Living Life with Intention

There is a spinning class that I go to and the instructor always talks about having an intention for the ride. It can be anything from just making it through the ride or de-stressing for the coming day. But I think that this is an important  to have a goal for the rest of the class. You wake up early to go to the class and why not put forth your best effort possible towards the goals you really want.

This is why I think its very important to have an intention(s) for burning man. I don't want to set the bar too high and then not meet my expectations, but I want a purpose. My goal is to broaden my horizons and do things that are not typical of the person I have been for the last 27 years. I want to be open to new experiences and not scared to try new things. I want to try to not judge people, which will go with changing from the person I have been. In short I want to be open to what Burning Man has to offer.

All too often we get ourselves into a rut and think that just because things are the way they are now that it will never change. Well that line of thinking is false. The world is constantly changing and evolving, so why not embrace it?

I think the biggest thing for me is that because was so sheltered, I stray away from pushing the envelope and just stick to what I know, which I really hope I can break out of at Burning Man. I am not saying im going to go and be tripped out on drugs for the next 10 days. I am saying I want to see what else there is out there for me and expand my scope for a bit. I think it will help that my boyfriend will be by my side because I feel like he is a good person to be in this with. He is good about trying to get me to try new things and experience life and he is not as scared of everything like I am. 

All in all I hope to have a great trip and hopefully be able to make a cool vlog with the footage!

Container load to the Playa

Things I have learned so far about Burning Man Truck Load

Yesterday was the first Burning Man container load from Boston I have been apart of and as a burgin I had a lot to learn, which is why I wanted to share what I thought we did that worked and what I thought did not work. Being that I had gone with someone who has done this 2 years previously, I am not trying to say I did these things knowingly. I just feel it would be good to spread the knowledge now that I have gone.

1. Don't expect others to do things for you, come prepared to load- There was someone who pulled up their car containing all of their stuff, but they had not labeled anything or fastened the tops of the bins. Yes people are there to help you load your stuff, but they are not there to pack "your" stuff. Be considerate! People are there to take your stuff and put it in the container. They are not standing around to make sure it ships safely and everything is done before its packed, they are there to just load it on. If you still have some last minute things to do that is fine just don't pull up in front of the container and expect people to not want to load your belongings. We went off to the side organized and did some last minute labeling and then drove right up to get our stuff loaded on.

2. Zip tie your front bike tire to your bike- You want your bike to be able to stack easily with the other bikes so take your front tire off and tie it with zip ties to your frame making sure the handles are also flat to the tire. This will ensure that your bike can easily be packed away with the other bikes. Again be considerate and do what will make it easier for those loading the truck.

4. Take a picture of the truck number- Do not take a picture of the license plate because that will change, but the number on the side of the truck will not. Make sure you document that and not be concerned with the numbering convention of the group for example, I heard people referring to one of the trucks as truck 4, but that is not on the truck anywhere its just want someone called it aka not reliable.

5. Don't worry about when to load if you are not going to be there within the first day or two- People were delaying putting on the truck because they were going to be there early, but in some cases early is relative. its not that big of a deal to have to help unload to get to your stuff. Now I'm not saying to put your stuff all they way in the back and make your life difficult but if you aren't coming the furst day don't wait till the last minute. Don't stress placement too much, its a community effort.

6. Have fun! Meet new people, get to know people who will be in Black Rock City with you. Help in any way you can because it takes everyones corporation to make everything run flawlessly.

I have arrived!

Well May 1st has come and gone and I am happy to report I have moved to Boston! I feel so empowered that I set a date and stuck with it, however life on your own does take some adjusting to. One of the good things is that my roommates seem pretty cool so far, which is good! The downside, living on your own means you are responsible for yourself. You no longer have your parents to fall back on and take responsibility, it's all on you.  For example, when you forget to move your car on street cleaning night you are the one who gets to pay the ticket and when you don't go to the grocery store, you are the one that has to figure out a dinner plan. This may sound like I am complaining, but really its just something you never think of when you say you want to move out. Your roommates are obviously going to be there for you, but it is not their job to take care of you and vice a versa. It's after moving out that you grow your inner strength and really start to appreciate where you have come from. When you are living at home and have a job you go out and by fresh organic food, but when you are out on your own looking for work those prices do not seem worth your poverty.
I am glad I took the plunge because, yes, at times living on your own may not be the glamorous life I imagined, but it also offers you the chance to experience life and know that you can do it! As with any type of change you need to be open to new experiences and embrace life rather than running from it or staying in your comfort zone.

"She Said I think I'll Go to Boston..."

I have to admit I'm afraid. I fear the walls outside of my comfort zone. I have built them up so high that now i can not see past them and they consume my vision, but I must break free from them. I feel so safe in the world I have created for myself, but that does not mean that I should stay complacent with where I am because I also fear by staying where I am I will never be able to truly grow. I have always lived at home with my parents and for a few years in college lived with my friends, but now I feel the need to branch out and make a life for myself. But how do I leave a place that has been such a good home when I fear the unknown I will be pursuing?
Today i made a deadline that I will move to Boston by May 1st. Ideally I would like a good paying rewarding job before that time and I still do have three months to find one, but if not I decided I'm taking my savings and going. In a way i feel empowered because I am taking a stand in my life to do something, but in another way I feel as if I'm five and want to run into my bed an hide under the covers. I don't know why this is so hard for me people do this everyday they grow up and move out of their childhood homes. It's not a revolutionary idea, it's just something that every grown human being must go through at some point in their adult life. For some reason the thought of me actually doing it just makes me quiver. How is it that people do this? Am I the only one feeling this? Or maybe others are too, but they just try not to show it.
Its only natural to be resistant to change especially when the change you are undertaking will literally alter every aspect of your life. All I know is this house and these people who have raised me since I was born, it only natural to want to cling to the reliable and the situations I know, but who knows maybe a move will be just what I need. Maybe I want to be able to go up and down the stairs at any hour of the night, or talk when I have something to say at whatever volume I want or take care of myself instead of being doted on every second of the day. Don't get me wrong I am very thankful for all that my parents have done for me and given me the opportunity to experience, but at some point they need to trust that they raised me well and that I can make it on my own and its looking like that time is now.
I am someone that does not embrace change I like familiarity and predictability, but there comes a time in life where that can not be the case. In math class we learned about this theory called grow or die. Now I'm not going to go as far as to say that if I don't move out of my house I'm going to die, but the theory holds true that if you are not growing and moving forward in your life that you are not going to prosper. People need to constantly be challenging what they know to be their reality and do things that may not always be what is expected of them. what is the worst that could happen? Yes you could fail, but you have already failed if you don't even try to begin with.
So as I embark on this journey I ask God to watch over me and send good things my way because he is the one who has the power to bring blessings into our lives and he only wants good things for us. With him on my side who or what should I fear?
So hear goes nothing three months to move to Boston let the countdown begin! 

Congratulations!

Another year has gone by and another class has graduated from Assumption College. Not a day goes by that I don't miss the time I had spent there with people I could never forget. I remember two years ago as I walked across the stage to receive my diploma and shook President Cesareo's hand and it feels as if it was yesterday. Where has the time gone? Looking back I can see a lot of things in my life have changed, but not the special place that Assumption and the friends I have made there hold in my heart. As I look at photos and statuses all over facebook celebrating the class of 2013 I hope they are able to see what a great opportunity they were given to go to Assumption and use the skills they have learned to reach their dreams. No one knows where they will end up out of college, but what they can be confident in is that Assumption and its community will always be behind them. As the Class of 2013 embarks on the next chapter of their lives they will, like anyone, have hard times and things will not always go as expected, but they need to remember that in the end things will work out and no one at this age really knows what the heck they are doing. Now is the time to pursue dreams and explore what it is that will make your life fulfilling to you. Going into the real world can be a scary thing, but fear not because you can do it. You can make a life for yourself and should not be afraid or fearful to move on to the next adventures in your life. So good luck Class of 2013 and remember Assumption is always your home and will always be filled with the memories you have made, but now is the time to make new memories as you venture off to do great things in the world. Though you may not be close to your friends anymore and won't be able to meet up in charlie's for a cup of coffee the friends you make at Assumption are there for a lifetime and will always do whatever they can to lend a helping hand. So go forth doing Assumption proud as you conquer the world and bring a little bit of Assumption's sunshine to the rest of the world. Good luck and congratulations on graduating, you did it!

With Liberty and Justice For All

I have to say that I am disappointed. I just don't approve of the recent laws and rulings of the government. America is the best country in the whole world and I would never want to live anywhere else, but today we were truly tested on how far our elected officials are willing to take their "power". I personally am not an avid follower of politics, but do like to have at least some idea of what is going on in the country. I have felt the effects of our not so good economy, to put it lightly, as I search for a job and can tell that the country is not heading in the right direction.

Today the Supreme Court passed the individual mandate as part of Obamacare under the taxing power of government, but I honestly fear that the government will use this ruling to over reach their powers. If they can tax those that don't buy into heath care what is next? What if the government decides it wants you to own a certain size house or buy certain foods or only have energy saving cars, if you don't comply they can't force you to buy any specific product, but they can (according to the Supreme Court today) tax you for purchasing the undesirable product. All I can see is a threat to the freedom we have spent so many years to protect and defend and the worst part is that the threat is from within our own country.

Our country was founded due to the objections of our forefathers to the injustice of a tyrant, over controlling English ruler, so why would we want to go back to that now after all the lives that have been lost in order to ensure we would have our freedom and could live our life in the pursuit of happiness? Since when do we pass bills that are only explained after we pass them? And why are elected officials who claim that if things do not get better in their four years of office they will leave peacefully pour billions of dollars into their re-election campaign? Obama is even desperate enough to ask people to donate to his campaign in lue of a birthday or wedding gift...that is crazy! We believed that hope and change would come, but instead we got a government that wants to control everything and anything. You can't even buy the size soda you want in New York because it "leads to obesity" (even though there is no direct link), but don't worry you can celebrate donut day as long as you exercise moderation....what?? that makes no sense! The mayor claimed in an interview on the Today show that donut day was historic and should be celebrated in moderation, well what about soda can't the same be said? He claimed that that is what the soda ban was trying to help do, so basically what he was saying is he trust people not to eat too many donuts, but once people get near soda forget about it Americans need help...Do these politicians listen to themselves when they talk? or do they just like hearing the sound of their voices?

Today's decision has just further motivated me to stay involved in what is going on in this country and make my voice heard. Many who are upset know that this battle is not over and that come November our voices will be heard! We all need to band together to get Obama out of office and make sure we send the message to Congress that if they threaten our liberties they will pay the price and that their actions do hold consequences. One of the things that really annoys me about this whole healthcare issue is that whatever Congress or the President passes they will never have to be under it's jurisdiction. I feel that they need to get off their high horses and see what is really best for the American people and not what they can do to line their own pockets. So, yes Obama won today, but lets hope come November the American people will win and we can get back to the ideals and values that this great country was founded on. Lets hope that when we move forward that means great strides to keep government in check and not change into a socialist society. 

Appreciate The Life You Have

"Be thankful for whatever situation you are in because happiness will never come to those who don't appreciate what they already have". I think sometimes we are often too quick to judge our own situations without really seeing all that is going right in our lives. If your life is anything like mine then it is not always easy to see all the blessings you truly have until you actually take the time to step back and try to look for the good things in your life. All to often we see other people's lives as so much better than our own, but are they really? Why are we so quick to accept that others have their life together when we know from our own experiences that life is never actually able to be made that simple and neat?

I was taking with a former classmate of mine and I feel he brought up an interesting point. He asked me if I buy a scratch ticket and I win any money would I tell a lot of people and be really excited about it and I, being the person I am, would of course tell everyone and quickly post to Facebook and call my best friend in Thailand. However, he said what if you didn't win any money would you be so eager to share this information and I replied that I, for obvious reasons, would not be as eager to share this information with others, but would probably still tell my best friend :). Which he was quick to point out is true for many other events that happen in our lives. People tend to emphasize when things are going well in their lives and tend to hide when they are not, which just goes to show that you really should not be comparing your life to anyone else's because you are only getting what others are letting you see, which is the good things in their lives and all too often the bad is being de-emphasized and pushed to the side.

From Tara Burner Blog

This is just something to think about when you get down and feel as if your life is the only one spinning out of control. Just remember its not just you. Right now as many of my friends and I, along with other young adults, try to figure out what we will do in the world and how we will make an impact that is lasting we need to remember not to compare our lives to others and think that we are alone in this struggle, but remember that everyone has their struggles. In most cases no one really knows what their plan in life should be until it happens. So don't get discouraged if you are thinking that this is not where you saw your self in life right now just remember there is a whole generation in your same shoes and no one ever really knows where to go next we are all just stumbling around to find what will make us happy and how to live in a world that does not always seem to play fairly. Therefore, embrace life and do what makes you happy because you only get one life to live so you better make it count! Look to appreciate where you are now in life rather than looking down on it and feeling bad about yourself. Everything will work out in the end! Believe that and for now just enjoy the unanswered questions and the moments of doubt. Remember life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful; its all about your perspective on the situation you are currently in.