Monarch Mariposas

Normally when you see one or two butterflies it is a cool experience. They are such beautiful creatures and a symbol of transformation for many. Imagine being surrounded by thousands of them! This past weekend I was fortunate to go to a butterfly sanctuary where millions of the monarch butterflies migrate every year. We road horses up into the forest and there they were all nestled in the trees. There were so many that you could hear the sound of their collective wings flapping. Once the sun broke through the trees they started to fly around. It was one of the most naturally beautiful things I have ever seen. Breathtaking....

On the way out of the sanctuary we noticed there were police ushering traffic slowly down the
road. We assumed there was an accident. It turns out that there were so many butterflies flying around that cars had to drive super slow to not kill them. I stuck my head up the cars sunroof and soaked up the surreal experience. Thousands of butterflies flew around me and all I could do was smile and laugh at this unbelievable spectacle.




You really have to see this yourself to fully comprehend how incredible it is, however this video does a good job of giving an idea of the experience

MAXWELL EMERSON CRAVER

With joy flowing from my fingertips I am pleased to share that Max entered the world last night, January 16th @ 10:04 pm MST. He weighed in at 7 lbs 11 oz and measures 20 inches.Welcome to the world dearest Maxwell, Uncle Josh.

On the road...

Every time you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in.

New strangers on other paths await.
New places that have never seen you
Will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that know you well
Will pretend nothing
Changed since your last visit.

When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad;
and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart
That lies low at home:

How you unexpectedly attune
To the timbre in some voice,
Opening in conversation
You want to take in
To where your longing
Has pressed hard enough
Inward, on some unsaid dark,
To create a crystal of insight
You could not have known
You needed
To illuminate
Your way.

When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life,
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.

-John O'Donohue

Less is More

Many relationships in my life have changed this year. One in particular was my relationship to stuff. Backpacking through Latin America the year before taught me great lessons about how much we really need to get by.





I learned less is more and simplicity is a pillar of happiness.



However, over the years I had accumulated many things. Part of this was due to the fact when I moved twice in the past I put things in storage and vowed to return and claim my precious keepsakes.

That time came this year in a serendipitous fashion....My things from two different chapters of my life all collided in my cozy loft. The places I have lived in the past had been about 3 times the size so imagine only having space for 1/6 of your stuff. Saying that I was overwhelmed when the movers unloaded all the boxes is a serious understatement. The process of sifting through my things was draining. Everything had emotional triggers. Pictures, Books, Handicrafts, Letters, Clothing, CD's and so on...

I avoided the process for a few days and then slowly began to decide what to keep and what to let go of. As the process progressed it became easier and easier. In fact about half way through I found the emotional weight of things I thought I wanted to keep was gone. I ended up giving away or selling 70% of my belongings.

At the end of the process I felt incredibly light and liberated.

Playas de Mexico

This year I have been fortunate to visit many of the beaches of Mexico. Here is a little summary of my experiences and suggestions in ranked order.


1. Playa de Carmen & Tulum, Rivera Maya- The most physically beautiful beaches I have been to in Mexico. The white sand beach and azure water make it a great place to relax.















2. Sayulita & Litibu (Cerca de Puerto Vallerta) - This area is low-key, has a bohemian vibe and has decent waves for surfing. My favorite for atmosphere.











3. Beach camping (Between Acapulco and Zihuatanejo)- Nothing beats the waves rocking you to sleep and waking up to the sunrise in solitude. There are various areas to camp on the beach all around the Mexican coast and I highly recommend giving it a try.












4. Acapulco - I visited the area 4 times this year and each experience was very different. Since it is around a 4hr drive from the DF it is always an attractive option. Acapulco has a diverse range of choices from romantic hotels like Las Brisas to huge villas you can rent for party weekends.













#1 Mexican Beach on my list for next year to explore is Puerto Escondido.

The Secret Power of Time

Great use of creative drawing which engages the audience and reinforces an important message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3oIiH7BLmg&feature=channel

DF Video DOC!

Groovy!

http://vimeo.com/15068747

World Domination

One of my favorite bloggers these days is a fellow by the name of Chris. He writes about the art of non-conformity and finding meaning in your life.

Here is a link to his guide on world domination which I encourage you to read:

http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/a-brief-guide-to-world-domination/

Condesa

Here is a good article on the neighborhood I call home here in Mexico City:

http://hispanic7.com/mexico_city%27s_condesa,_eclectico_in_the_city.htm

SEVA

34 Little Ways to Share With the World

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 02:43 PM PDT

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on twitter or identica.

As kids, we’re taught that sharing is good, and yet competition is what is really drilled into us. We compete for profits, positions in a corporation, status symbols, space.

We’re tearing each other down instead of building each other up.

A culture of sharing has always existed, from the earliest tribal times, and it’s seeing a resurgence on the Internet these days. This is a good thing.

I’ve written many times before about helping others, developing an attitude of giving and compassion, and having faith in humanity. As have many others.

But now we’re going to look at where the rubber meets the road: how you can start sharing today. Build communities, beautiful public spaces, stop thinking about private property and how you can build fences, and start thinking about ways to use common resources to reduce wastefulness and to start tearing down those fences.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Help an entrepreneur with a Kiva donation.
2. Volunteer your services with a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or other charity organization.
3. Donate money, food, or others goods to charity.
4. Bake cookies or brownies and share with a neighbor.
5. Put your favorite recipes on a blog and share with the world.
6. Volunteer your expertise (whatever it is) to the world, and give those services to anyone who needs them.
7. Give step-by-step instructions for doing something valuable you know how to do, online, for all to read.
8. Give your books away to friends or charities.
9. Start a community garden in your neighborhood, or contribute to an existing one.
10. Start a CSA, or become a member of one that exists.
11. Become a member of Freecycle, and participate.
12. Join or form, and participate in a cooperative (food, bikes, books, housing, more).
13. Give people a ride in your car. Carpool.
14. Let strangers use your car when you don’t need it.
15. Hold potlucks every week, rotating among friends/family.
16. Look into co-housing.
17. If you own copyrighted work, uncopyright it.
18. Perform random acts of kindness.
19. When someone wants to repay you for something, ask them to pay it forward instead.
20. Contribute code to Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS).
21. Donate money to a small programmer who has created FOSS, or buy shareware.
22. Clean up a park near you.
23. Sign up, participate, and contribute to bike sharing, car sharing, and other sharing organizations.
24. Help transform streets back into public spaces meant to be shared by everyone. (more)
25. If you’re in southern California, check out Neighborgoods.
26. Borrow and lend things in your neighborhood by using Share Some Sugar.
27. Barter via Craigslist. Or try u-exchange, trashbank, care to trade, trade a favor, or joe barter.
28. Share your tips with others online or through a free ebook.
29. Create great software and give it to the world for free.
30. Smile. Be compassionate in all human transactions.
31. Invest in a friend who wants to start her own business. Don’t ask for the money back for at least a few years.
32. Make things, and give them to people.
33. Read to the blind, help the elderly, assist those with disabilities.
34. Start or contribute to a tool-lending library in your neighborhood.

This list is only to get you started. The ways you can share and make this world a better place, today, is limited only by your imagination.

Post inspired by Sharable, an amazing amazing site.

TEQUILA!!!

When you think of Mexico what comes to mind??? In most peoples 5 top associations you would probably find tequila. Drinking tequila is sort of a national pastime here. The people are proud of tequila and rightfully so. Tequila drinking in Mexico is much different that what you find in the US of A. People drink it much like a scotch or fine wine. They smell, sip, swirl, savor and appreciate it. Where as in the US stereotypically we take shots of it. I must confess I am no where near a tequila aficionado and to be honest I have found sipping tequila very tough based its high alcohol level. However I have decided to try an acquire the taste and pleasantries that apparently go along with it.

Now when I heard that there was actually town called tequila here in Mexico I was flabbergasted, in a good way...Think about it...There is not a town called vodka or vino or any other major spirit (that I am aware of). This my friends is a special opportunity which I was eager to take advantage of. I heard somewhere that luck is the crossroads of preparation and opportunity. I was prepared and the opportunity presented itself.

So off I went to tequila on a train poetically named the "tequila express". On the way there we were serenaded my mariachi's and offered (of course) tequila to drink. Tequila is a magical town where one can explore the tequila factories and haciendas learning and tasting along the way. The experience is very similar to that of visiting a winery. After this experience I appreciate tequila much more and will continue the process of trying to acquire a fondness for it.

Mexican Drivers License

Well its official, I am now a registered and legal driver in Mexico. The peculiar thing is that there was no drivers test...I simply walked into the DMV, provided some personal information, got my picture taken and voila I was given a drivers license. You would think in a city of over 20 million people with crazy traffic and even crazier drivers there would be some sort of vetting process...