What's possible? 9/4 - 9/15 ... Days 247 - 258

Again, here I am lagging on the blog the days are just going by WAY WAY TO FAST!!  Does anyone else feel that way??

I have been having some amazing conversations and experiences the past couple weeks and I wanted to share some of them with you all.  Each of the three stories below has served as a great reminder to me: always keep an open mind as to the perspective from which I view life.

You see the last couple weeks have had their mix of triumphs and successes: one client is running her first ever marathon at the end of the month, her age: 70 years old!  Another is competing in a triathlon this weekend. :)  Myself: I have nearly completed a separate project that is very near and dear to my heart that I hope to be able to share with you all in the next month or so.

And amidst the triumphs there have been some challenges:  Post hernia surgery complications have me back on limited activity until several tests are performed to try and figure out what the heck is going on... bums me out.  BUT, on the plus side of that I have now been there before and know what I can accomplish as soon as the opportunity is there.  At least that is the perspective I enjoy looking at things from.

Ok, onto the stories...

What's possible...

One of the biggest objections we all raise as to why we do not go out and explore the world more is money.  "I would go there if I had "x" amount of money."  "I can't go there because it is to expensive."  "I do not have the money to spend on something like that."  Do any of these sound familiar?

Last weekend I made a last minute trip to San Diego.  San Diego is about 200 miles south of where I live in Santa Barbara.  This means the drive will take anywhere from 3-6 hours depending on traffic.  I have never really explored San Diego and I have held back from doing so for quite sometime because of the "money" excuses I listed above... I can't because of....

I had no real plans save for the desire to explore the city, the culture, as in-expensively as possible.

I arrived on the out skirts of the city around 730pm just in time to see the sunset from this famous place that I wanted to see the sunset from... Cost $0.  I spent a couple more hours exploring the local area then jumped in the car and made my way further south stopping to admire this church that literally was glowing in the night sky.  Since I had packed my food at home I still had paid $0 for the trip, save for the cost of gas.  It was getting late and I had been going since 4am and it was time to sleep... where to sleep??

I found a nice safe spot to park the car and settled in for an evening nap.  It may not have been the Hilton, but it was comfy enough and most importantly, it was free.  The only thing the car did not have was a shower or toilet.  I made sure to go to the bathroom before I settled in for the night and as for a shower, I am not going to get THAT stinky in a couple of days that would really justify $150 a night at the Hilton.

The next morning, Saturday I headed for Tijuana Mexico.  I had never driven across the boarder and seen Tijuana so what better time than the present.  A couple of nervous hours later I made it back across the boarder to the USA.  Setting out to explore a few historic landmarks, as well as some state parks I had still paid $0 for my entire trip save for the $7 I spent at Denny's that morning for a cheap, but filling, breakfast.

I repeated the above process for the rest of the trip and so when I arrived home late Sunday night I had explored San Diego and spent only about $20 on food and $15 to get on the USS Midway.  As you will see from the pictures on facebook: 1000 Challenge Page , I was everywhere in San Diego and packed a lot in.

So what's possible: Travel, exploration, and adventure is on just about any budget.  Want to cut costs even more get a few friends to go who will split gas.  Research discounts, clip coupons, get the city guide and find out where they are handing out free smoothies.  Pack your own food!  Sleep in your car!  Would you rather be a little stinky and explore, or let a night at the Hilton hold you back?

On Tuesday night, my last client for the evening came in and we began the session with our usual chit chat.  He was excited having just seen the sunrise/sunset photos and videos, and he was eager to share his input with me.  We had about 15 minutes left in our session together when he stopped me and told me this story:

I am paraphrasing my clients story:

"I had a patient (he is a dentist) come in today who has been a patient of mine for 7 or 8 years.  A nice lady about 75 years old.  She had a few members of her family with her.  Before we began her regular cleaning she told me that the cancer which she had been fighting for so long had finally gotten the best of her and she was expected to die in the next several days."

My client continued with his story as tears started to well up in my eyes:  "I kind of just stood there for a moment and suddenly it dawned on me what a great effort she must have exerted just to come here and see me for her teeth cleaning.  I mean she had her family here, who had come into town to be with her when she dies, and they had to physically help her walk into my office.  She may die tonight for all I know, I guess she just wanted to go out with as much dignity as possible."

What's possible:  Even when facing imminent death we all still have the power to do our very best.  Don't wait until the "Grim Reaper" is knocking on your door to give your best at living... do it NOW!!

I was catching up with a friend the other day when she told me the following story, again, I am paraphrasing her words:

"A college of mine has been married to a man for over 20 years.  They have an amazing relationship.  What is more amazing is their story.  When he was three years old he got bit by a rat and the bacteria from that bite lay dormant in his body for a number of years.  Suddenly, when he was in this teens, the bacteria attacked his right eye and caused him to lose his eyesight in that eye.  A few years later, he lost not only the site, but his entire left eye as a result of a "B-B- Gun" accident, leaving him completely blind."

"When him and his wife met, he was completely blind and working as a sculptor.  He was highly respected for his work, but was never able to physically see it.  He and his wife fell in love and got married, all the while he never had any idea of what she looked like."

"Eventually they had a baby, a baby whom he never was able to physically see.  When the daughter was about Five years old, he was playing with her when all of a sudden he started to get some vision in his left eye... the eye that had been blind for years due to the infection he had when he was a teen!!!!"

"There was no explanation, but his eyesight slowly returned and for the first time in years he was able to see the greenness of the grass, the blue ocean, enjoy the majesty of a sunrise, and watch the stars come out on a clear Fall night.  Not only that, but more importantly for the first time in over 15 years of marriage he was able to see his wife and his daughter.  He was pretty excited to discover that his wife was every bit as beautiful physically as her heart was."

What's Possible: Anything!  Even though life had dealt him a tough hand, he choose to play it to the best of his ability, to not allow his challenge's affect his ability to love, to create, to laugh.  If we have the ability to heal ourselves from within through consistent acts of SELF LOVE, from living our lives the best we can every single day; I am sure we can handle any challenge life throws at us.

Yes, it has been an amazing time of learning for me the past couple weeks.  Amidst the successes and struggles, there is always a lesson to be learned.  One that if we choose to learn it, it can and will change and improve our lives.

And remember: Always keep things in perspective and if you do not like the perspective you are looking at, change it and look at it from a new perspective... one you do like!

Enjoy the pics,

Carpe Diem,

Jesse