“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” –Berthold Auerbach

Today I want to share a music video with you because I feel like this song has a beautiful message about how we should live our lives. It also has a nice “palm trees swaying in the breeze” feel to it, so you can pretend you are in Costa Rica with me. The song is called “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. I’m not entirely certain whom he was singing it to, but I like to imagine that we each sing it to LIFE.

“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” –Maya Angelou

Posted in happiness, music therapy, present moment 20 Comments »

When I was 11 years old, my parents sent me away to Brazil for six weeks. Believe it or not, they weren’t trying to get rid of me; they wanted to teach me about the rest of the world. I went as part of Children’s International Summer Villages (C.I.S.V.), an organization dedicated to the idea that “the ultimate source for peace, long range, lay with the children.”

The way it worked was that they sent delegations of two girls, two boys, and a chapperone to camps in other countries. Each host country ended up with delegations of 11-year-olds from 10 to 20 countries. We spent a week with a host family before camp, a week after camp, and one month at the village. We wore traditional costumes from our country of origin, did folkloric dances, and taught each other about our respective languages and customs. It was a little like the It’s a Small World ride at Disney World.

Posted in choices, family, helping others 33 Comments »

Not every adventure needs to be a monumental expedition. Most of us don’t have the time, resources, or determination (perhaps even the desire, truth be told) to climb a mountain or sail around the world. But if you have a Spirit of Adventure, even simple family excursions can be an amazing way to escape the ordinary and enjoy the beauty of life.

The trick to finding simple, affordable family adventures is to think of yourself as a tourist in your own town. If you live in a city, you can go to almost any hotel and find all sorts of brochures and information about things to do in your area. For instance, when we lived in Austin we discovered tons of great things to see as a family, like the Congress Bridge Bats, Pedernales Falls, and Historic Gruene (sounds like green).

Posted in family, happiness, Spirit of Adventure 7 Comments »