Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella : )

How are you feeling today?

What made you smile; better yet, who made you smile today? Have you laughed today or told someone you love them?


Given, sometimes a few tears must fall, but happiness comes at times to all. I am thinking of those "feel good moments." You know, the moments when you can't help but just stop, smile and say "Thank you"-- I thank God at these moments, but you may just take pleasure in taking a second to let it all in. I'm talking about the small things in life, something I learned to do from my best friend Maria Adela. For example, I love it when my favorite song plays on the radio while I'm driving on the highway or how my stomach hurts after laughing, probably at myself. I remember so many times when I just stopped mid-walk on my way to class on the hill to take in the scenery (it really is a beautiful campus)or how the sun kissing my cheek reminds me that Maria will always be with me. These moments make me feel alive.

This week I found myself wrapped up in these moments, thankful that I was in Australia :)

* Taking the bus to my internship is great. I have to take one bus and the stop is right in front of the 2-story glass MAC store. Every so often (meaning since I've started my internship this has happened once) I decide to walk from my internship back to the house. It is a one hour walk and one very long street. I had about 100 pages or so left to read of "Dear John" and I had gotten out early from work, and I thought, 'what the heck'- I'll walk home and read! As I flipped through pages and pages of the romantic novel, I stopped: okay, I'll admit it was because the pedestrian walking signal was red, but I looked up from the book and just took in my surroundings; there were buses zooming through the city streets. Nearby I could hear jazz music coming from a man playing the saxophone, hoping that someone would snap out of their zombie-like walk to hear the music filling the air and drop a few coins in his hat laying in front of him. Across the street I saw people enjoying their lunches on the steps beside the Martin Place fountain (I just learned it was in the film the Matrix). The vibe of the city was high, the sun was shining, "Dear John" was carrying me through a beautiful love story.... and I couldn't have been any happier. At that moment, I smiled and thought, "life is good."

* Even a windy day on the beach is great...when you're in Australia! The crew and I went to Bondi Beach early Saturday morning to check out the Surfing Competition. Having survived the car ride was reason enough to be thankful (our mate, Mike, bought a car, and having a 20-year old American boy drive on the opposite side of the road and navigate to the beach is its own experience) yet, as I sat on the beach watching the surfers and stared out to the ocean, I couldn't picture myself anywhere else.

* At school, I would go to run at our lovely window-less gym facilities, that is, when there wasn't an "out of order" sign on the machine. In Australia, Shauna and I get to run outside at the University of Sydney's Main Quadrangle, the heart of Aussie’s oldest university(completed in 1859)-- take that for a change in scenery, eh? Whenever I think of stopping, I look up and think to myself, "I'm running in Australia" .... again, "life is good."


* This past Sunday Steve and I were able to catch a taxi to Parramata City for 'Kai Fech' at Riverside Theaters for a "total African drum and dance experience." What a show! Lead percussionist, Pape Mbaye, took us to the heat of West Africa "with no visa or passport" (haha, he was funny too) to enjoy the sounds and instruments of the group. It was when Pape pulled me out of the audience to dance (with an extra nudge from Steve), that I was reminded of how much I love to perform and dance! Along with the funny video Steve was able to capture of me, I couldn't help but smile as I danced to the beat (making sure I held my dress!). Steve and I left feeling so energized from the show that we took the train to Sydney Harbour for some seafood and ice cream!

As I stood on the boardwalk and gazed at the Sydney Harbour Bridge to my left, lit up against the summer night's sky, and looked over to the Sydney Opera House, a masterpiece in itself --- I knew that as long as I live I would never forget that moment .

Take in the moments that make you feel alive! Smile often, cherish the people who make you laugh, and overuse 'I Love You.'

"LIFE is not the amount of breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away."

Live.Laugh.Love
Shavely