Humble Warrior knows best

Time passes and leaves you wondering what are the steps to take toward a happy life. What is success? How do I attain it? What path should I take to gain it? ... The Buddhist would says, follow the path that is most natural and akin to your inner spirit. Some might see that as passive. The Capitalist would say, take what's yours and dominate. Some might see that as arrogant. But, in reality I believe the path toward happiness lies somewhere in between. I think it's a combination of both. Going for your personal wants for some people, especially me, might make you feel torn at times - stuck between desire and duty.

I found solace in being a Humble Warrior in my search for my truth, my happiness. The Humble Warrior in yoga is bowing forward in focused concentration, hands clasped behind ones back, balancing the body weight on the legs spread in a lunge posture. The Humble Warrior is dutiful, stable - balancing its weight, posed for whatever may come.

A Humble Warrior is quietly calculating, listening, watching and waiting ... to take its position toward becoming an active warrior. A person moving toward fulfillment. A person who is looking forward to the future, thinking and seeking out truth in every motion. They are committed.

Find your truth. Don't make decisions based on what others think. Don't do what is best for mother, father, sister, brother or even auntie or cousin. Do what is in line with your spirit. Do what suits you, because after all it isn't the others that have to endure the life you lead; it's you that will have to live with the choices you make - good or bad. Guilt creeps in so quickly, so be careful. Be humble and then the active warrior! A person living in the present. A man or woman not ashamed for their choices. An individual willing to accept the truth of the past and take on the challenges of the future with unshielded eyes and an open heart.

I have learned that living for others only holds you back. While it is in my nature to help others, support and uplift them - it also weakens my inner core and at times dampens my spirit. I'm not ashamed of this trait, I'm proud that I can carry the weight of others and balance those pains - good and bad - on my shoulders while humbly waiting for my time to strike ... And my time is now. I strike with an unapologetic force because I know my truth. The Humble Warrior always knows when to make the right move. I'm on the war path towards happiness!

As spring time blooms, so shall I

A week after the wonderful Cherry Blossom's bloomed, signifying the beginning of Spring in D.C. it got me thinking about new beginnings. Excuse me for pointing out the obvious, that Springtime really is a new beginning, a renewal and a chance to be reborn.

So often it's easier to stay cocooned in a comfortable place where no one may see you, going about your daily business with no real intention. Boring! The beauty of Spring and the lovely gardens that pop up haphazardly all over is that the flowers don't care. They want to be seen and can't help but explode onto the surface of the once harden dirt. What good are they hiding underground?

Flowers don't care that they may loose all their colorful petals with one hard blowing wind, or heavy rain, or even when some kid plucks them from the ground. The mission of Spring and its flowers is for all living things to rise up from the dead and beautify our surrounds with natural beauty that come in all shades of the rainbow.

Flowers are fearless. They are seen. They are admired. Even for a moment.

I want to be like a flower; fearless, fancy and free. I want to take more chances and not care. Stop trying to fit into a mold of what I think should be, may be, might be. Silence the commentary in my head and just do what the heck I want with no guilt!