Happy New Year :)

Hello,

As we say good-bye to 2014 and start off the New Year, I wanted to share with you an inspirational poem, "The Invitation."
This much loved poem is about making the most of life, every day. It is about accepting that life will bring you pain and life will bring you joy. Letting yourself experience both is what real living is all about. Remember, you will need humor, insight and compassion to face life's difficult moments and to heal from them as well.

It is my wish that you find the courage and the commitment to embrace all that life has to offer. Be inspired. Love much. And don't let fear stop you from taking the necessary risks to live fully and honestly. Pursue your dreams and never give up on becoming all that you can be. May you find what you need and discover what really matters.

Enjoy your travels and thank you for reading.

                                                          The Invitation
                                                By Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
And if you dare to dream of meeting
Your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
For love, for your dream,
For the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring
your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of
your own sorrow,
If you have been opened by life's betrayals,
Or have become shriveled and closed from fear of
further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain,
Mine or your own,
Without moving
To hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy,
Mine or your own,
If you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers
and toes
Without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic,
or to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be
true to yourself,
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not
betray your own soul.
I want to know if you can be faithless and therefore
be trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty
Even when it is not pretty every day,
And if you can source your life
From its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure,
Yours and mine,
And still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to
the silver of the full moon,
"Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how
much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of
grief and despair,
Weary and bruised to the bone,
And do what needs to be done for the children.

It doesn't interest me who you are, how you came to
be here.
I want to know if you will stand
In the center of the fire with me
And not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
From the inside
When all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
With yourself,
And if you truly like the company you keep
In the empty moments.



I wish you and those dear to you the best for the coming year.

Cheers!