Esperar.

My new favorite word is a Spanish one. It is Esperar. It's definition means to hope; to expect. What a beautiful word & idea. For me this has almost a magical appeal. Not only does it mean to dream, but to expect those dreams to come true. If only we could live that way everyday, can you imagine the possibilities? We would be unstoppable. And the most exquisite part about it is that this way of thinking could be, and is, available to all of us, all of the time. In English hope is having faith, which is utterly important & usually has a positive connotation to it. To expect is to consider likely or certain; to consider obligatory or require. Expect doesn't necessarily boast a positive or negative meaning. What if we could mix our faith with anticipation? Well the outcome would most certainly be one of great pleasure and splendor. And we find that lovely little fusion in the magnificent word Esperar.

"Language is a skin: I rub my language against the other. It is

as if I had words instead of fingers, or fingers at the tip of my words. My language trembles with desire."

-Roland Barthes

A Positive Perspective.

"We don't see things as they are; we see things as we are"

~The Talmud


It's funny how perspective can make or break your day. Occasionally you wake up on the wrong side of bed & just feel like nothing will go right that day. Sadly the day has just started and you've already categorized it as a wash. The other morning just this thing happened to me. I woke and had this overwhelming blue feeling. I forced myself up out of bed and was heading out for a run. Sometimes you've got to push yourself to get out there and get moving; try to shake that funk off. On my way to my car, I passed a woman trying to cross the street. After I crossed she was on the corner for a good few minutes, and I realized she was blind when I saw her tapping her cane on the street. Problem was she was at a busy 4-way street with stop signs, so cars were only stopping for three seconds. She could not make out the appropriate time to cross. I was in my car ready to go out and assist her, until some kind soul let her know she could cross. I proceeded to drive down the street, and came across a neighborhood man who was limping. The reason for his limping was because he has a prosthetic leg, which causes his gait to be off. He is a friendliest, most approachable man who you can often find speaking with neighbors or running errands. Every time I see him he has a smile on his face. People gravitate towards this man because of the grace & joy he exudes.
In less than 10 minutes after leaving my home I was reminded how truly lucky I am. I have my sight; I have all my limbs; and on top of that, I have my health. It's easy to focus on what we don't have or what we want, but to appreciate how we're blessed everyday, well, that can take a few reminders.
I don't recommend we go around evaluating how we have it better than others, that would only make us arrogant or entitled. But I'm sure that my neighbor and the woman with no sight also have many things to be grateful for.
I've gotten into the habit of writing down five things I am thankful for at the end of everyday. Even on a bad day there are at least five things we can be thankful for-- even if one of those things is that the day is finally over!
I believe we are surrounded by reminders everyday that can make us more appreciative of the beauty life has to offer. Each day we're presented with many opportunities to be thankful for & we can choose to embrace them OR we can ignore them & take our gifts for granted. It's our choice to be joyous. As long as there is breath in you, you have something to rejoice!

"What a wonderful life I've had!

I only wish I'd realized it sooner!"

-Colette

"Pleasure is spread through the earth

In stary gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find"

-William Wordsworth