The Beggar

I came across this story in my readings, and I wanted to share.  I paraphrase, it’s from the book “The Power of Now.”

For years, this homeless Beggar dragged an old crate unto the corner, sat on it, and begged.  He did this day in and day out.  One day while sitting on his corner begging, a stranger passed by.  The Beggar extended his hand with his old baseball cap, and asked, “Do you have any spare change?” 

“No, I’m sorry, I have nothing to give you.”  Said the Stanger.  “But, I’m curious, what’s in that box?” 

“I don’t know, “ said the Beggar.  “I’ve never looked inside.” 

“Don’t you think you should?”  said the Stranger.

 “I have been dragging this box around for thirty years, it never occurred to me to look inside.”  Replied the Beggar.

“I think you should.”  Said the stranger, and so, the Beggar got up, struggled a bit with the box, and opened it.  Inside was a bag of gold.

I share this because we are all beggars in this life, and we all have a hidden treasure inside that we may have not discovered. 

Maybe we are afraid to look.  Maybe it has been hidden for so long that it will take some work, a little struggle, some digging to uncover. It may be a dream, we’ve given up on; or, maybe we are just dragging too much weight from guilty, resentment, anger, insecurity, and hate. We cannot achieve our peace, if we are dragging emotional clutter and begging the universe for anything it can spare.

 It might be painful to search deep inside our souls, remove the clutter, and uncover the gift the universe has planted. 

As we close yet another year, drink, eat, and dance;  let’s take a little time to look inside our hearts.  I have a feeling  that all the answers to the questions we’ve been dragging around for years are right there.  

What hidden treasure is in your heart?

Love & Peace

Written by

Lucy Tamajon

Copyright ©Lucy Tamajon 2011

The Long Way Home

I’ve been wanting to write something to sum up 2011.  Another year coming to a close, and a new one is just around the corner, and the words were not coming together.  Then, I took the long way home.

2011 has certainly been an adventurous year if nothing else.  One that took me to faraway lands and with each journey, I got closer to home. 

It was not so much a journey of the body as it was a journey of the soul.  I saw the universe from a whole different perspective.  I watched the sunrise and set as I had never seen it before and the colors were so amazing.  The moon never looked quite as attainable.  I couldn’t help and wonder what it would be like to venture further and touch it.  The stars seemed to be calling my name with every sparkle.  The clouds were soft beds waiting for my weary head to rest.  The wonder of what is the universe became as clear as the vast blue ocean below.

It’s as if a greater power was showing me how wonderful this life really is and how insignificant and petty we can be at times consumed by minuscule things that mean little in the grand scheme of things.  I, for one, needed to be taken by the hand and shown the power of the universe; and, I was.  As if looking, at the Master’s scrap book, my mind realized what was in my heart and decisions made.

Yesterday, as I was driving home during “rush hour”, I decided to take the long way home.  The drive that normally would take twenty-minutes, took me an hour.  I drove with the windows down, I watched the sunset from the ground.  I noticed how grand the palm trees are, and how great the warm breeze felt blowing across my face.  I didn’t mind the traffic, not at all.  I stopped, got gas, picked up dinner, and walked into my small little house in West Kendall.  The Christmas lights were on, my boys were loud and obnoxious, and my cat purred.  I’ve never been happier.

Merry Christmas, let’s make 2012 the best ever.

By:  Lucy Tamajon

Copyright ©Lucy Tamajon 2011

It Takes Two

It amazes me how the universe aligns itself and hearts feel in unison. Why do we expect so much from love? And, why do we confuse love for romance? I’ve written about this before, and I truly believe that this is the cause of our heart ache.

We want romance, but romance does not equal love; and, once the romance fades (and it will because it is an illusion), we wonder where the love went. Well, it was never there to begin with. We need to realize that love is unconditional. As much as we “love” romance, love is a total different beast. We cannot make someone love us, we cannot make us love someone. We cannot “fall” in love because that means that we can “fall” out of love. We cannot change what is in a person’s heart, we cannot change a person, and we cannot expect that a person will change for us.

Love is simple. Love is quiet. Love is giving without any expectations whatsoever. Love does not keep score. Love does not regret. Love forgives. Love is kind. Love smiles even when the heart is broken. Love silently believes. Love is humble. Love does not lie or cheat. Love never doubts. Love does not waver. Love endures and never gives up. Love sheds a tear when no one else will. Love will calm our fears. Love wraps us up in a blanket of comfort. Love never asks, it does.

Romance sparkles with glitter and fills our minds with butterflies that will flutter away. Romance is lovely, but cannot endure the trials of life because it is not real. Only love is real.

In a relationship where there is real love there cannot be insecurity or jealousy. There cannot be anger or hate. There cannot be harm. It is impossible for love to duel in a heart corrupt by hate. You cannot be in a loving relationship and be the only one that loves. Love doesn’t have to be rediscovered, it just is. It never ever changes once it exists.

It takes two hearts to make one relationship work; and it takes great courage to understand that the love of one may not be enough to carry the two.

Copyright ©Lucy Tamajon 2011

So Long San Antonio

It has come to an end, my stay in San Antonio. I have been here for eight months, and I have cherished every single moment of my challenging stay. I have been away from friends, family, and a home that perhaps I needed to be away from to fully appreciate; and I do.

I’m asked by many, “I don’t know how you do it.” Well, I take things one day at a time, sometimes, one hour at a time. I don’t think too much about what will happen tomorrow or the next day but focus in the now. And, in so doing, eight months have transpired.

I have met unforgettable people here in San Antonio, seen new sights, eaten a bit too much, danced, laughed, cried, and had my “occasional” glass of wine, not to mention a shot of Patron here and there.

The memories are unbelievable and but for my two amazing room mates , I could not have endured the long periods away from home. The long flight days, the 2 am show times, and dealing with all the stress of our everyday duties could have not been possible without the support of these two amazing women. The fun has been unbelievable. Sometimes, I break out in laughter just thinking about some of the things that went on here which I will not elaborate on.

However, here is a little glimpse. Who could forget the infamous “Blue Dress”; the stranger in our beds; the inflatable mattress fiasco; the mutated zucchinis; the mutated potatoes; the 48-hard boil eggs; the giant marshmellows; Bueler, George, and Cranky Pants; The Housewives of San Antonio; the overflowing bubbles from the dishwasher; the living room ceiling caving in; the giant beer can; going around the giant beer can 32 times; taking a 2-hour trip to our final destination which was only 10-minutes away; dancing til dawn; being crippled because of dancing to dawn; our eyelashes hurting because of dancing til dawn; getting lost in redneck land and winding up at the Big Darn Red Barn; the Vaseline on the toilet seat; the roach with the pizza; the flip flop that killed the roach with the pizza; the BBQ fiasco; the clock that never moves and it’s always 5:45; trying to fix the clock that never moves; giving up on the clock that never moves but keeping it anyway to confuse everyone that visits; carrying a dining room table that weighed a ton across the parking lot only not to be able to bring up the stairs and leave at the base of the stairs; the dragging up of the dining room table up the stairs; the creepy bar; the psycho at the creepy bar; the wine tasting; and, so much more that shall remain nameless to protect the innocent and save the guilty.

Yes, although, I was faced with a challenging experience, we have made the best of it, have smiled, laughed, supported, and loved each other and in so doing, we have had the best time ever.

So long San Antonio! Thanks for the memories.

Copyright ©Lucy Tamajon 2011

The Road Not Taken

One has to wonder why paths cross in this life. I do. I always have. I was one of those funny little kids, you know the ones with the big thick glasses, funky hair, and their nose in a book all the times. I questioned most everything from early on, and wondered about the “mystery” of life before I even knew about life.

So it is not unusual that at the stage that I am now in my great earthly journey, I would do what I have always done. Wonder. My journey has led me to a faraway land, well not that faraway, but it feels like it sometimes. I’ve met all new people, wonderful people and not so wonderful people. After all, that’s life, filled with all kinds.

I’ve taken this difficult challenge as best I can. I was blessed with the presence of some beautiful friends that have helped me immensely for this I will always be grateful and they will hold a special place in my heart. I have also been blessed with some souls that have not been so wonderful, in fact, they have been downright awful. But, it is from these dark souls that we learn the most.

Something happens when you are 37,000 feet in the air locked up in a tin can for 18 hours. Your patience, endurance, and perseverance is challenged. You either rise above or get caught in a vicious circle. I choose early on to rise above even if I wasn’t sure of how. Then something clicked during a conversation with another soul, one of the ones that are not so wonderful.

She is bitter, angry, and afraid, therefore, she strikes out at all those who befriend her. I remember the words “turn the other cheek”, not an easy thing to do, but sometimes a must. As I was listening to this woman complain about all the things she lacked, all the things she had given up, how unhappy, tired, and angry she was; something clicked. I didn’t want to be like her. I didn’t. She taught me a great lesson, a wonderful lesson. Life is way too short and too wonderful to be bitter.
I sat back, closed my eyes, and wondered, “How can one woman live her life, love, work so hard, and be so bitter?” The answer was clear, and I knew exactly why the Universe had lead me to this place.

That Ship has Sailed

The question was a simple one, it always is, isn’t it?

“What if we missed the boat?” My friend asked, I looked up from my martini. “What do you mean?” She put it out there, the one question that is on every single woman’s mind who is waiting for “The One”. “What if we’ve already met The One and didn’t know it because we were too young, too busy, or too involved in life.”

It would not be unusual or even difficult to understand that we met “The One” long ago but couldn’t figure it out. I mean, how could we? It has taken us a long time to get to where we are today. We have grown and blossomed as women. We couldn’t possibly be aware of all that we are today twenty years ago? How could we? How could we possibly know then what we know now?

“So what do we do?” She said. “What do you mean? Do we go back and revisit every single man that entered our lives that could have possibly been “The One” and we let slip away?” The thought seemed so interesting, exciting, and even dangerous. She looked at me, “What if we did? How else would we know if we let The One slip away.”
I took a long sip. Now that would be an interesting journey.

Should we travel to the past to find our future; or, do we accept the fact that that ship has sailed?

I believe discarded lovers belong just there, in the past, and if we really took a hard look at those left behind, we'd realize there was a real reason why they are there.

"Nah, I rather look ahead, just cause one ship has sailed doesn't meant there's a bigger and better one right behind."

This One is for the “Single” Gals

The topic is commitment. Oh, no, the dreaded “C” word requires some really powerful Margaritas. It seems my friends think I have a commitment issue. I laugh; I drink; and I laugh some more. But, they are my friends, and, of course, I feel the need to validate my philosophy somewhat anyway knowing they love me regardless and that they are just a little "worried".

Why they feel this way, well, apparently I’ve been “single” too long. Oh, no! The dreaded “S” word! Being single is never easy especially when everyone around you is coupled up and have their VIP passes to the Couple’s Ark.

I’ve thought about this. Do I? Really? Well, let’s analysis because, hey, this is what I do. I was married for 18 years. My shortest relationship with any man was 2 years and that was in High School. I have my own home which I maintain. I support my children, pay my bills, and I hold a job which I plan to stick to regardless of the challenges. Yeah, definitely, I see a commitment issue.

Thing is that I am happy with my life as it is. I have been “single” for eight years now. It appears that the longer I’m single, the happier I am. The happier I am, the longer I want to stay this way. No, I’m not lonely. My life is filled with friends, family, and the things that I love to do. I love my free spirit and don’t want to be in a cage where I’m just a pretty little pet for someone else to show off.
I’m not sure I understand why women need to have a man by their side to validate their existence. I’m not sure why we need to only be complete when we are dating, married, or with a “significant other”. Not that there’s anything wrong with being coupled up, if that is where you want to be. I’m here to tell single girls everywhere that it is okay to be single. To get to know yourself and be in a relationship with yourself. It is fine. There is nothing wrong with a woman being single. Nothing.

Maybe not everyone was meant to be coupled up right off the bat. Maybe, just maybe we should go to that VIP ARK party on our own and figure it out later. If there is a match that’s awesome, and if not, who cares?

Being single is not a curse but a blessing because eventually the right soul will float into our lives; and, we’ll know ourselves so well that he’ll just settle in without any effort at all.

Til then, Cheers my single friends! Cheers!