I have learned and came to believe that there is little in life that is truly ours and can go as easily as it came. In a way, most of it is an illusion. The one thing that any of us truly owns and can either work for or against us is time.
Read MoreMany people are private and don’t like putting their business out there. However, that timely comment that might not seem very much to you could mean everything to the other person with whom you are speaking.
Read MoreFor some, it takes something like the loss of Kobe Bryant or of someone close to remind them how brief life can be. As a student of Stoicism, this is something that I think about regularly.
Read MoreIn whatever you do, I would challenge you to look at yourself, see where you’re strong, find where you are weak and systematically build yourself up.
Read MoreI can see that yes, I am a good father and I have a good son. Maybe, now I can take that old photo of my son and I and look at it differently.
Read MoreI hope that you can find value in these anecdotes about good and not yet. For me, I remember that these realizations were gamechangers.
Read MoreWhile they might be right, they might, also, be wrong. So I would rather take a chance and be right than for nothing to happen. I no longer want to be ordinary with few dreams that stretch my boundaries and I hope that you don’t either.
Read MoreI am thankful for the things that I received, as my loved ones worked hard to provide them. However, I am even more thankful to have these loved ones in my life and I suspect that the three people that I mentioned are super thankful to have their loved ones around them, as well. These are the blessings that I celebrate and I hope that you do, too.
Read MoreI see stress around traditions that should be driven by optional generosity rather than by forced obligations. I see people that value things that quickly lose their perceived value rather than their relationships with loved ones. Let’s start living lives of value-driven intention.
Read MoreThere is so much more to experience in Puerto Rico through a little adventurous exploration. My hope is for others to see it as I have and to feel this same love.
Read MoreAs much as I would have loved, at that moment, to return to Puerto Rico, I was glad to be home. It may have treated us great, but I’m a Detroit boy through and through and there’s nowhere else that I would want to be.
Read MoreI think about people like the Carlos at El Jefe Burger Shack and admire them tremendously for their firm determination. They are still there living their lives, even after everything that they experienced. In spite of everything that they have experienced. It is in moments of transcending unthinkable odds that people are defined. They are able to discover what they’re made of, see what they can endure and identify how they can rise above.
Read MoreI couldn’t help but think about the marked contrast between Palmas Del Mar and Punta Santiago. While each place had its notable differences, each had its own beauty that we were fortunate enough to experience.
Read MoreWe saw a variety of geographies contained within San Juan, Cayey (Lechonera Los Pinos) and Humacao. We were able to see where one of our favorite videos were filmed and learn more about the area. Lastly, all of these adventures were punctuated with some delicious food.
Read MoreAll in all, this day had us on quite the adventure from having flavorful paletas to hardy mallorcas to satisfying tropical drinks at the birthplace of the piña colada and taking in the sites while going on a photoshoot.
Read MoreOn landing in San Juan, as soon as we we exited our plane and went into the airport, we were greeted by the savory smells of Puerto Rican food. The airport was painted in absolutely vibrant colors.
Read More
Courtesy of Renée Rodriguez Photography
Hello all. I was blessed to return from a trip to Puerto Rico. This is my second time to La Isla del Encanto (The Enchanted Island), a nickname that is well-deserved. I will get this out of the way, since I get asked this every time that I say that I’m visiting PR: no, you don’t need a passport to go there.
The first time that my family and I came was about a year and a half prior to Hurricane Maria passing through. My heart broke, when I heard that news, but was happy to see that the island is coming back, albeit very slowly. It was compelling to see some of the remaining damage. While some things have changed, something that stayed the same is how warm and welcoming Puerto Rico has remained this time as it was our first time. Now that my son is older, it is a richer experience, since he was really able to engage in and with our various experiences. My sincere hope is that, for the rest of his life, he will carry fond memories of this trip.
While some of what I say could be labeled as “travel writing,” this is not my primary intent, as there are much better writers than me that specialize in this style. In conceiving this series of pieces, I am approaching them from a “citizen of the world” perspective. If you have read my inaugural piece, “Hello World,” I mentioned some about my travels and stressed how I approach my trips as both traveler and student. I feel this now more than ever, especially with trying to pass this approach onto my son.
I will save the deep commentary for those people that are much more versed and capable than me. However, my hope is that, with the upcoming Citizen of The World pieces that you’ll walk away more informed on Puerto Rico, will consider traveling to, in my opinion, one of the most underrated travel destinations and that you, yourself, will be a citizen of the world.
Courtesy of Renée Rodriguez Photography
In my experience, it’s a very Latino thing to hear parents or other family say, “Si Dios quiere.” Roughly translated, it means “if God wishes it.” When I would discuss my goals or plans with my Mom, I think that she thought that I lost some humility because I would hear her say, “Si Dios quiere.”
I get the spirit behind the saying. I am aware that what I have earned are blessings. As easily as they came, they can easily be taken away. In my community and workplace, I have seen reminders of how easily people and things can go away.
I am both Christian and Stoic: two different but complementary viewpoints that discuss how humankind is not the center of all and that there are things beyond our control. For example, on the Stoic side, I was able to find this quote by Epictetus,
“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters, so that I can say clearly to myself, which are externals not under my control and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own…”
In my first piece, “Hello World,” I referenced the Serenity Prayer, which I think is a good bridge between the two:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.”
On the Christian side, I found this passage from 1 Peter 1:24 in the New Testament,
“For, "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off..”
Each of these passages talk about how nothing lasts forever and, hopefully, leads the reader towards the humility of realizing that we don’t really has as much control as we think. God forbid, if someone close to us passes away, there’s might not be much notice nor much that we can do. The car that you might “love” could become involved in an accident and be totaled. The company that employed you for decades could go out of business tomorrow.
So, I have spoken about how things last forever. Now to speak about taking action over the things that we do have control.
In his Enchiridion, we again hear from Epictetus,
“We should always be asking ourselves: “Is this something that is, or is not, in my control?”
While some people might think that having lots of choices, I feel that it came often lead to confusion and decision paralysis. Have you ever been to a restaurant with zillions of choices and don’t know what to order? In my opinion, distilling a decision to two or maybe even three options helps make the options clear and speeds up decision making.
In Luke 6:38, we hear about why we should take action,
“For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
I am a firm believer that what you put out into the universe comes out to you. Call it karma or perhaps God’s will. Maybe it’s even how the Universe does things. I believe that we should do what we can, especially when it’s the right thing to do precisely because it’s the right thing to do. I would rather do the right thing, even if it bites me in the ass than to feel guilty for not taking important action when I should have. When I go to bed, I want to sleep in peace.
While the world can be complicated, scary and overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. Let us focus on what we can do. Let us do the right thing not only because it is but to make things easier for the world around us. Enough bad things happen that we don’t need to contribute to them through doing the wrong thing nor through inaction. I can’t pretend to think that it’s always easy. However, I do feel that it’s a whole lot easier than we think.
Courtesy of Renée Rordriguez Photography
I find it fascinating how the public seems fascinated with The Day of The Dead (Día de Muertos), especially after Disney’s Coco was released. Just the other day, I went to Target and I saw some calaveras and catrinas. For me, it’s even more fascinating because neither my parents nor I celebrated Día De Muertos. It wasn’t, until I became an adult, when I started getting more into it.
The part of Día de Muertos that has always resonated with me was of respecting our ancestors, those people people that preceded us. Respecting the dead was always something that was instilled in me from a young age. Where some people are freaked out by cemeteries, I always felt comfortable visiting my deceased relatives. I was able to talk to them about what was going on in my life to maintain connected with them. To this day, when I get a chance, I try to make it out as often as I can.
Just the other day, I was watching one of my favorite CW shows, Arrow. In the episode, “Welcome To Hong Kong,” I heard a really good quote from Lila, “We honor the dead by fighting for the living.” I thought that the quote resonates with this piece. Sometimes, I think that we we hyper-magnify our day-to-day problems and see them as gigantic, when they really aren’t, comparing to some of the sacrifices of our immigrant ancestors. For some of us, we don’t have to go that far back to know what I’m talking about.
When I came to this realization, it blew my mind wide open. It really helped to put my daily challenges in perspective. While that inner voice in my head sometimes makes me think that a bad day at work is the end of the world, at least I don’t have to worry about providing for my family. On one side of my family, they were farmers. If they didn’t grow enough, then there was nothing to eat. I am blessed that I can go to a grocery store and get anything to eat.
So, if like me, you’re connected with your ancestors and remember the family stories or even if you’re not, realize that you are so very blessed and have more going for you than you realize. If you want to give thanks for what they did for you, then take the blessings that you have and produce something from them. Give your all at work to provide for yourself and loved ones. If you have an idea for a business, go out there and do something with it. If you think that your day is bad, look for that one or two things that bring you some happiness and thank God or the universe that you have it.
.jpg){kind=link}