outgoing, people-loving person you will be successful in America.  He spoke to me for 10 minutes about how happy he was to be in America and how he loves people and is happy to be alive.  Beautiful words from an incredibly happy heart.

You never know when you are going to hear a bit of truth from a stranger.

Fun in the sun and snow

Neve

The snow has been falling since last night. I could hear the snow hitting the ground. When I closed my eyes it sounded like I was in an Alabama rain storm.

Everything was covered this morning with a fluffy blanket of fresh snow, we could barely find the car! We shoveled till our arms almost fell off.

Escursioni in montagna - Hiking up the mountain

"I would tell you we are almost there but that would be a lie," Elena said to me with a huge grin on her face.  It took us 1.5 hours to walk up the mountain, on the road while it was snowing, to the restaurant where Marco, Elena's boyfriend, works.  Boy, was the pizza AMAZING!  The five minute ride back down on the gondola a great experience, phew!

Even though the sun didn't show its face once it was a breathtakingly beautiful walk.

Elena and Malkine (the dog)

Makes you want to learn to ski, huh!?!