through the looking glass...

Sometimes you walk around and happen to find a perfect mirror to take some pictures with next to a dumpster. Somehow I feel like Alice in Wonderland is part of every aspect of my life...

Happy Birthday Lewis Carroll! 

"I can't go back to yesterday — because I was a different person then."

Art

It comes in many forms. Poetry, song lyrics, paintings, drawings, music, photography and more; art has no definite form. Behind all art forms is passion. You can sense it see it and at times feel it. 

Art is showcased to reveal emotion. Emotion forms into stories that are illustrated for one or more of our senses to grasp. Most passion stems from pain. Pain can be illustrated into a passionate oil painting masterpiece or written into heartfelt song lyrics.

I see live music often. And we see art almost everyday. But this week I finally realized what it all meant.

An inspirational trip to Tampa & St Pete opened my eyes.

Seeing The Black Keys and being so close I was able to see their facial expressions that made me experience every song lyric. The enthusiasm in the drummer & the passion behind the singer’s voice emphasized their story and their emotion behind it.  I devoured every song. The entire arena did. An entire room was there to listen to the passion of these two men.

The next day, we visited the Dali Museum in St Pete. An exclusive exhibit of Picasso was also featured at the museum. As the billboard proclaimed “two legends. Side by side”, and never was an advertisement truer. The masterpieces of both artist revealed their stories, their pain, and their transformation to the artist they wanted to become. They both started with what was expected, simple portraits and landscapes. As they developed through the years, their stories began to be revealed. Salvador Dali became very interested in Sigmund Freud’s writing about the mind and the theory of the subconscious. Dali was very interested in what dreams had to reveal. Many of his paintings were images from his subconscious illustrated for us to see the tale behind his dreams. The symbolism behind every piece revealed his tale.

Express yourself through art. Any form. Any way. Let us hear/see/feel what you have to say.

Pura Vida

Have you ever gone to a location and just fallen in love with it? Where the atmosphere, the feel & the people embrace you the second you get there.  A place where nature occupies the lifestyle and the population embraces it instead of demolishing it. An area with so many shades of green and blue, your eyes can’t help but look everywhere.

I fell in love with Costa Rica. My family has not vacationed in years and I was beyond ecstatic when my dad informed us of our trip to Costa Rica.  We stayed along the Gulf of Papagayo off the Guanacaste province and northwestern coast of Costa Rica. The trip was breatktaking to say the least.

Mountains covered in greenery surrounded the gulf we stayed on. Something you never see here in Florida. I rented a jet ski and released into the gulf. The moment I started the ignition and was zooming in the water. I felt it. 

That moment where everything melted away. Every problem, all fears, all anxieties just melted into the water. 

I was free.

A few days later we went zip lining. Which was a very first for my family and me. Hanging upside down and dashing through the trees I looked down at everything I was surrounded by. I inhaled all the nature and remembered to stay in the moment. I let out a scream and once again that feeling overcame by entire body. Freedom.

We rented a car and drove a few hours to Tamarindo. A typical tourist location with gorgeous beaches typically infested with visitors but in September (the rainy season) completely empty. The water was mine. I had a two-hour surf lesson and went out into the water. I was informed by a knowledgeable surfer before my trip to Costa Rica that once in the water on your board, look back at the shore, see what Costa Rica is and feel the energies of the water, flow with the energies and just surf. My surf instructor informed me not to think too much, just surf. Best two pieces of advice I have been given.

I flowed with the energies of the water and stood on the board while embracing the abundance of Costa Rica foliage ahead of me. I was free.

Here are some snippets of my week long stay. I shall return very soon. Pura Vida.