Yesterday

Goodbye student loan

20 years ago this month, my dad asked me to leave the family nest. I was 16, I was full of fire and ambition and I had a plan.

Yanik 16

I didn’t really know what I was going to do, exactly. But my plan was to be wildly successful,  have a brilliant career, travel the world and have a really, really big house. I was convinced that these “things” would make me deliriously happy. So I studied hard, got my diploma and racked up  a ton of student debt.

Then I worked hard and lived large and racked up some consumer debt. I was happy, sort of… but not really. Ten years ago, I woke up and decided I wouldn’t be a slave to this lifestyle anymore.

Workaholic Yanik 27

So I quit it all and my debt and I went in search of a different path. I rejected money and vowed to find inner peace through voluntary simplicity and service to my fellow man.  I would be lying if I told you it’s been easy. I’ve walked through the desert and weathered many storms that shook me to the core. But I’m stronger and wiser because of it and that alone makes everything worthwhile.

Next week, I’ll be making the final payment on my student debt. In all, that little piece of paper cost me thirty thousand dollars. I feel as though thirty thousand pounds are being lifted off my shoulders. You have no idea how free I feel. As an added bonus, my husband and I are also very close to eliminating all of our debt as well.  Needless to say, we are very, very pleased. I’m actually quite thankful for the lessons learned but I’m eager to end this chapter and begin a new one.

So what’s my plan now?  I plan to let go of the past and not anticipate the future. I want to enjoy life, one moment at a time. Because moments like these

Loik + Lake = lasting memory

make me profoundly happy. The rest is either unimportant or will work itself out.

As I take my evening walk tonight, I’ll have a special thought for all of you who are paying off your student loans or consumer debt. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and you will get there! Good luck!

Sunflower from my garden

I love sunflowers and have been planting them in my garden ever since we moved to the mountains 5 years ago. A neighbor kindly gave me some seeds of a perennial variety and I was anxious to see how they would turn out. I am still completely amazed that one tiny seed can produce so much beauty and so many opportunities to multiply.

The original photo was a little fuzzy so I had some fun with it in Photoshop Elements. I found a beautiful free texture via flickr and applied it to the picture for a more dramatic effect. I love how it turned out.

avoxtar_sunflower

Via my Flickr

The texture is actually a really beautiful picture taken by Beth Gray, a photographer from Texas. Here is the original picture.

free texture #3

Via Bethers flickr stream

Isn’t it marvelous?  I really love the colors. It’s a great shot. Thanks for sharing your talent @bethers! Do check out Beth’s flickr, website and etsy store.

Have a great day everyone! Go out and enjoy the sunshine if you can.

We are one.

I’ve been avoiding the news as much as possible.  I find it impossible to watch the death and destruction in Haïti and then see an ad for a luxury car or something.  I was speaking to my mother the other night and she said that my she and my father are overwhelmed with grief and that they have a hard time sleeping. They say they can hear the people crying out for help from under the rubble.

When I first heard about the earthquake, I thought of a childhood friend named Marjorie. Marjorie was my first Haitian friend and I absolutely loved to go to her house. Her mother spoke creole and made the most wonderful food and I was fascinated by how quickly she could braid hair her daughter’s hair.  One day, we met Marjorie and her family as they were headed to church or to a wedding or some sort of grand occasion. Marjorie and her sister were wearing white gloves shiny black patent leather mary-jane shoes and the cutest flowy summer dresses I had ever seen. Their hair had been intricately braided and adorned with at least a dozen gorgeous red silk ribbons. To me, they looked like princesses. I remember coming home and asking my mother to give me some ribbon so I could braid my hair too.  I haven’t heard from Marjorie in years. I hope she is well and that her family in Haïti is safe and sound.

The pictures coming out of Haïti are absolutely heartbreaking. I can only imagine what they are going through and my heart goes out to them and to the rescue workers who are sifting through the rubble. I take the time each day to sit down and send love and positive energy to the world and now specifically to Haïti.  I concentrate my thoughts and visualize a beautiful Island paradise where the children laugh and play. Everything is rebuilt from the ground up and Haïti is thriving.  I hope with all my heart that I can live to see that day.

There has been an outpouring of support from everybody on and off the web. We are coming together and trying to help in any way we can. But why do we wait for something like this to happen before we come together to help our fellow man? This is the question that haunts me at night. Even before this tragedy, the people of Haïti were living in abject poverty. Getting by on 2 dollars a day. Eating mud pies to survive. Makes us wonder why we complain about our own little problems. Doesn’t it? I donate a lot of time in my community and I have to admit that before the holidays, I was starting to feel tired. This event has strengthened my resolve to continue, move forward and do even more.

If you can’t afford to donate to the relief effort, please join me in meditation every morning before you rise. So many people need our help. Let’s take care of each other.