When I close my eyes

Firsts, of all kinds, have ways of incubating and morphing into better versions of themselves over time. The older I get, the more I start to question whether I had the "First" experience, or if the "First" experience had me. First kisses, first dances, first impressions, all seem to marinate in in the same juices as our instincts. And as life marches on, it is easy to imagine how our "Firsts" influence how we respond to the world, and with it, how we make our decisions.
   A wonderful story that I heard for the first time, in Mexico, still influences me to this day. The story goes: There was an old Mexican man, swaying on a hammock, on a beautiful secluded beach. One day, a young, well-dressed salesman approached the peaceful old man and said, "Sir, do you own this land?" and the old man replied, "Yes." The young man stated, "You could sell this land to developers and make lots of money." The old man asked, "What would I do then?" The young man replied, "You could build hotels and make more money than you can imagine. You'd be rich!" The old man, filled with excitement said, "Tell me more." The young man quickly extolled the benefits of wealth, and fulfilling dreams through ownership. The old man was confused, so he asked the young man to clarify his point a little better. The flustered young man said, "You could amass wealth, buy anything, and you could retire without worry." The old man responded by asking, "Maybe, I could even afford to live on the beach with a hammock?" The young man exclaimed, "Exactly!" but quickly saw the irony. The old man, wise beyond his years, showed the younger man what happiness was. The old man went on to give the younger man advice. He said, "Happiness has four parts; one part living a dream, one part not living a dream, and two parts knowing the difference.
    So, as the angels or devils (depending on point of view) whisper into our ears about economic opportunity or guttural happiness, we too, question things from time to time. For me, though, my greatest pause, comes when I close my eyes and envision that old Mexican man on the beach. I see with such clarity, that a content man is wealthy because he is happy and not the reverse.

Little Corn Island

  As I am writing this entry, I'm currently in the United States, looking at business opportunities to help generate income for us while in Nicaragua. Ideally, we'd like to generate some income in the States and some in Nicaragua. Whether it materializes or not is left to be seen. One thing that is certain is my desire to be back in Nicaragua with my family, as soon as possible, as traveling alone sucks.

Colorado

Colorado

Colorado

Colorado

Colorado

Colorado

Colorado

Indiana 

Indiana

Indiana

Indiana

Indiana