A Little History (about me)

                            

I'm the little dude in blue on the left.

January 2017                                         

I grew up about an hour south of Boston in the tiny town of Acushnet, MA.  Acushnet is a native Wampanoag word that means, "swimming place".  It's also home to several apple and peach orchards.  It was a nice place to grow up.  New Bedford, the city nearby, has a large Portuguese population.  My family is Portuguese, and after living in that community, I developed a deep pride regarding my family heritage.  My sister and I were really close to my two cousins who also lived in town.  We were all raised together, as our moms are twins.  I went to Catholic school until seventh grade.  At that point, I made a request to my father, "Dad, I need to go to public school to meet more girls, dad."  He understood this logic and granted me my wish.  After a rough experience in middle school, I cleaned up my act and did very well in high school. The first teacher that I really connected with was Mr. Medeiros, my English teacher sophomore year.   We read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.  That book, and that experience changed my life.  I went to college in Newport, Rhode Island, mostly because the school was beautiful and not too far from home.  I was in my tortured soul-poet phase then.  I'd stay up all night, scribbling poems in little notebooks.  I numbered each one and typed the good ones up on an old antique typewriter that I'd bought at the Salvation Army.   Many interesting events shaped my personal development.  There was a lot of fun and a lot of painful moments that I had to learn from.  When I look back at my youth, I can see now how near-perfect everything was, as it set me on a path to a (continuously) extraordinary life.  

part yogi

I currently live in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA (just north of San Diego). Cardiff is a little village on a hill that overlooks the Pacific.  It's great.  I can walk to all the things I need and it's a quiet surf community full of fairly nice people.  After spending a couple of years in Quincy, after college, I felt like I needed to shake things up.  I had some very good friends out here from college, so moving out here felt very natural.  I'm a bit of a West Coast soul with an East Coast mind.

When I first moved to California, I took part in a yoga teacher training.  Yoga has changed my life in many ways.  It has helped me to become, all around, more healthy and aware.  My asana (physical) practice keeps me in shape, and yoga philosophy has provided me with a deeper spiritual foundation.
I recently left a decent full-time job so that I can continue to teach, teach some yoga, and start learning new skills.  It was a tough transition, leaving the security of a full-time job, but I feel like I'm moving more towards the professional opportunities that I truly want - as opposed to feeling like I have to work a job just for the money.  I had a good run as a director of a program for young adults with Autism.  I met many wonderful people, felt challenged, and had fun finding creative solutions for these amazing young people.   But I have more goals to accomplish for myself.  Right now,  I teach at Bunker Hill part-time, am starting this counseling business, and also working at a high-end coffee shop.  I decided to work at this coffee shop so that I can learn the ropes from one of the best in the business.  Owning a coffee shop is my ultimate goal (and retirement plan) so I am getting my hands dirty, learning new skills, and honing the craft. 

Music has always been a huge part of my life.  About eight years ago, I started playing guitar and learning how to sing.  Playing helps me to fight my fear of artistically expressing myself in public.  I am also a big beach person, and I am lucky enough to walk to the ocean every day.  I recently moved to a great 70's pad that is a short walk to Swami's, one of the best surf breaks in San Diego.  I like to get up around sunrise and get out there.  Surfing in the morning is the best way to start any day.  

...and left-handed

I am a pretty laid back, fun, and very honest person.  I'm trying not to take life so seriously, but I have job to do.  According to my coworkers, I have a strong work ethic and am very dedicated and passionate about my professional mission.  I am a bit of a comedian, and I've always been a decent writer.  I am trying to work on not working so much, but I feel like I'm in a groove with my power and my purpose right now.  Having been unemployed after college (for about a year), I usually take as much work as I can get.  (And California is not known to be a cheap place to live.)  My friends would say that I am very loyal, very positive, and someone they can rely on.  I'm always offering to pick them up at the airport.  I am also very honest with my friends and like to have good, encouraging conversations.  Overall, I am a very busy, funny, fit, and humble person.  By nature, I'm an introvert and try not to take anything in my life for granted.  Yoga has taught me to focus on the good and be grateful for the things I do have.   

Poem of the week:  

This week, we're using positive affirmations - see the document in this week's module - to give us some guidelines as we begin to tap into our poetic talents.  These poems are examples of what you can/should do for this week.  Try to match the effort and energy.  

Acrostic poems use the first letter of each word - from your affirmation - vertically so that you have the first letter to each line already chosen for you.  Have fun with this challenge.  Express yourself freely.

Ps... your poem does not have to make perfect sense.  Let the sounds lead you.  Let your reader figure it out for themselves.

Pss... please write your affirmation as the title of your poem.



Affirmation #46:

I am doing work that I enjoy and find fulfilling.  

It took
a long time for
me to figure it out for myself
deciding
on what
I wanted to be
not really knowing, but
going.  Felt like I was
waiting all the time, but
over time, I
realized
kindly
that I was on this track
halfway between
all my dreams, somewhere, suspended.
The hard times were just the final exams that
I passed.
Eventually.
Never not learning along the way, I
just kept listening and
opening.  Saying
yes
and no more, instead of
nothing.
Deciding my
future, instead of
it being decided for me.
No longer
drifting
forward or backward
under bridges.
Life is meant to be
fulfilling
in its purpose
like a gift you'll never forget.
Love is the fuel that
ignites us.

Now, let's get out there and
grow together