Philly: Late Night Thoughts

I have neglected my poor, little blog (and you) before it even got started.  So I figure I at least owe an explanation for my absence (I probably owe ya a more detailed description of who I am as well, but that will come).

I quit my job the end of October to go on a trip around the world (Central America, South America, Australia, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and East Africa) and start SOULjourner Art, an online art gallery that will empower artisans in developing counties (more to come on that as well). I am also joining the Response Corps, a program for Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.  And I am leaving in January to serve in South Africa for ten months.  In preparation for all of that (whew) I have been… 

•  Taking bartending classes (fall back if I run out of money during my journey)
• Working on the SOULjourner business plan (its coming along nicely)
• Completing TONS of paperwork, gathering medical records, and getting immunizations (fun times…Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Hep A, and Hep B) for the Peace Corps
• Learning how to use my new Mac (I love the Apple store)
• Hanging out (I mean working at) various coffee shops around Philly
• Saying good bye to Philly friends over lunches and dinners (eating out is my fave Philly pastime)

And at some point I will be packing because I am leaving Philly next week.

I thought this month would be a transition period to relax and unwind.  However, I actually am a bit overwhelmed. Despite that, I am filled with a zest for life and a passion for my current tasks that I have never felt before.  I am sleeping less than I ever did when I was working, but everyday I wake up energized ready to seize the day.  I truly know that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.  I guess I am living a Purpose Driven Life (despite never reading the book that has been sitting on my night stand for over 2 years ROTFL)!

--Mei

Why I love to travel?

"After weeks on the road, listening to a language you don't understand, using a currency whose value you don't comprehend, walking down the streets you've never walked down before, you discover that your old "I" along with everything you ever learned, is absolutely no use at all in the face of those new challenges, and you begin to realize that buried deep in your unconscious mind there is something much more interesting and adventurous and more open to the world and to new experiences."--Paulo Coelho, Aleph

Pondering Philly (My Last Days in Philadelphia)

I spent the last four years living in Philadelphia (Philly!). Three years of my time though I spent hating it.  Only during my last year here have I truly appreciated the pearls that are hidden under Philly’s hard, tough exterior.  I love Philly now!!!  And my last days (I have less than three weeks left) have been filled with thought provoking and inspirational conversations that have allowed me to reflect and realize the importance of my time in Philly to my personal and professional growth. 

This weekend at a friend/former coworker’s going away party, I had one of those pivotal moments. The going away party had wound down and 6 of us (well really 8, 2 were passed out on the couch LOL) discussed who we are, how we are perceived by others, our personal brands, our talents, and our dreams.  One trait that many of us shared was not always “letting our light shine” through. We realized that as African Americans, our experiences have taught us that letting your light shine, being proud, acknowledging your talents and successes, etc. is not widely culturally acceptable.  Also, the social conservatism of our culture, will penalize someone who’s “light” is contradictory to the predefined notions of what is acceptable behavior as a member of our culture.

As Philly stands proudly as a city that is distinct from its NE neighbors, it reminds me to value who I am, as well as who I am not.  My 4 years here have also taught me…to bring my full self to all experiences (personal and professional)…light is contagious…light attracts light...when your light shines, you encourage others to shine…joy is living who you are…and don’t stay in an environment where you aren’t illuminated or able to shine.     

I am sharing an excerpt from Marianne Williamson’s A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles and an except from Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God to encourage you to always let your light shine.

--Mei

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” -- Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

“When God had made The Man, he made him out of stuff that sung all the time and glittered all over. Then after that some angels got jealous and chipped him into millions of pieces, but still he glittered and hummed. So they beat him down to nothing but sparks but each little spark had a shine and a song. So they covered each one over with mud. And the lonesomeness in the sparks make them hunt for one another, but the mud is deaf and dumb. Like all the other tumbling mud-balls, Janie had tried to show her shine." -- Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God