Come Alive 

 Life is not meant to be lived in such a way that we tiptoe quietly into our deaths. Maybe we should take big leaps, big steps, dances and prances... It is wonderful and beautiful to be alive... and yet we are so careful and we conform to the world as if our lives were just meant to hide in the ordinary...

 I’ve allowed the hustle and bustle of life to overwhelm me.

 What makes you come alive?

I’ve been searching for some sort of meaning, purpose, inspiration that will bring me back to life, i’ve found myself walking around, with breath coming out of my lungs, but my breathing seems to be life-less, less life, less heart, less l.i.v.i.n.g.

  i need to come alive 
 where did my passion go? 
 i need to come alive

 We get in a routine and somewhere along the line, we start rolling with the punches. We start letting circumstances take precedence over our hopes and dreams. And Lately, I’ve been pondering a few things:  We were created to create. We were created to move with purpose. Today you have a decision to make. Will you choose to be consumed by your own personal comfort? Or will you choose to be so consumed with loving and dreaming for others that you begin to create change?

  “The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing- the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world. This is God’s love. It conquers the world.” – Francis Chan

  i need to come alive
 where did my passion go?
 i need to come alive

 how can i restore my heart’s life?
 i think the answer lies in honesty, being honest with myself, with the world and especially with my community. radical change only happens, when we chose to be radically changed ourselves. 

I am a wanderer, an adventurer, i have felt stuck time and time again here in Hamilton, my day to day, working at a cell phone store, school, and working with the AFH have slowly become part of a routine. i am stuck in a lifeless passion for what i do.

  i need to come alive 
 where did my passion go?
 i need to come alive

In this search for passion, i came up with a theory: at one point i was passionate about all of these things, and the common denominator was, people, i am passionate about people, i am passionate about change, about justice, about art and collective communities. What is stopping me from pursuing that? lack of honesty with myself, as much i love to love, i am afraid to love, and working with people, building community and creating change all include loving and being loved.

 we have been consumed by our daily routines that letting people be part of our day to day becomes fearful.
  i need to come alive
 where did my passion go?
 i need to come alive

i’ve been realizing that the only way for me to remain passionate is to be passionate about my friends and their dreams as well, building community around friendship seems to be the way of moving through the heart lines of life.

 Recently i was able to spend some time with some of my dearest friends:

 Santiago is on his way to pour out life in to the States for a few months (Set the world on fire!!) 

Minnelle is starting up a business she is excited and passionate about (GO GIRL!!)

 Nate is continuing to wow me with his music and beautiful ways of building community (keep changing the world, one community at a time, one heart at a time) He has a concert coming up, check it out!! ( https://www.facebook.com/events/445538782125859/ )

 and this weekend i got to see Carlos in action as he took pictures at the Carassauga festival, your dedication, love and passion for pursuing your dreams inspires me, keep at it! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/trakoroche/ )

 Thank you friends, you make me come alive. :)

 I will always find my heart wandering around the world, but Hamilton, your imperfection breathes life in to me, your schools, your children, your distinct communities make me come alive. lets keep creating change, life, and community

  we are worth the risk.

So again – here’s my question:
What makes you come alive?

 Go after it.

Find your passion and purpose and move with courage.

 and since we are being honest (hehe) There are certain moments in life that I miss.

This is one of them: Traveling across the world with some of my dearest friends & playing games in the Amazon with village kids.

Take me back to Latin America. My feet are longing to be on foreign soil.


 Friends: Lets Go!