Inquebrantable; Unbent, unbowed, unbroken

Mexico
I've grown up traveling the world, and I feel incredibly lucky in that aspect. Perhaps that's why I have such a strong desire to travel in my job as well, it's what I'm used to. Meeting new people, seeing new sites, experiencing different cultures...eating the food (I'm not a technical "foodie" but I do love to eat!)

I was lucky enough to attend a conference in Puebla, Mexico. It's the first time that I have ever been to Mexico, and it was wonderful to use my Spanish again. I was able to meet people and friends in person that I had come to know through emails over the last year, and we had a great conference learning from each other and connecting. Looking back I remember feeling a sense of acceptance and belonging that are essential to all humans to feel nurtured and to grow.  It was incredible to sit in a room full of distinguished individuals, who had been doing the work I was doing for many more years than myself, actually listen and give me respect as I spoke, sometimes about things I wasn't super confident or skilled in. It was an atmosphere where brainstorming truly meant open opinions and open minds, and where hiking up a pyramid was a bonding experience that once we made it to the top, and we were sitting there taking in the view, we were all left breathless, and not just from the lack of Oxygen!

There are times in our lives where we reach a crossroads, sometimes we don't realize it until we are there but they are pivotal moments in one way or another. Sometimes we are standing there for a long time before we realize that we have been standstill, and all of a sudden a clear path, or at least a glimmer of one, opens up before us and we realize that we have a choice. Whether it's literal or figurative, it can be a life altering moment, or maybe not! May be it is simply a small turn at the moment but later on in life leads us somewhere very far from where we expected to be. Maybe it's a margarita, maybe it's a conversation…or maybe it's a self realization that you need to listen to your heart.

In the end, like a ripple on a pond, you return to where you started, to where you are complete. Life may be a journey of reaching out, making waves, pushing through the stillness only to find that peace exists when you accept where you belong. It's okay to move along, to find new shores, it's how we grow, whether at a glacial speed or during a springtime snow melt rush, in the end we find a certain calmness accepting what's always been there all along, the depth, the ocean, the calm. Being able to take a deep breath, look around, and be okay with where we are, even if we know it isn't our final destination. Having the faith that given time, we will be okay, and that we are in our current position to learn something, or to teach someone something, can bring a small measure of comfort when we are questioning everything around us.