Courage

The First Gift

On the way to San Miguel de Allende, my husband and I met a man named Bruce who lived in San Miguel with his wife, Jennifer and two-year-old son, Blaze. First of all, what a cool name for a kid! Second, the parents were even cooler.

There was an instant connection with Bruce and my hubby, so they exchanged numbers and we met up for breakfast a few days later. We were going to eat at Buena Vida Cafe across from Bellas Artes, but they were closed for construction, then headed to La Parroquia Cafe nextdoor to El Tecolote Bookstore and the same story, so we ended up at El Pegaso Restaurant and Bar located on Calle Correo.

I felt just as comfortable with Jennifer as Martin did with Bruce, so the conversation was on! Of course, Martin and I were so curious to hear about how this American couple with a nice, big American baby made the journey to this foreign colonial town to live life. The journey started with just the two of them wanting to visit San Miguel de Allende to learn Spanish and the bigger decision to make a life there was as simple as a moment when Bruce and Jennifer,(newlyweds then) were sitting on a bench at the Jardin, and Bruce turned to Jennifer to say, “Just get me here, ” and Jennifer replied, “Okay. ” It’s been three years since that fateful moment.

In between a few bites of my delicious breakfast of Chilaquiles Verdes, Bruce said something that stayed with me.
In discussing their life raising Blaze in San Miguel, he said, “This is our first gift to our son…dual citizenship in two countries, learning two languages, and being immersed in two cultures so opposite from another.” What a broader sense of the world he will start off with all thanks to a conscious choice his parents made for him.

Martin was able to see how happy they were living in his hometown and he said, “I’ll be honest with you two…I’m jealous,” and that’s when I lovingly interjected and said, “Don’t be jealous, join the club!”

I admire this couple’s courage to try something different, to step outside their comfort zone and give something so unfamiliar a shot.

There are so many choices on how we can live our lives; our kids have little say in the beginning stages of their lives, so considering the benefits they will reap from the conscious choices we make on a daily basis is undeniably courageous and admirable.

Choose wisely.

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The Assertive Woman

As of Thursday evening, I reached a certain point on my life’s journey that has proved to be the right path taken. Right now, I can see myself standing on a cliff overlooking the promise land (Convivial Land) of true strength, fearlessness, and total confidence. I attended The Assertive Woman workshop conducted by Sherry Bronson of The Bronson Institute on Thursday and can say that its effects have proven immediate for me. Before I get into what I got out of it, let me just tell you how hard it seemed to get to the class (read: reach my goal/destination).

I almost didn’t make it there! I almost gave up! I almost gave in to my anger and frustration because of all of the small obstacles that were in my way as I attempted to get there. Life was certainly testing the depth of my commitment. Now, about the class…in order to be a confident, assertive woman, you must have these four things down: Self-Love, Self-Respect, Self-Worth, and Self-Image. Undoubtedly, I can say that I have three of the four down. The one that caught my eye and I feel needs work is Self-image. Now, that usually applies to how you feel about your body, everything on the outside, but I related it to my idea of what a woman’s self-image should be…at least, the messages that we have received in society about how women should behave kindly, docile, gentle, non-confrontational, etc., and what I’ve been in conflict about is trying to aspire to have that self-image of kindness yet be strong, firm, and in control of my life.

There have been various experiences in my adolescent years that have contributed to me feeling intimidated to stand up for myself, to speak my truth, but it is finally clicking within me that I do not need to remain intimidated, that I do have the power to be who I really am, in every instance, every circumstance, and with every person. With a conscious change in my perception, I was able to apply my new knowledge of being assertive the very next day. Instead of avoiding scenarios that required assertiveness, I can simply look at them as life presenting me the opportunities to overcome my weaknesses, to face my fears, and to take advantage of situations to practice a different behavior, a more empowering behavior. I am motivated about this new path that I am on. I am already changing and am so excited about this change, because it is a guarantee that I am returning to my origins, I am getting closer to being the woman I already am.

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