#93: Preserving the Memories (Friday, October 3)

This image was on the side of a NYC tour bus. I saw it as I was leaving work tonight. I couldn't capture the entire bus, because I was using my phone. But I'm sure you get the point. LOL.

I love taking pictures. Most of my friends can attest to being caught in an unflattering pose or two once I have a camera in my hand. LOL. It's partly because I only have about 7 childhood pictures (my older siblings have even less, so I'm not complaining), but there's a more important reason: I like to think that by taking pictures, I'm helping my friends and loved ones preserve a memory of a certain event, and that long after we're gone, the images will be there for generations to come.

This past summer, it didn't feel like I did much; but I recently went through and looked at all the pictures and realized what an amazing summer it had been. I saw the Murakami exhibit; roadtripped to Philly with someone I'd only met the day before (who ended up also being my travel partner to Brazil); met so many new people; saw my first baseball game live; watched a historic US Open match with two African-American male players; reconnected with an old friend; saw Stevie Wonder live; ate an authentic German meal; helped make history at Habitat for Humanity; roadtripped to DC for carnival; danced my Sunday away at Ft. Greene Park; spent my Labor Day Saturday feeding the homeless; relaxed upstate...and those are just the events I have pictures for!

I also had two major milestones this summer that are just as important even though there are no pictures: I conquered my fear of drowning by going white water rafting, and went after a longtime dream of becoming a firefighter.

I lost my camera during my trip to Brazil, and although I was upset for the first day after it happened, I'm over it now. I'll get another one and continue to take pictures and preserve the memories.

#92: Listening and Learning from Others (Friday, September 26)

This has been a very informative week for me. Aside from learning about the culture of Brazil, I´ve met wonderful people and learned a lot from them as well.

As a writer, I think I´m trained to be observant and to really listen to what people say underneath the surface. I hope my friends can say the same. However, I also think that the American culture is one that veers toward surface listening - i.e. not really taking the time to listen.

I become even more conscious of this when I travel and there is a language barrier. Even though I don´t speak Portugese, I seem to be getting by very well and I really chalk that up to listening. I hope that more people will take the time to listen. You never know what you´ll learn.

#91: 10 Ways to Make Your World A Better Place (Friday, September 19)

This entry comes to you from Ipanema beach in Rio, and is a combination of the Salvation Army's newsletter and my own input:

1. Associate with people who are different. When I first met the woman who I'm now traveling Brazil with, I had no idea that we'd become friends. It didn't seem like we had much in common. And now that I know her, we don't. But we get along like a house on fire.

2. Live simply so that others can simply live. You don't need much to survive, just friends, family and #7 and #9 on this list.

3. Forgive. Holding on to things causes bad skin. LOL. Just kidding, but it really doesn't benefit you.

4. Travel nice. Be friendly to the people you meet in your travels, and always respect the culture of the place you're traveling to.

5. Be aware of your bad moods. And just try to stay clear of others when you're in them.

6. For every negative thing you say or think, balance it out with 6 positive messages.

7. Love.

8. Live.

9. Laugh.

10. Practice reciprocity. Do unto others...

#90: The Power of Words (Friday, September 12)

Earlier this week, I read a quote that resonated with me. I thought I'd share it for this week's Good Friday idea:

I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances. -Martha Washington

The bottom line: We cannot determine the situations in which we find ourselves, but we can determine how we react in those situations. :)

#89: Do What You Love (Friday, September 5)

Sometimes fate puts people in your life and you don't even know why. When I signed up for the Habitat for Humanity build, I did so with 3 other friends. Unfortunately, two couldn't make it at the last minute, so we had to join a team of two other people, one of whom was a guy named Brandon. He was outgoing and funny and had me in good spirits through the entire build. I knew that we'd become very good friends, but as luck would have it, I didn't get the chance to really know him (or see him again, for that matter), because he left NY two weeks after the build.

He left his family, friends, a great job and everything he knew to go travel the world. And he didn't even really know why he was doing it, just that he had to. Sounds crazy, right? Yet, I was very inspired by the few brief conversations we had about his leaving. He was one of the catalysts in me booking (my now foiled) trip to Thailand, and had a little bit to do with Brazil as well.

Since he's gone, he's had some amazing experiences, and has been kind enough to document them. I can't wait to see what he does next. Brandon is doing what he loves, and has inspired me to do the same...I'm already looking for my next destination after Brazil with plans for Japan in summer '09. :)

Are you doing what you love?