Traveling with a Purpose and the Serenity Found Within

I wanted to leave these 4 blog posts with some final thoughts on finding serenity, joy and appreciation for what we have in our daily lives.

Over the past few years I have had the honor, yes the honor to travel to Central America and now the Caribbean (post Hurricane) and see what most people who reside in the U.S.A. and other "civilized" countries never take the time to see.  We think that we know what "poverty" is and how lucky we are that we live in a country where we have homes, cars, lots of food, we can go out to restaurants when ever we want, we can go on vacations, etc, etc...but are we ever grateful that we have water, a roof over our heads, walls that stay up, electricity at our beck and call?  I think not.  Even as I write this blog, I'm not worried about the fact that my electricity is flowing though my laptop or that there is a glass of filtered water sitting in front of me, but I have seen many, many, many people in many areas of our own hemisphere where this is a daily concern.

When I went to the Civil Defense Group in Puerta Platta, Dominican Republic their unique building was actually without power that day due to grid issues on the island.  When asked about it they said it was a common occurrence, but they didn't seem to notice or be worried about the issue, they just mustered on and if you haven't thought about it also realize that no electricity means no water, water in these areas requires pumping and filtration all requiring electricity.

My take away from this "mission" cruise and other trips I have taken is that even though we would be overwhelmed by what we saw, I saw nothing but people going about their every day lives filled with joy that they live on a beautiful island, that they were surrounded by family, by friends, by strangers who care and by nature who maintains our balance in the world.  They do not focus on the negative, they focus on joy.  You hear it in the music, you hear it in their words, and you see it on their faces and in their souls.

Serenity can surround you at every turn in our life if you just let it in.  Don't focus on the negative, don't focus on what can't be accomplished, focus on nature, focus on the beauty of the world that surrounds us, focus on joy.  By focusing your mind, your soul will find serenity.  Of this I'm positive.