D.F. | Jahnavi Newsom

“The greatest suffering can be overcome through the simplest of actions…” -Me

In the past couple of weeks I have cried more and slept less for the longest stretch of time I can remember.

And whenever I would have a moment’s rest from the onslaught of pain, I would wonder… “How can I stay here? I don’t want to go back down. I need to stay above water!”

My sister brilliantly reminded me that I could listen to Thich Nhat Hanh on YouTube or podcasts whenever I wanted.

My own mind was struggling with creating and maintaining a positive thought stream, and I found it almost impossible to stay in the present moment.

So I turned to Thich Nhat Hanh to fill my head with the good stuff. 😉

It took a couple of days of listening to him, but finally, one of my bigger questions was answered and I had a tool I could use to make changes in the recesses of my consciousness.

Thay said, “If you are listening to a CD and you don’t like the music that is playing, why keep listening to it? Just change the CD.”

Simple, yet brilliant.

“If your thoughts are causing you to suffer, why continue to listen to them? You can make a change, right now. You can choose to stop your suffering, right now.

There are seeds in your unconscious. Seeds of love, of anger, of joy, of hate. If you water the seeds of hate, anger or despair, they will take root and grow strong. You need to sing them a lullaby, and put them to sleep. You need to water the seeds of joy, of hope, of love, and they will grow strong in your mind.”

So thank you for being part of my practice of watering the seeds of gratitude and love in my consciousness. I am going to share with you everything I have been grateful for and appreciated over the last couple of weeks here in Mexico.

This is my lullaby, sending the seeds of despair and fear to sleep. 🙂

The first thing that I think of when I feel this swell of appreciation in my heart are the people I have met in the past few weeks:

12647367_10153816560684566_1397768380304396452_n — Julian, Ceci and Julian Jr. hosted me twice and became my home away from home. They helped me more than I can say and continue to check on me and support me.

2016-01-28 14.29.35 — Gaby took me in and helped me in every way she could until the last minute when I walked out her door.

2016-01-28 14.29.41 — Pancho took me on a ride in San Luis Potosi with his cycling group and spent a long time going over maps for my route with me

2016-01-29 20.03.11 — Erick picked me up outside of Queretaro so I didn’t have to ride through the city and also spent a lot of map time with me, suggesting routes

2016-02-02 23.06.53 — Marcego (on the right) welcomed me to his city, his capoeira group and his home and gave me much needed pep talks about my trip

12687948_10153990083267642_2145748489175540754_n — I’m thankful for all of the beautiful Mexican women I’ve met, especially Monyca and Aurora who let me fall apart on them and gave me love

12650986_10153674365741773_1229241139092399385_n — Adriana and Nao Veio took me in at the last minute here in Mexico City and are so beautiful and kind, sharing their home and capoeira with me

And there’s more and more…

I’m thankful for the sunsets here…

I’m thankful for the beautiful city of Queretaro…

I’m thankful for cute dogs… 😀

I’m thankful for the beautiful art of basketry…

I’m thankful for the mandolin and the ability to play music and heal…

I’m thankful for my noble steed, my amazing bicycle who carries all of my stuff and goes with me everywhere…

I’m thankful for capoeira, my saving grace, and Professor Marcego for saying, “If I check on you in a couple of months and I see that you’ve quit and gone back to the U.S., than you’re not my friend anymore.” 😀