Robin- the Free Bird

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to interview a new friend. I have been sitting with this post and the things I learned in my conversation with this awesome girl because this post is very special to me. Having had the chance to hear her stories, I wanted to ensure that I was able to accurately share them and make this one of my best :) Robin is her name- adventure is her game. This tough southern chick with a big heart and a funny accent, was visiting from Ole' Miss to see my friend Paige for the week. When I 1st met her, I thought she was a pisser and awesome- hence my desire to interview her. As our interview progressed, I came to realize how much more awesome this girl was than I had previously understood before we began. Here is a pic of me and my new bud post interview:



A few quick facts before we dive in:

• Inspired by: her Dad- he is a single dad raising 3 girls, never babied her, and refers to her as the "broken child" (I will explain later)
• Craziest thing she's ever done: went sky diving 2 Sunday's ago and would definitely do it again
• Greatest Quality: isn't scared of "almost anything"
• Studying: higher education, considering law school for immigration studies (already rocked her 1st LSAT attempt)

OK now down to the nitty gritty. What lit Robin's eyes up the most, and she seemed to speak so naturally about, was her willingness and passion to help orphan and disabled children abroad. Thus far, she has been to Belize three times and Peru once. In Peru, Robin stayed with a host family and worked at the only orphanage in the country for disable children. There, she met a little boy that she told me she hopes to go back and adopt from the shelter later in life. Through her experiences in this country, she came to realize of her gift of helping others- whether that be to care for the children or help them to see new, positive experiences, it was a gift she knew she wanted to share. On her trips to Belize, she worked on a small island with a program that helped to build a road to a school where children were able to learn a variety of subjects; the only one of its kind on the island. Due to the way land was formed around the area, a small ditch began to form yards from the school. On more than 1 occasion children on their way to school  had tripped and fallen into the water that had gathered in the ditch. Because of the stagnant nature of the water, a few children passed away after having come into contact with the ditch's contaminated contents. Committed to changing this, the organization that Robin worked with used the mud-like substance around the ditch as cement to create the 1st legitimate road up to the school. After 3 visits and many other helping hands- the ditch was completely covered up and the road finally complete, strong, and enabling more children than ever easy access to education. This was one of the most amazing personal stories I had ever heard, and I could see the level of gratitude and love in Robin's eyes as she explained every minute detail of the project. And don't think Robin didn't also whip these kids into shape on her down time! Offering to stay in what she referred to as a "box" (square cement room with a door and a bed)- the children came over to visit and hangout with her many times throughout her visit. Although it was recommended for each volunteer to spend a certain amount of time alone in their rooms because of the taxing emotional nature of the trip, Robin consistently kept an open door policy with all of the children. On a night out to dinner during her trip, Robin and another volunteer offered to treat 10 special children to a big meal. This being a very special occasion for the kiddies, Robin had hand selected the ones who had earned their special treat. 1 little guy snuck his way into the group and right into the middle of the table. "Let him stay!" you might be thinking to yourself, but this was a privilege for the other children that had been selected for dinner, and Robin immediately said "I see you there man, you were not invited to our dinner, please leave." She explained that situations such as this one were frequent, because unfortunately, many times, children tried to take advantage of American visitors.

Now that you know all of these amazing things about my new friend Robin, I am going to share with you the most unnoticeable part of her personality. Robin is in a wheelchair and has been ever since her family's vehicle was hit by a drunk driver when she was 7. Paralyzed below the waist, she was able to gain movement in her thighs through therapy. Now if you re-read my story above...you will be more than amazed by all of the wonderful, giving, daring, selfless acts Robin has already accomplished in her 20 some years of life. I am so inspired by this girl's soul and hope this story inspires all of you to get up, give back, and put a smile on that face. I am so grateful to have had the chance to sit with this amazing young woman and spend some quality time with her on her trip to the West Coast. I hope to see you again very soon- and wish you the best of luck in all of her amazing endeveors!

A few final notes:

• Cool Fact 1: she gets her tires at the bike store...because they are cheaper- and is currently sporting a pair for mountain biking wheels! 
• Cool Fact 2: she loves to go bike riding- either on her own bike or when our friend Paige pulls her from behind (apparently they have some great video footage).
• Cool Fact 3: she loves swimming and being by the water but hates the sand!

xoxo AA

Full Feared

Fear is something that seems to be a common topic of discussion in our society as of late. In fact, fear has always been something that I have struggled to understand fully. This weekend, I heard a unique perspective on fear that I naturally decided needed some unpacking. My friend- you know who you are- you were correct...I am blogging about this one. Anyways, to me, fear is a concept that seems to have 2 potential outcomes. The first being fear that is debilitating and disables you from reaching your goal. The second being fear that drives you to succeed, push through, or prove someone wrong. In my life, taking the plunge and trying to ignore fear at all costs has felt like the best performing coping mechanism. Case and point, I went from east coast to west coast living rather quickly. But what about those other areas of life we fear that we can't control. Such as a big event coming up, or an extremely important meeting, or just the pressure to not fail. The friend I mentioned earlier explained to us that being fearful of something is more scary than the actual thing we fear. I thought about that for a second, and was immediately brought back to my initial logic. What if your fear was so large that it did in fact debilitate you and prevent you for achieving your ultimate goal? Or, what if your fear was so great that it fueled you to exceed expectations and surpass the initial goal you had set for yourself? My friend went deeper...he believed that the initial "fear," before the big event, was essentially unnecessary. As a means to block it out of your mind, one should consider stopping the fear in its tracks and just getting the task at hand complete so that the ultimate goal could be accomplished. But how do you do that? How do you just stare fear in the eye and tell it to go away, for good, because it does us...well, no good? Fear in the long term, is a negative use of energy of course. Spending countless amounts of time worrying, wondering, and trying to ask questions we are unable to answer disallows us from focusing on the positive, or ultimate goal, and snatches our focus away from it. As I am writing this post, I am realizing what my interpretation is of the perspective on fear my friend shared. For me, it is about giving up control. Yes, of course we need to take a certain course of action such as preparation, health, and wellness in order for us to reach our goal. But at the end of the day....that is truly all we, as humans, are able to do. Unforeseen events, circumstances, or karmic energies are completely out of our control. And the moment we are able to realize that, I think is the moment we are best able to devote our attention on what we want and go for it. There are many naysayers to this theory, and I respect your opinions. For me...everything happens for reason. So lesson learned here- the point at which we are able to give up control, and put our faith not only in ourselves, but also whichever higher power we seek, is the moment we stop fear in its tracks...and "just live ya life." Easier said than done of course, but certainly a great goal to start the week off with :)
xoxo AA

The Wise Lady

Happy February 15th! I am still feeling the love and am going to keep this feeling going :) Anyhow- yesterday I had the pleasure of chit chatting with grandma on my way into work (reality: as I crawled in traffic to work) and she had some profound insights I wanted to share and possibly unpack. On the subject of food- we began to discuss the wide spread obesity epidemic and its bratty little cousin, diabetes, in this country. Not realizing how difference her perspective might be, my grandmother began to explain that in the 40s and 50s, soda was essentially non-existent in her household. She explained that refined sugar itself was truly not a popular food item of the time (with the exception of a sugar cube in your coffee). Additionally, nothing in her home came from a package. Though possibly putrid in color, green beans paired with a meat and potato was a most common dinner delight. Again, these foods may not be high in nutrients, but saw no preservatives present in their contents. I am certainly not glorifying the health methods of the 40s and 50s in our country (drinking in your office and smoking while your pregnant...how did these slip by?!) but what my grandmother so eloquently made me realize was that her generation was never trained to eat these sorts of foods. Let me explain. For years on end, the American human body became accustomed to the foods that were readily available to feed it. When this happens over time, our bodies form a hereditary relationship with the foods it is able to eat, process, and digest. With the explosive introduction of refined sugars and preservative loaded foods into the diet in later years- our bodies naturally went into shock. Never having consumed high amounts, or any amounts at all of these ingredients, the body went into shock, not knowing where or how to process these ingredients. Case and point, diabetes, obesity, heart disease. Additionally, how was anyone to know these foods were bad? Like I said, people were throwing back scotch and taking a drag in the delivery room- oh my stars! In present day- preservatives and refined sugars have become a main stay in our diets. Foods containing sugar and preservatives have become almost addictive in nature to us. We are constantly bombarded by pictures of cute cupcakes, commercials sensationalizing taco flavor chips, and diets claim the health benefits of chocolate coconut water (which contains nearly 20g of sugar per serving). It can sometimes feel like we are being chased and there is no escaping! Here is my solution- and proof...open mindedness. My grandmother- being of an age I will not speak because she would kill me, and because it would surprise you looking that damn good- has opened her mind to new food ideas. Celebrating the Chinese New Year with her gals yesterday, they enjoyed East Asian dishes for lunch and are constantly experimenting with different types of grains, veggies, smoothies, and whole food big city (Queens!) restaurants. If they can do it- we can do it! We haven't been here long enough to be set in our ways, to be "too long gone." So the quest for healthy foods- that feed and nourish your body- not deplete and cause disease  is possible! And can be fun when done with a few old friends :) Where to start? Try a new fruit or veggie! My new fave veggie- bok choy! Try to cook dishes  in your own home that you love to eat- so that you know EXACTLY what ingredients are going into your dish, and then into your body. Remember, you've only got one...so treat it well :)
xoxo AA