Entry numero tres- Chapter 3- Is it Careful & Cautious.... Or Just Plain Cowardly?

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“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”-Mary Manin

Living abroad for the very first time in Spain, a place I had never before visited no less, has supplied me with an overabundance of "light bulb" moments.

It feels most days as if my mind never stops moving, evaluating, whirling and sputtering, sometimes to the point where I really do expect smoke to pour out of my ears (even just as a necessary pressure valve release from all of the excessive processing taking place inside my head).

I'm watching people on the metro, thinking about culture and family, and listening to the rhythm of a language I desperately wish to absorb by osmosis as it rolls effortlessly off the tongues of the locals around me.

I've met and talked with many people over the month I've been here so far, the majority other English teaching Americans, and all with tales of world traveling to exotic and far off destinations and born with what appears to be the itch for the unknown.

So the question on the forefront of my mind this week is: what motivates and pushes some to pick up and go while others fight to stay firmly planted in one place?

I think the distinction presents itself in the form of fear (coupled with his troublesome and no less detrimental cousin, doubt).

There is noise created by fear and doubt that plays between our ears keeping us from hearing the music of our own individual greatness. This would appear to be a trait we assume, through society and experience, and not something we are born with (as can be seen when we are children jumping out of trees and planning how we will one day save the world).

Soon we start to lose sight of what we want and begin to hear the voices of parents, grandparents, friends and the like, a veritable committee inside our heads critiquing and judging the decisions we make before we ever even have the chance to make them. We stop listening to our own instincts. We stop thinking that we have a right to choose.

We stop believing that we deserve to be happy.

The difference between those who travel to exotic places and move to far off destinations and those who do not? It is not money or affluence. It isn't preparation or intelligence. It is as simple as being so motivated to chase your dream that you refuse to hear the noise and only hear the music. Loud and clear, sweet beautiful music.

My suggestion? Take the time. Find your own melody. It is, and you are, most definitely worth it.

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Photos

Watching futbol!
My friend Kristin & I out watching futbol at a local bar the night before she headed back to school in England.

The Happy Accident Bar
My friend Joy and I ended up at this bar (I can't remember the name) but it was a tiny little neighborhood dive with no crowd & really cheap drinks- therefore I have dubbed it "The Happy Accident Bar".

The "EAT ME" Calendar
Joy, Me, & Tracy, attempting to recreate the image on the cover of the Seagram's gin calender. & yes, you heard me right, it says EAT ME on the cover. Love it.

Say "Cheese" for the Family Photo
Meeting up for an Alcohol Appreciation session: Paul, Joy, Me, & Tracy.

Yes It
This is a funny one. Funny because we (Me & Kristin) wanted a picture with the horse statue in Sol (city center) behind us. But our heads completely blocked it.

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Hello Danielle
I stumbled along your blogs today and can tell you I have enjoyed reading them. I can't wait to hear what you discover, explore and uncover in Spain! Your communication style has a nice patter to it. Hope you continue to write. My husband and I have been gypsies of the world for years. We are currently living on Cape Cod until spring. If we make it back to Boston before we leave I will have to look for that cupcake shop. Happy travels, Merry Jo

[dad]

blog#3
you really should compile your travel blogs into one volume,#3 has some profound perspectives.love, dad

[Walk the World]

yes i do agree about the part that upbringing has a lot to do with people restricting themselves at one place. I know a lot of friends who wanted to travel and for that matter purse their graduation but could not due to pressure from their fathers to join their business And i think in such situations individuals are demotivated and lose their interest to travel and become part of the rat race. this leads to a behavior where individuals post the same pressures on their children because the mind set has been changed by their own parents But i guess its a tough task for an individual to pursue his/her own interests due to social pressure and to overcome that pressure is a daunting task and i guess this is where the power of now is a perfect example or a solution as one can stay present and focused without having concern for social pressure and hopefully achieve what the individual desires

[Insanity Grounded]

Sometimes...
Sometimes my sweet...life requires one to sit still for a bit and let the music develop. Revisit Bach.. "The most commonly used form for large classical works is sonata form. It is the basis of almost all symphonies and concertos. It consists of three main sections: the ex­position or opening, in which little ideas, themes, bits and pieces are set forth and introduced to each other; the development, in which these tiny ideas and motifs are explored to their fullest, expanded, often go from major (happy) to minor (unhappy) and back again, and are developed and woven together in greater complexity until at last there is: the recapitulation, in which there is a restatement, a glorious expression of the full, rich ma­turity to which the tiny ideas have grown through the development process. How does this apply to us, you may ask, if you haven't already guessed. " Richard Bach Bridge Across Forever I'll deviate here from the excerpt. In my travels, after awhile, i became stuck in a never-ending opening, falling in love over and over again with new places, new people, the excitement and the beauty of it all, i was chasing dreams, i was free. But what i missed was the development, what i couldn't get to was the deeper portions of the music i longed for, the richness of development. I stopped for awhile, to let the music develop before the song was silenced. For others they never need to take off and go explore to find their sonata. For others they're still looking for the right spot to stop for awhile and let the music grow. And you...well, i suspect you're just off dancing to the music in your head again. I love you, and i miss being on the road with you.....come listen to my sonata soon and i'll come dance to the music in your head as soon as life allows. xoxo