Spiritual Awakening: Up, Up, And Away!!!
During the spiritual awakening process sometimes it is necessary to get another perspective or see things from a different vantage point. Think about what it would be like to look at things from above and how differently things would look when you were above them as opposed to below them. I remember a trip to The Empire State Building and how fearful I was of the height and how I was making every excuse not to get on the elevator to the observation tower when a friend said Jonathan take a deep breath hold my hand and we will go up, up, and away together. I got on that elevator with my eyes closed and as we ascended to the observation deck I began to open my eyes and I saw New York City from a totally different perspective and I realized then that when you look at the world with your eyes wide open that you gain a new appreciation for what you see and even overcome some fears. By being willing to go up, up, ad away with my friend I was able to apply the experience at The Empire State Building to my personal and professional life and when I found myself fearful I would simply say time to go up, up, and away. In using that as a mantra and an anthem I have been able to conquer several fears and thus face everything and rise instead of forgetting everything and running. Each time I listen to The 5th Dimension Song Up, Up, and Away my mood becomes more pleasant and joyful and I think what would it be like to get in the Hot Air Balloon and just see the beauty of nature and life from the vantage point of that balloon. The closest I have come to this has been on airplanes and flying has always been a bit difficult for me as I don’t like to give up control. In learning how to let things go and giving up control I have been able to see things from a different perspective. I recall my plane flight from San Francisco to Manila for my work as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in The Philippines and arriving for a stop over in Tokyo as we approached Toyko’s Airport for landing I looked out the window and I saw some of the sacred temples and thought wow how great this is to be able to see these great historical structures and draw the positive energy from them. I didn’t venture outside the Tokyo Airport however as we were transferring planes I did stop at the gift shop and took in as much as I could to soak in the positive energy. I made it to the gate to board the plane for the final leg of the trip and all the while I get thinking how great this is that I get to go up, up, and away. As we made the final approach into Manila I looked out the window and I saw McDonald’s and thought well at least if I don’t enjoy the Filipino food I will have McDonald’s. We landed and quickly met our Filipino counterparts and claimed our luggage and made our way to where we would stay for orientation. That night I made my way to one of the large hotels in Manila and I took the elevator to the top floor where the pool deck was and I looked out onto Manila and realized just how lucky I was to have the opportunity to be a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer. Over the next 6 months I would put fear and doubt aside and do things that I never thought possible like hiking 10 km up a mountain to the botanical gardens.
Talk about going up, up, and away. When I arrived at the top there was a sari-sari store. I quickly said Gusto Ko Nong Tubig ( I would like water) I bought 4 bottles and walked around the gardens listening to the birds, watching the monkeys, and just admiring the beauty of where I was and taking in the moment. Ne of the workers asked you walk up the mountain? I said yes. he said okay me take you down in Jeepney when you ready. I did take the jeepney down the mountain and thanked him for the ride. As I walked back into town I realized that sometimes it is when we go up, up, and away that we have our greatest awakenings. While I sat on the bench under a tree with flowers blooming around me and birds flying freely I realized that it is not about the materialistic that matters but the spiritualistic.
For years I have watched The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and The Belmont Stakes all 3 together known as The Triple Crown in hopes that there would be a triple crown winner as the last triple crown winner was Affirmed in 1978. Affirmed battled Alydar in one of the closest Belmont Stakes in the history of horse racing. I always get excited when I hear the announcer say and down the stretch they come as the horse enter the final stretch of the race knowing that in the homestretch os where many a race is won or lost. As The Kentucky Derby approaches and will take pace on May 2 I find myself thinking about the homestretch in the spiritual awakening process. On May 2 a horse, a jockey, a trainer, and an owner will be forever immortalized in the sports history books. This got me to thinking how will we become immortalized in the spiritual history books as we enter our very own homestretch in discovering who we are and what we are meant to be. A racehorse is bred to race and to give pleasure to the fans and then when their career is over they are put out to breed and through breeding they pass on their lineage and their legacy for more horses to race and for more fans to enjoy. This lead me to ponder what happens when we reach the home stretch of any project or development in our personal or professional life how will we create a legacy and pass the legacy on? One way to do this is to become spiritually aware and awake and to take action to develop our spirituality and share ourselves with the world.
In 2013 Orb was a longshot and sat in 17th place but rallied to win The Kentucky Derby. The spiritual lesson I learned that day was that it is not where you start that really matters it is that you start and that you give it your best in all that you do and finish what you started. Orb would finish 4th in The Preakness and 3rd in The Belmont and then be retired to Stud. Orb’s legacy now is in the horses that he sires. In the spiritual awakening process it is important to understand what your legacy will be and how people will speak about your home s retch run. How will you be remembered? ORB will forever be remembered as a Kentucky Derby Winner. In the spiritual development process it is important to be aware and awake of the positive impact you are making and how your coming alive is having a positive impact on the community where you live, work, and play. 
When I am in alignment with these teachings I tend to be a bit happier than when I forget to practice these teachings. I have learned over time through the spiritual awakening process that there will be people who say they are going to do something and do not so you accept that fact and love them anyway. As long as you do what you believe is right in your heart and divinely directed you can achieve your inner happiness that will allow you to share outer happiness. 
I have adopted the anthem to be bold and powerful in all that I do and to make a statement that will inspire and empower others and encourage them to also be bold and powerful. I remember being told I was nominated for The S.AK.E. Community Service Award and then informed that I would be presented with the award and the exhilaration I felt knowing that I had stepped into my power and made a positive impact on those I cam in contact with through my work with The Lauderhill Broncos of The Pop Warner Football Program. During my speech I stated that it is better to build children than it is to repair adults and the audience erupted in applause. As I left the stage that night I understood that when you take action to be of service and value great things happen. A few weeks later I had a vision of designing a pair of sneakers to wear during The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of West Boca Raton, which are pictured here. I have since met a designed who now has them available on her website at www.justginnie.com in the footwear section. It was great to see that being bold and powerful has led this vision to come to fruition and thus I am able to further my mission to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. We all have the power to do great things, however sometimes we get tied up in the what ifs and the I can’ts that we do not take action and thus do not bring our projects to fruition and we stifle our spiritual growth. Ask yourself why am I not being bold and powerful? After you find the reason find tools to help you become more bold and powerful.