As I watched this ParaOlympics Open Ceremony today (from days past) – that phrase “The fact we can be limited by our creativity, possibilities opposed to the limitations is what this is all about…” the hour ahead can be a metaphor for what we decide to do with our time.  My thoughts go to watching the Paralympics in Korea, and think of all the amazing students I have grown up with from Korea, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Holland, and so many more countries and the things they have achieved.  

What each of us can achieve if we want to.  With an hour forward it seems we can also make a commitment forward that we might have missed in falling back.

Take these examples –

I was simply doing some basic maintenance on the truck today, and thought about how much actual mileage I have obtained from my 1997 Mountaineer, from the countless Cross Country (XC!) meets, to trips from Delaware to Mexico several times, and then realized how exciting and heart beating moments I had on those images I could never forget.    Today I talked to Andres Jannou, artist and owner of Walking Dog in Mexico (soon to be in Argentina) who had headed out from Mexico City and has been driving, final destination Colombia.  Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Veracruz, Panama Canal – and so much more, his afghan Natalie is having the time of her life, and I remember the trip Hangover, Suzy, Dewey, Dane, Wriggley, Amaya, and yes, Kinah’s ashes,  made from Mexico City to Delaware and the amazing things along the way we felt, saw, and experienced.

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream a dream you dream together, is reality.” – John Lennon

Luisa Segura surprised me one day as I was in the states (just returned).  She left Mexico to simply work in a restaurant to get experience.  I thought, what a spur of the moment, without warning decision that changes our lives.  I asked her some questions about this experience to just work for free and find a restaurant that would allow her to do so:

In what ways do you see and feel Mexico in New York City?

I see New York as a minute everything just happens, there no track of time. Everybody is just doing their job. And I think Mexico has a little bit of this flash by during the day by day.
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What was the scariest moment taking off on an adventure like this in New York?

The scariest moment was the day before traveling a lot of what ifs were taking place in my head. I really don’t know how I managed all these new challenges in a minute of time, managing to be on time at work and getting used to the subway.

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What is one discovery you made about New York most people might not know, or might not discover about New York?

New Yorkers can be very friendly and definitely NY toughens you up, and there’s so many places and streets you can walk through at night and feel the social life.

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What is the most unexpected event that occurred to you while in New York?

Taking decisions on what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to accomplish certain activities.

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What is one thing that you find resembling New York in Mexico?

The movement inside the food and drink industries, you just see people walk in and nobody leaves, until the place closes up. 

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What surprised you the most on this trip to New York?

The ability of being alone, making friends, hanging out, making sure I always was sure of what I was doing. And being able to be alone.

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How do you see food preparation in a different light after this experience?

The industry I can say it’s rather mesmerizing by this I mean I think I did a lot of work and this was the challenging part, because I had never been inside a working kitchen. But I think I enjoy it more than before.

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In what way have you grown after this experience, that you didn’t realize you needed to grow  into?

I think I have grown in a mature and responsible person.  
I think each of us has so much potential to do something extraordinary.  For ourselves, and for the world we find ourselves in.  The courage that paralympians show that matches if not exceeds the courage shown in the Olympics we just witnessed, – astounding.  When those that are able-bodied have less courage by far than the paralympians – it is a lesson we should all live by – and live every single day.