Guam

What a weird place, Guam. The word itself. Guam. The whole living on a tropical island thing. The whole island thing. A teeny tiny island that isn't even located on some maps of the world. So small that it's just a speck in the sea. That blows my mind every time I try to think about it. The world is a terrifyingly huge place. And the fact that we're just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Mariana Trench (hence Guam being one of the Marianas Islands) - which is basically the earth's core, but not, because apparently somewhere in the Arctic Circle is closer - is even crazier. I know it's been explored, but I like to think that's where the Kraken lives (in the trench, not the AC). Apparently the trench is why Guam is never hit by tsunamis or tidal waves... but wait, that's a lie, because we could totally be rocked from the east, and I guess there were some aftershocks after the big Chile quake... but that's what people like to say here, that the trench is the protector of this place, and I'm not going to be the one to stop that rumor from going along because it does something for the west (my side).

I want to scuba dive over the Mariana Trench. Can I do that? From the way people talk about it, I thought it really was doable for a day dive, but apparently it's 290 miles away, or something. I don't think that would work out, and I'd probably chicken out anyway, given when I think about the possibility of diving over that gaping hole and staring into the dark abyss makes me gag. Basically infinity. But since I'm not Lance Bass, or that guy who owns British Airways and the rest of the Isles, diving is probably the closest I'm going to get to feeling like an astronaut, and you're supposed to do one thing that scares you a day, and that would probably work for the rest of my life if I make it out alive.

Another thing I want to write about is the whole same thing every day. I used to dream about living in a place where it was perfect weather every single day, and now I do, and I think, is this all a dream?, but then I have to do things like laundry and pay bills and I know that it's real life. I seriously need to do some laundry, because sometimes I need to do things outside this Bubbleland (which I'll get to blogging about one day). I should also fill in the rest of my Japan trip, and try to tell you more about my SE Asia and India travels, also that one time I went to a cock fight with my Filipino friend, Art, but it wasn't just one, there were so many different roosters fighting and there were parking attendants, and really bright lights and snacks, and nothing at all like anything I envisioned. But I don't know when I'm going to do all these things, because as much as I do want to write it all out, I am working an awful lot and I'm living on an island, and sometimes when I'm not working I like to sleep, or swim, or explore on my scooter, or jump off high things and scare myself. One day all of these words in this paragraph will be highlighted with links to other posts. One day. One day when my stomach doesn't hurt because all I ate for dinner was ice cream and Cheez-Its... it seemed like such a good idea at the time, and now I'm going to bed and I'm probably going to have apocalyptic dreams with trampolines (because I worked there today and I'm also Nostradamus reincarnated).

This was a mess of a post, huh? Also pretty weird that I called myself out on that? Also pretty strange that I didn't edit any of this stuff out?

Smile/Pass it On

Some days smiling can be harder than others, but it makes everything better, and that's a promise.

"Smile" by Nat King Cole

Basically it all boils down to: You've got to be kind, damnit (Wise and true words, semi-inspired by hard times and Kurt Vonnegut). No matter what you've got going on giving you a bad mood, someone else's situation could be a hundred times worse. Life is hard sometimes, for everybody, and that's why we've got to help each other through it. Pass a smile or a high five. Tag it and pass it, change it up like you're playing Telephone. Shake it loose. Man, sometimes even that can be hard though, especially if you're stuck in another moment, stewing, rather than being present in the one actually taking place. Wild. There are times for reflecting of course, but when encountering another person, a recognition of self can go along way in making someone's day.

I've been thinking a lot about... well, everything, and nothing - a plethora of thoughts swirling in my head. This job is wonderful, but emotionally exhausting (as well as physically) more days than not. Sometimes I don't feel like smiling, but that's kind of out of the option when I'm getting paid to smile and ensure that guests are having a super-duper-awesome-fantastic-best-ever-vacation time. If you know me, sometimes I get in moods... but only sometimes. A month or so ago I found a great way to get out of these moody moods, HIGH FIVES!! They're fun to get and they're even more fun to give! I especially love going for a family, hitting up the kids first and then going to the parents, after their initial shock and almost fear subsides they get really into it.

The first time I took high fives out of the resort was on a morning beach run a morning or 20 ago, and I don't know what happened, I just stuck my hand out there, gave a little smile, and BLAM! solid contact and a smile on the other side. Yeah! That felt pretty good! Here comes another person. So on and on it went like that, feeling good and high fiving, but then my run and exuberant energy got the best of me, and I started getting tired... unfortunately I looked ahead of me and saw a line of people coming my way that most likely saw me high fiving and helloing and I couldn't just give up on them. After about 15 minutes (maybe it was only seven, or two - sometimes I blackout) I finally came to an empty stretch of sand and I smiled for so many reasons.

I know smiling and high fives outside of a resort might not be the easiest/best thing to do, especially in a big, hardened city, but that's probably where friendliness is most needed (I'm talking to you, NYC, you know you have a bad rap from outsiders). Now, I'm not saying that you should run around making eye contact and high fiving every Jerry, Cindy and Sue you see, especially in those mobs on Michigan Avenue, but when you're walking down the street or through your place of employment, and it's just you and one other person (or a few people), please! I beg you, acknowledge them. Wouldn't you want the same done for you? I know there are days where you might be thinking that the world can shove its sunshine someplace dark, but maybe the person walking towards you is feeling the same way, so smile! Maybe you'll make a friend, and friends are usually fun, unless they always ask to borrow things without gratitude and without returning them - that's not so fun because then you feel like the bad guy for having to remind them multiple times that you really do need your inhaler back.

"Soak it Up" by Houses

So, I was journaling about smiling and passing it along on February 3rd, and then I went out for a run and as I was chugging up this hill -  okay, break real fast, since when does Pandora put talking ads on their website? I'm not a fan of this, and in between every song!? Really. Is that necessary!? - I encountered the unhappiest people I've seen in a while; a couple walking strides apart, with the hardened dude in the front, and his sulky lady in the back. While these people probably needed a smile from a stranger more than anything, I was taken aback by their 'tudes and the hill was hitting me harder that day, and all I managed was a breathy "Hello!" to the lady, but too late to see her reaction. Yeah, so it's difficult sometimes to smile or say "Hey" because we're all in our own things, but it's nice to share a moment with a stranger, and I almost ran back to give a bigger smile, but then I thought that would probably be too weird and maybe seen as mocking like, "Oooh! I'm so happy because I'm running and I'm young and free, and you two are miserable because you're locked inside this loveless relationship." And who even knows if that's the case, maybe they were just arguing about baby names, and he wanted to name his first born son Alaster while she was not budging from Dwayne. I don't know, but I hope they're happy now.

Also that night, my mind reading iPod played "Fixing A Hole" for me, and it was perfect in that the Fab Four articulated everything I've been trying to wrap my head around for the past half a year and more:

My favorite line: And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong, I'm right where I belong. So think about that, and smile, because while it can be hard and terrible and a definite struggle, life is beautiful and wonderful, and I'm here and you're here and let's have a happy moment for the brief time that our paths cross.

"This I Believe" by Howard White is a nicely articulated similar story to what I'm preaching today. Go ahead, make someone's day. You just might end up making your own.

Your goal: smile, high five, hug, hold a door, be kind somehow to at least one stranger today. Do it! Try it! See what happens! It will most likely make you want to be kind to people all the time, or at least more often than not.

Another song I like that seems to fit the bill of today's post:

"Smoke and Mirrors" by RJD2

Ahhh, Snow!

Is it weird that I read articles like this and wish that I was back home to bound around outside in the glory that was the Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011? Probably. Again, the every day being the same thing is strange, but awesome now that it looks like the winter rainy season is over. Time for mangoes? I hope so. There's a banana tree in bloom just outside of the back entrance of my building. I've almost been here three months - on the 10th - but it's not like I'm counting or anything... really. Well, I'm trying to be mindful of the moment, but sometimes trying is hard. I am going to the PIC in Saipan with some of ma girls next weekend though - a little diving, a little dancing, and a whole lot of not working. ASAH!!!

[Enjoying the butterflies at Ritidian Beach which is by far my favorite place - that I've been to - on Guam; there were so many fluttering/zooming around. So many! Awesome. My friend Courtney and I stood in open-mouth awed silence for about 10-15 minutes while our other friends were cracking open some brewskies and basking in the sweetness of our shared day off.]