Living the dream...defining the dream and living it - April 11, 2011

"[Spring] is in the air, everytime I look around." (by John Paul Young)

Spring feels like it is finally here in Toronto, tdot, El Toro and I'm bound and determined to enjoy it. The winter blues or blahs should be melted away with the spring sunshine the way the sun has melted leftovers of winter-snow! As the gentle rains falls and washes away the dirt and trash left by mounds and heaps of what was once clean, white snow, so should the spirit of Spring and Easter wash away whatever dregs and leftovers need to be washed away from your spirit and soul.

Every morning I am greeted by the sweet sounds of Machel Montano's "Advantage" as that is the first song on the soca CD I bought myself at Maracas Bay a few weeks ago. Was it only a few weeks ago (a month and 1 day today I returned) that I was basking in the sunshine of a Trini Wednesday after an adventurous and whirlwind Carnival? Read more about my adventures during Carnival in my travel blog - Tastes, Travels and Thoughts by MLG The energy of that vacation adventure still motivates me to wake up in the morning, find joy in every moment and discover my passion.

Taking advantage of the stage or life as you know it is a mantra I have to share. It is time to take advantage of every G0d-given moment, talent and door that beckons. Time to take advantage of life. I hear Machel's music and though it is meant for dancing and wining and enjoying, I can't help but read into it. Just like Kes the Band's Million Dollars. I may not have won a million bucks or even $10, (I, like the rest of you, have to work hard for my money) but I feel like I'm worth a million. Beautiful! How can you resist being inspired?

"And I feel like, I just won a million dollars!" What a feeling! If we could capture this feeling and bottle it, it would be worth just that. Every time I go away to a foreign country or back home to Trinidad, I enjoy myself so much and I am uplifted I feel like I am taken away to another plane of existence where anything is possible. Barbados, Las Vegas, Trinidad, England, France...every place I've been to has inspired me to be more, to do more. Seeing how other people live in another part of this city, my country or the world opens your eyes to the other, the possible and the potential.

"This year I moving fearless." Are you? Am I? There is so much in life I want to do, say, write and all before things change, buckets are kicked or I change my mind. Fearlessly. I am encouraged by these experiences to be fearless in my approach to the dream. Dreaming without fear and living the dream as best I can, bravely. What is the dream? Only God and I know and I endeavour to find out if His dream and mine are the same.

I encourage you to set about dreaming, to try and figure out what you are meant to be doing on this planet or at least to daydream about what you would like to do on this planet. It is an exercise but it is totally worth it. I dreamed of playing big people mas in Trinidad and have been saying I would go for years (literally, I've been fantasizing about this since 2005). And I did it! Finally! I felt good, looked good and I must say having a goal or dream helped me get healthy and fit. I will continue to eat healthy, do Socacize boot camps, go to the gym and train with my trainer because Rio's Carnival is calling my name!

On savouring life - one morsel, one sip at a time - July 23, 2010

Honestly, how much time do I think I can cram into a 24-hour day? I've been living life full-speed with the throttle at max for several years now. I'm also a doer, so I've been getting a hell of a lot done with those hours between sleep and wake. But when it is all said and done, how do I measure my life in hours?

I am now thinking about how I'm living when I talk about my life goals and dreams with friends. Just last night, I was talking with my friend Barb over a few glasses of red wine about my insatiable appetite to do 'things'. Things which may be described as career aspirations, travel, lifestyle, tasks, challenges and much, much more. We discussed those insipid lists and those 'to-dos' that make us feel like 'to-don'ts' sometimes.

I've come to realize that life, my life, is not measured by how much I do, but by how I do it, the quality of my things, rather than the quantity. As an example, while Barb took bites of a small cupcake for dessert--those fluffy, white-cake cupcakes with sprinkles and the sweetest, lightest icing ever--I, as a demonstration of my skill, popped the whole thing into my mouth. I could, so I did, but I had to stop myself from swallowing it whole to taste it!

Last weekend, a similar concept but markedly different subject. We move from cupcakes to car-races. With free tickets courtesy of my brother-in-law, Ma and friends and I spent time at the Honda Indy and watched some races; took in Salsa on St. Clair and then drinks at a patio overlooking Dundas Square at night. Wow! All that in one day. That was Saturday. On Sunday, Ma, Adam (@atorboy85 on twitter), I and friends, returned to the Honda Indy, took in Brazilfest at Harbourfront and finished with an Indian meal at the India Festival on Gerrard Street East. Whew!

There were moments when I stopped to think about what I was doing. In between cars racing around the track, I stopped to notice that I was spending time with the people I most loved in the world. Precious. And in between events, and on the streetcar, I took a moment to appreciate the company I was in. When the view caught me breath, I appreciated the beautiful city I live in and how I take in all it has to offer. I was able to say to myself if no one else, "Ah, this is my life and I'm living it." I feel I appreciate life when I enjoy exactly where I am, what I'm doing and who I'm with.

Despite the lists I still make to ensure my time is occupied, I find moments within moments to take a mental and emotional assessment of my life, just to make sure I'm not doing for the sake of doing but I'm enjoying what I'm doing and taking pleasure in the big and the small things.

Live on! and fit as many or as few quality things as you'd like to into your hours.