All Experiences Bring You Something

As we go through our lives, we experiences our ups and downs, things that are both bitter and sweet, and things that bring both pain and pleasure. But no matter what, who we are is created by our RESPONSE to these experiences – they all bring us something… I am sure that, if you’re like me, you’ve had some experiences that have left you breathless…for both good and bad reasons. All experiences are a foundation upon which we build our understanding. Our experiences allow us to know what love is (not just what we read or hear about love). Our experiences allow us to taste chocolate, walk in the rain, dance to music, and cry with a good friend. While we have a variety of ways in which we ingest these experiences, we all know that you cannot adequately describe the color blue, what it feels like to dive into a pool on a hot summer’s day, or what it means to be Latina. These experiences have to be LIVED, to be experienced, and those experiences bring us something. What those experiences do for us, however, is completely up to us. Have you had your heart broken? Eaten a rotten piece of fruit? Or been betrayed by a friend? Have you even been laughed at? Made fun of? Or failed at something you really, really wanted? Could you adequately describe those things? When we pick ourselves up from difficult times, we get to *choose* what those experiences will mean for our world view. Will we choose to fundamentally view the world as good, or bad? Will we decide to try again…or simply give up? Likewise, have you ever eaten a warm cookie, fresh out of the oven? Hugged a wriggling, squirming puppy that is desperately trying to lick your face? Woken up on a cold morning snuggled under a warm comforter? Do you take those experiences for granted, as something that is your due, and “owed” to you? Or do you choose to accept them with gratitude, and appreciation, and with the joy of knowing that you CAN have those experiences? We will reflect on what our experiences have brought, how we interpret what’s happened in our lives, and how we’ve chosen to craft what those experiences mean, and how we will move forward…