Personal Legends

How can I serve this world?

After a long day at work, I sat on the couch and turned on the evening news. The news often has stories among the negative nature, but this particular night was different. There was a story that was memorable and extremely inspiring.  It was about a mysterious person paying off $20,00 worth of layaways at a Toys-R-Us store. A reporter interviewed one of the customers who used the store's layaway service. The women was overjoyed with emotions and extremely grateful she was able to give her grandson presents this Christmas. Viewing this extreme act of kindness and generosity has warmed my heart and has left me wondering how I too can serve this world. 

Certainly, I won't be able to replicate the extreme act of kindness previously seen on the news. I figured, I could serve the world in a different way. My closet is exploding with clothes, shoes, jackets, scarves, hats, and gloves. I decided to tackle the mission of cleaning out the closet. I gathered all of the items I no longer needed. I donated four trash bags full of stuff to Goodwill, in hopes that I would help somebody in need. 

Viewing the story about the generous  person donating money, has gave inspiration to my own acts of servicing this world. I'm going to continue to serve this world by donating regularly. I'm also interested in volunteering my time. Maybe, at a youth center or at other programs for under served children. Giving back to others evokes a sense of gratitude and a flow of positive emotions. I will continue to give back and serve this world.

Life Mission 

To live a fulfilling and meaningful life, one must discover their personal purpose. Some people have difficulties discovering their purpose or their life mission, others have discovered it but have lost sight of their purpose. I've discovered my life's mission and I'm doing everything in my power to continue achieving and reaching this mission. I've made it my mission to become an Early Childhood Education teacher. I want to be able to guide young children down an enriching and engaging path of knowledge and open the door to endless possibilities. I have dedicated my time and energy to teaching children. I've volunteered, completed internships, and worked for after-school programs. I'm also currently, taking classes to receive a degree in teaching. I've made it my life mission to become a teacher to help positively shape and inspire young minds. 

A Gift 

A special gift that I'm blessed with correlates to my life mission. I've been blessed with the talent of being a creative, engaging, and skilled teacher. The various personality traits I possess have contributed to my knack for teaching. I'm a hard working, patient, caring, compassionate, understanding, and creative person. I take pride in helping children succeed developmentally and academically. Teaching is a special gift that I carry and have made into my life's mission.

 

What brings happiness?

I've always said material objects and substantial amounts of money do not bring happiness. You could be the richest man in the world, but still have feelings of missing something. 

Happiness stems from more than materialistic things. I've taken some thought to what brings happiness in my own life. I can express gratitude and happiness to have friends and family in my life. My friends and family are loving, carrying, helpful, and an important support system. Without those closest to me, I would truly be miserable. Materialistic objects only bring a temporary and short-term happiness. Discovering long term happiness is key to living a blissful life. 

Epitaph 

A positively uplifting spirit

Absolutely fearless 

Approaching life as it passes by 

Gazing up at the starry night sky 

Contemplating the world 

Hoping life's mysteries unfurled

Sometimes living in a dreamworld

Thoughts of travels to far off places 

Discovering untouched spaces

In hopes to find the answers

Enduring bravery and taking chances

Searching for love to fill an empty heart

Forever intertwined and never apart 

Hand in hand 

Just as we planned

Only viewing life as a precious gift 

Cherishing each and every bliss

Chasing after personal legends

Paving the way up to heaven

 

Gratitude in the Workplace

Currently, I am working at an after-school program for preschool aged children. I've worked for this program for several years. Diligently, I've climbed the ranks from a position that resembles a paraprofessional to the important position of a lead teacher. I work everyday from open till close, during school vacation weeks, and even in the summers. I always find myself going above and beyond the normal expectations for this job position. All of the extraneous effort and extra personal time spent planning enticing lessons or activities, reflects upon the gratitude I have towards working with children. 

I'm thankful to be the person that guides these children down an enriching and engaging path of knowledge. Every minuet can be turned into a teachable moment. In return, these moments can be used to shape the lives and minds of each and every child. Influencing the minds of young children is a special opportunity to be thankful for. The children will remember these moments and cherish them forever.

Walking into work everyday is nothing but an uplifting and special treat. Whenever I encounter the children in the hallways or in the classrooms, I'm greeted with big smiles, waves, and hugs. The children have a way of making me feel like an important celebrity. They admire me and look up to me as a special role model. I'm great full to have the opportunity to be a positive role model for these children. I can express gratitude towards making a huge difference in the lives of these children by being a positive influence. I'm thankful for each and every student. 

I've got skills

I've got skills 

That will bring me mad bills 

It's a rush. It's a thrill 

I've got talents 

They aren't a challenge 

They create a balance 

This expertise 

comes easy to me

I am the one who holds the key 

All I have to do is just be me 

Others agree 

This talent comes natural 

It's almost supernatural 

I have mad patients 

No frustrations

Only calming sensations  

I'm Pandora's box

A influential toolbox 

Bursting with creativity 

Expressing conductivity 

I'm calm

I'm the bomb 

Always enthusiastic 

Never drastic 

Just scholastic 

I'm fantastic...

Bombastic 

I've got skills

I've got talents 

The kids look up to me 

Come visit my classroom

You'll see

I'm a super star

My students will go far

They will reach new heights

Gaining influential insights  

I've got skills 

I've got talents 

Plans from the Future

Plan A 

In the future, I have achieved my goal of becoming a Kindergarten teacher. I work and live in the perfect white picket fence community. I own a beautiful house with a big backyard and an in-ground pool. I live with my loving husband and our two children. My family and I are financially stable. We are able to live comfortably. We are able to pursue our dreams of traveling. We take a family vacation, once a year, to a tropical location. This future life is good; this future life is ideal.

The Twist

During summer vacation, the family decided to take a trip to Florida. We were having a marvelous time sitting on the beach and enjoying each others company. On the way back from a hiking adventure, we deceived to stop for refreshments at a local store. While in the store, my husband decided to buy a lottery ticket; which was a once in a while type of thing. In the car he reached in his pocket and searched for the perfect lucky quarter. "Aha!" he said as he pulled one out and started to scratch the ticket. I was about to drive away, when I heard him say "woohoo!" We had only won $20. It wasn't much, but it was exciting to win something. My husband went back into the store to buy another ticket with the lucky winnings. We left the store and drove back to our beach house. 

When we arrived home, I started cooking dinner for the family. My husband came into the kitchen and on the countertop was the unscratched ticket. He had forgotten all about it. He scratched it and his face lit up with joy. He started screaming, "We won! We won! We hit it big!" I turned around to look at him because I thought he was kidding around. I took the ticket from his hands and to my surprise we had won the jackpot! We were set for life! Now, we live extravagant lives happily traveling the world together. 

Plan B

Instead of staying in school and completing a college degree, I dropped out to fulfill desires of traveling the word. My adventures have led me to places I've only had the opportunity to dream of. I've become friends with new, interesting, and influential people along the way. While traveling through Europe, I had the chance to meet a handsome, honest, respectful, and overall kind-hearted man. This man asks to take my hand in marriage. I excitedly accept the marriage proposal and we spend the rest of our lives exploring the magnificent far off corners of the world together. We eventually pick our favorite place by the beach, buy the perfect house, settle down, and have a few children. We live out the rest of our lives in happiness; knowing that all our dreams were fulfilled. 

The grace of the universe 

The universe is conspiring with you

It bestows upon a blanket of grace 

Warm and soft to the touch

Giving light to a magical passage way

A passage way opening up to

A wider path

Follow this trail with curiosity

Have faith and trust in the universe 

Believe in its grace

Good things are coming toward you

All things happen for a reason 

For an ultimate good

Don't resist the grace 

Welcome it as it unfolds around you 

Take this spiritual journey

Fulfill your undeniable dreams and

Live through all your aspirations

Be open and optimistic to these new opportunities 

Anticipate any awaiting adventures

Accept the gifts provided by the universe

And the limitless opportunities it presents

Take the ride of a lifetime

Hold on

Where ever this wider path takes you,

Don't let the universes shifts or changes 

Stop you

Don't loose your strength 

Be powerful and use your perseverance to 

KEEP GOING...

Embrace the grace giving universe 

And it's infinite paths of winding wisdom

 

Future Endeavors

Sitting and collecting dust in the dinning room, I have a gigantic wicker basket overflowing with magazines. I decided to browse through almost the entire basket. I searched and flipped through magazines such as fashion, entertainment & tv, cooking & food, home decor, and health & fitness. I was on an enlightening mission. I was searching for any words, quotes, or images that inspired positive thoughts towards the future. While searching, I cut out and saved anything that gave inspiration. When finished, I perfectly arranged the cut outs on a piece of paper making an inspirational collage. 

I choose words, quotes and images that sent positive vibes about the future. I cut out single words such as happy, heart, love and husband. In the future, I hope to be happy, surrounded by love, and possibly married. 

A portion of the collage is dedicated to my love of traveling. In the future, I want to travel the globe and visit exotic places. I found a picture with a beautiful landscape and a quote saying "It's the stops that inspire us to go." These words made me think of traveling the world and embracing all its beauty. In the same area, I placed an image of a tropical island with palm trees, a butterfly and the word imagine. These cut outs represent spreading my wings, flying, exploring the world, and imagining all the possibilities the future holds. 

A different portion of the collage, has a picture of a sunset and a quote reading "Positively uplifting energy." This image and these words express the calming, positive, and uplifting emotions I hope to encounter in the future endeavors. 

I've also attached two quotes, I found to be self inspirational. One quote says "Shine don't be shy" and the other reads "Find who you have not yet become." These quotes are captivating and express the importance of finding who you are, being yourself, and not being afraid. 

There are a few other elevating quotes that I pasted together. These quotes are "Reaching new heights," "Be unstoppable," "Whatever the world throws at you, take it on," and the words "Then & Now." These quotes represented reaching for new heights in life, being brave, overcoming life's obstacles, pushing forward, and looking only towards the future. 

I have also attached two words saying "Good Living." The words simply reflect the good future I hope to strive for and possibly have obtained in the future. 

After I finished the collage, I hung it up in my apartment. I saved the completed work as an uplifting and inspirational reminder about future possibilities.

The Future Awaits

The future awaits

with open arms 

and embracing hugs

It's filled with 

warmth, love, and passion

It's surrounded in peace & happiness

It only possesses energies 

of uplifting positivity 

The future is bright with

endless possibilities 

Face it with braveness 

and it will bring tranquility 

Climb over mountains 

to reach new heights 

Take in the magnificent view 

and feel unstoppable 

Take on whatever the world throws at you

Spread your wings and soar

Explore the word

Find who you have not yet become 

Don't be afraid to shine 

The future awaits 

 

Passion

Most people are stuck in a viscous cycle of working a job they lack any sort of passion for. Spending everyday in an occupation that is not enjoyable, unsatisfying, or disliked ultimately leads to an unbearably frustrating life. We all deserve a job that makes us happy, brings us meaning, and gets us out of bed in the morning. In order to live in this world, we must have a job to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. Why not pursue a job worth having? A job that makes you happy, you believe in, and have a passion for. I'm amoung the fortunate, I've discovered my passion. I'm currently in the process of transforming this passion into an attainable career. 

 I've taken my passion for working with children and transformed it into a fulfilling and enjoyable career. I'm currently pursuing an Associates degree in Early Childhood Education. Once I've received an Associates degree, I plan to continue my education to obtain a Bachelors degree. I'm also exploring the possibility of receiving a degree in special education. It's unquestionable, Ive found a niche that truly conducts happiness and that I wouldn't mind doing for the rest of my life.

Just like any other profession, teaching requires a special skill set and a level of patients. Im certain my educational skill sets, passion, creativity, patients, kindness, and understanding will assist in providing an enjoyable and rewarding career as a teacher. Im eager to take the learning journey, along side the children, as they grow and reach their important milestones. I live for the little aha moments in each child's eyes when they have reached a moment of discovery or understanding. I also take pride and joy in living as a positive and prominent role model for them. Being a teacher is simply rewarding.

Pre-school aged children are humorous, innocent, full of joy and happiness. When I have the opportunity to work with these children, it's always a positive delight and I don't consider it to be "work." If I'm in a bad mood or in a funk, I can always count on the little ones to brighten my day. I would truly adore turning my passion for teaching children into a reality. I'm not able to envision myself doing anything else in life. With out teaching, I'd feel as if something was missing. I'm extremely happy, I've discovered a passion that I'm able to make into a career. 

Passion 

An exploding passion 

A vibrant flow of colors 

Gracefully dancing 

Elegantly twisting and turning 

Parading all around 

Smiles and undeniable laughter Sensations of excitement 

Uplifting Spirits

Energies of high power 

Hearts ablaze with bliss

Souls of innocence

Minds of creative imagination

Explorers of the unknown

Listening to stories of the un-told

A Passion ignited by a flame

Infinitely and ambitiously burning

Such a blessed discovery 

Dreaming, pursuing, fulfilling 

Aspiring and persevering towards 

My yearning passion 

The Simple Things In Life

          At times, life certainly can be quite hectic and busy. I’m often distracted with daily routines and various responsibilities. I attend college classes, I’ve recently started student teaching, and I have a part time job at a Preschool aftercare program. I have thickly submerged myself into a blinding fog of daily rituals. I have rendered myself sightless to the simplicities of life. I should habitually acknowledge and express gratification towards all surrounding aspects that I have been fortunately blessed with.

Life’s chaotic twists, turns, and over-familiarity has left opportunity for things to be taken for granted. Recently, I was searching the web and a captivating advertisement caught my attention and got me thinking about my own life. The memorable picture was of a tiny boy, from the Philippines, standing next to a river of rotting trash and plastic. Alongside the river, it appeared there were people residing in make shift homes. At first, I thought this was a horrible and unacceptable living condition. I felt that it was not fair for this boy to be dealt the hand he had received. This small child didn’t ask to be born into a country among this nature.  Then, I started to take time to look at my own life. I started to acknowledge gratitude towards being fortunately blessed with all I currently have. I often fail to appreciate that I have clean drinking water, a house to live in, and meals to eat every day. I feel truly grateful and blessed because others, like the young child in the picture, are not as fortunate.

I can use this experience as a life lesson and take in all the good that surrounds me. I can step out of the blinding fog and take time to acknowledge the simple aspects of life that normally get taken for granted. Along this journey, I can physically help others who may be among the less fortunate. I can assist others with discovering gratification in their own lives just as I found in my own. I will live life with an attitude that there is always something to be thankful for.

Gratitude is the

Reflection of kindness and

Appreciation

Discover your core

Greet each day with Gratitude

and open your heart

Gratitude transforms

Everything we have possessed

into just ENOUGH

Appreciation 

Towards life’s simplest pleasures

all beauty world gives

Feelings so Grateful

towards love, friendship, family, life

I am truly blessed

Being Afraid

In life everyone encounters the emotion, fear. Those who say they haven’t encountered this emotion fail to express the truth. Fear follows us throughout our whole lives. As it follows, it evolves into different forms and complexities. Children have simple fears, like being afraid of the dark or of ghosts. Adults have more complex fears, like the fear of rejection or the fear of not being able to succeed. When I was young, I was afraid of loud noises. Now that I am older, I am able to recognize a more complex fear. Ultimately, I am afraid of living life alone. 

Maybe, the complexity of this fear stems from my mother. My mother has had several long term relationships. My mom got a divorce from my father after I was born. She then, remarried and had my brother. Then divorced again and started dating a different man for several years. After that didn’t work out, she dated a few different men and is currently alone without a husband. All of these past relationships have ultimately lead to heartbreak and her ending up alone. I am afraid that I will follow in my mother’s footsteps and end up alone in life.

I’ve always dreamed of having a life straight-out of a fairy tale movie. I often dream of meeting my prince charming and its love at first site. We get married and have a gorgeous wedding on a beach sprinkled with white roses. We would move into a beautiful house, have four kids, and live happily ever after for the rest of our lives. I am afraid that this fairy tale fantasy may never become a reality and have developed the fear ending up alone.

Fear has two meanings, Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise. I choose to face my fear and rise by learning from this obstacle. I am learning to be a strong and independent woman. A women that doesn’t need to relay on a man in life to feel complete or survive. I am learning ways to be comfortable and content with being alone. I am learning that being alone is a healthy part of life. I am learning how to be alone and not be defined by another person.

FEAR

We all face fear

Let me make this clear

This emotion is unpleasant

It is omnipresent

I’m afraid of being alone

I’m afraid I won’t make it on my own

I need someone by my side

who will accompany me on this crazy ride

lets kick this into high gear

 and lets conquer our fear

I will learn to be strong

I will learn from all I did wrong

I will learn to stand on my own 

I will positively encounter the unknown

In this case

I will

Face

Everything

And

Rise

The Here and Now

I have recently discovered, I’m at a point in life were change is needed. I had been living with my mom and brother in an apartment that seemed as if it was shrinking. I had been slowly losing all privacy. Every time I would leave the house or arrive back home, I would receive the third degree from my mother. She would ask several questions in a row without even letting me answer the first one. I grew tired of the constant feeling of always being watched. I felt that it was time to start a new chapter in my life and was ready for the next phase. I decided to make the decision of moving out into the world on my own.

I started to look for local apartments in the surrounding area. I had started to fantasize exactly what the ideal apartment might consist of and include. It would be a one bedroom, in a newly built or renovated apartment complex, with a decent sized kitchen, stainless steel appliances, an island with granite countertops, dishwasher, onsite parking, laundry, a pool and other amenities. As I started my apartment search, I realized it would be much harder than I imaged to find my ideal apartment for an affordable price. I never had to pay rent before and didn’t expect apartment prices in this area to be that expensive. I felt defeated in my search to find my own place to live. In order to find a place, I began to realize, I had to give up on my dream of owning my ideal apartment. I started to search for places in my price range. After a few months of searching, I finally found the perfect place. 

Although this new apartment isn’t as fancy as I originally imagined, it does have a few of the amenities I was hoping for. I was able to find an affordable place in the vicinity of my school and work. I originally wanted the apartment to be in a big complex, but I was able to find a smaller complex with more privacy. I have my own private entrance and a long driveway with plenty of space for parking. The apartment itself is on the older side, but the inside is newly renovated. I have a large kitchen with new cabinets and countertops. I also have a recently renovated bathroom with a beautiful fixtures. Throughout the apartment there is gorgeous darkly stained hardwood floors. I’m slowly gathering the finishing touches to make this apartment my own. I’m extremely glad and ecstatic that I made the decision to take the plunge and move out into the real world. At this point in life, I feel like I’m truly a responsible adult and I’m very proud of myself. 

When I stop, I notice…

When I stop, I notice

the simplicity of life’s surroundings

When I stop, I notice

the trees’

winding,

intertwining,

and never ending

branches

When I stop, I notice

the changing autumn leaves

attached to those trees

ablaze with color

brilliant and bright

a festival of all fall's colors

When I stop, I notice

the crisp air

moving in wonderful ways

through branches

as they blow and sway

every which way

When I stop, I notice

the crunch

of fallen leaves

beneath my feet

When I stop, I notice

the aroma of

pumpkin and cinnamon spices

When I stop, I notice

foraging squirrels

and chipmunks hiding their nuts

When I stop, I notice

cozy autum days

and crisp fall nights

are here to stay

the most colorful

season of the year

An Unfortunate Blessing

I used to live in an old Victorian style home with my family. The house seemed extremely ancient because every single step you took it would creek. Let’s just say this house was a bit of a fixer upper. The inside was extremely outdated and required a lot restoration work. Despite the houses need for some updating, there was one aspect of the house that I enjoyed. My favorite part of the house was the front porch. I can remember spending summer nights siting on the porch, looking up at the stairs, and wondering about world. It was a wooden porch that wrapped around half the house. The porch was large enough to hold a decently sized table and four chairs. Even though the house was an older style home we were able to make it our own.

One day, my family and I left our house on an outing. Little did we know, while we were gone something devastating happened. After our outing, we pulled onto our street and arrived at a hectic scene. There were flashing lights and sirens blaring. Police, firetrucks and ambulances were blocking the way to our house. To our surprise, all those people were on the street because of our house had caught fire. The old electrical wires had sparked a fire inside one of the walls. The whole front portion of the house was burnt, including part of my precious porch. In addition to the fire affecting the porch, a wall to the living room and a portion of the above bedroom was destroyed. All of our belongings in those two rooms were also ruined. The day of the fire, we were in a state of shock. We never thought we could become victims of a fire. We felt deeply saddened and at a loss for words. We didn't know what direction to turn to. Lucky, know one got hurt or was home during the unfortunate mishap. Despite the devastating circumstances of the fire, the situation transformed into a blessing in disguise.

All of the damages the house received from the fire were far too expensive to be fixed. Instead, we decided to take the insurance money for the house. Before the fire, the house was already a gigantic money pit because of how old it was. It was far too expensive to be fixed up and in that condition it was impossible to sell. We were stuck in a difficult situation. After the fire occurred, we realized it was a blessing in disguise. The fire actually gave us an opportunity to move into a brand new condo. The condo has various amenities and is in the perfect location. I even have a balcony, so I can continue to gaze up at the stars. Even though the fire was an apparent misfortune, it eventually lead to good results.

I'd like to dedicate this poem to the book "The Alchemist" By Paulo Coelho

I am The Alchemist

There's a great power 

This power exists among us

Many people on this earth have acquired the ability 

to harness this power

Others are among the less fortunate 

These are the ones who fail to acknowledge or understand 

That this gift is possible

Some aren't aware that this mechanical energy exists

I have discovered this mighty force 

I have obtained the capacity to transform 

each passing state of affair into gold

It does not matter 

If these situations 

appear in the nature of good or evil

I am able to freeze time 

Take a step back

And use my compelling energy 

I am able to view each affair with positivity 

Beholding only the golden opportunities within

And that await in the future