All we have is this moment: reflections from the Galapagos

On my trip to the Galapagos, I met a few very special people who helped me to look at life from a new perspective.  The unique thing about these encounters is it's all we have, and if we close ourselves to the present moment, even just for a few seconds, these experiences are gone forever.  But it's important that we don't hold on to these people or experiences.  Just as quickly as they open up a new part of ourselves, new energy fills our bodies and makes us feel a little lighter.  All we have to do is relax, breath, and soak up the present moment.

On my birthday, my family and I ran into an old family friend named Berenice Norris.    Though I love meeting new people, when I am feeling introverted like I was in that moment, I can be a little distant. But immediately, she refreshed me and it was like I had taken an hour nap.  Her energy was so warm and inspiring that I fell in love with her vibrations and realized I want to get to know this person more.

Berenice is from San Cristobal Island, a population of 6K people, and has lived here for 16 years with her 9 year old son Roland. While many tourists may think the Galápagos Islands are expensive for tourists only, it is even more expensive for locals.  While a pop may cost $1.5 in Guayaquil, Ecuador, it costs $3 because of shipping costs.  Roland told us the first day, "Don't think this island is a paradise cuz its not.  Sometimes we don't have basic food and we have to eat all we can get.  In the last few months, 3 ships carrying supplies and food have sunk."  My surf instructor Junior told me the same thing, that you have to get used to eating what is available and sometimes not eating or eating only what you can scrounge.  There was no electricity on Isabella Island until 10 years ago so before that you just ate what was fresh or exchanged items with neighbors, there's definitely no super market like a Costco or even a Safeway.

My dad told me that in the past, Bere worked with my dad and a few friends to quantify all energy inputs in families homes and see what appliances use the most energy.  What Bere and her team found is that fridges actually use the most energy and for $50 per fridge, they worked with the government to replace all fridges in the island.  The locals paid the government back with the savings from the energy expenses.

On my last day on the island, I texted Bere and we spent the afternoon body-boarding.  She shared with me a bit of her life experience and inspired me to continue challenging my own beliefs.  Bere has had a few years of hardship, but fighting for what you believe in isn't easy.  Fighting for what you believe in means being unapologetic.  Not needing to make justifications for your actions, but being confident in yourself.  As she is moving with her son to Quito in a few months to provide her son with better education, she is leaving her island life and starting over.  Fortunately, I will be visiting her next year as we beach hop to catch waves and I'll get to see how her life transforms for the better.

Growing up in a family with each person having strong values and opinions, even sometimes about who to (or not date), it is natural as the youngest to always receive advice and I struggle being easily influenced my others.  But what another person thinks is best for you is only there opinion.  Like my biggest sis Mari says, "I'm your big sister I'm always going to give you advice but it's up you know to decide how you feel. And if you are so defensive, ask yourself why". 

Instead of looking to others for advice, challenge yourself to ask yourself the tough questions.  Take today for example, what is one idea or behavior that you would like to challenge?  It might be something so small like not setting an alarm on Sunday & giving yourself extra time to rest.  A few weeks ago, I took my checklist for the day and teared it up.  Yesterday I was on a family tour that I reluctantly went to and decided I rather hang with a new friend Niv from Israel who was leaving in a few hours to travel to the next island.  Even though my dad was a little reluctant for me to leave, I spent the $20 for the taxi to spend a few hours playing with sea lions & enjoying a beer together on the beach. The whole way down I felt a little apprehensive and then realized life is too short to continue to question my actions.  I had such a great afternoon getting to know this person more and we shared a very beautiful connection that would have not been available to me if I just tried to please others. 

But don't just stop at today, tomorrow reflect on it.  How did you feel when you challenged yourself?  You might find that at the same time of feeling anxious and a little nervous, you also feel a little relief.  But that's the point!  It gets easier as you continue to challenge attitudes and beliefs that make you feel trapped.  So today, I challenge you, but more importantly, challenge yourself.   Push your limits and see how you start to break little ideas or beliefs that make you feel trapped. 

I hope you enjoy a glimpse into my trip in the Galapagos where I had an opportunity to relax with my family, meet amazing people like Bere & Niv & challenge myself to take these small beliefs I hold onto and react differently.  These are small every day practices that are difficult as it forces you to change behaviors you've formed your whole life, but trust me, the impact it will have on your life will be freeing.