Positivity --> more positivity!

I've been trying to be really positive recently after a period of some darkness and supreme self-pity/hating of Haiti. It has been made much easier by staying in the clinic/house compound and not being bothered by the hell-ish streets, and also has come out of meditating regularly. Making time for some yoga and exercises (looking for excuses to walk upstairs to the clinic, etc) has also been great. Anyway, I notice the more I foster positivity within myself, no matter what happens, I am happier and I am actually given more reasons to be happy because happy positive things just float my way!

Yesterday was a glorious day. A couchsurfer contacted me who I'd met at Carnival and never thought I'd see again, figuring he was just traveling around. He had so much fun apparently, that he decided to stay in Haiti for a couple months (he lives outside of Jacmel in a much nicer part...). He had bought a motor bike and picked me up to head out of Jacmel for the afternoon--YAY!! I felt instantly better upon leaving the chaotic dirty streets for country-side pastures, banana trees, and small towns with people hanging out causally in front of their buildings. The farther away we got, the better it was.

By far my favorite moment was bouncing through a rocky muddy road on some woman's farm on the moto bike and ending at a small beach. We passed all kinds of adorable fluffy baby goats along the way, which pushed me to the edge of giggly mania with each sight of one. Near the beach there were cows hanging out and some people lazily passing the hot afternoon, but other than that, just us and another Couchsurfer who had showed us the way to this amazing place. The three of us did some snorkeling, which was a beautiful surprise--bright blue fish, shocking coral reefs and oddly shaped sea creatures. I was like a kid, and so happy! They said I looked like a fish out there, swimming around for who knows how long. I didn't even realize I was tired or sun burnt until I got out...nor did I feel afraid of the ocean as I normally kind of do, being a midwestern girl and all :) Ahhh it was so great! Then we had dinner at a little nameless "restaurant" outside of someone's home for $3 (very cheap for Haiti; their prices are normally comparable to American, which of course is crazy considering the minimum wage for a non-factory worker is something like $4/DAY).

Ah yes, so I am happy again :) I've realized that the trick for me is #1 pretending to be happy even if I'm not because, the joy catches up shortly #2 visualizing and intending positive outcomes, and watching in amazement as they inevitably manifest #3 just getting out into nature and/or connecting with like-minded people if possible

#3 Reminded me of one of my amazing discoveries during my 9 days without leaving the house/clinic compound which completely inspired and astonished me....We have this incredible vine that grows loofah on it (the sponges you can use to clean your dishes). Not only is the end product lovely--you crack the sponges out of their little casings and there are seeds inside of them which make a sort of soap when wet to clean with!--but the entire plant. I examined how the vines grow up the rocks---reaching out blindly, curling around twigs, inserting themselves and sticking (really sticking) itself into rock crevices, and creeping up the rock wall. It's amazing! When I need inspiration now...I think of that crazy intelligent plant.

OK, these pictures were taken at night (yes, I became that excited about the plant upon writing this); hopefully you can see it's wonderment...check out how it reaches out and attaches itself to whatever it can find...