When I was little, I wanted to be an architect. I worked tirelessly toward the fulfillment of that dream. Yet, the universe had a different plan for me; my dream went unrealized. It wasn’t meant to be. And today, I’m thankful. I recognize that my current path is much freer, open and fulfilling. I’m glad that I didn’t manifest my dream.

On one hand, I have a set of desires. There are certain things that I want to do with my summer, my talents and my life. I have a plan that I work to manifest.

On the other hand, I recognize that I don’t always get what I want (and things still always seem to work out for the best). In the tug-of-war of life, the universe always wins. The universe has a plan that will manifest, regardless of my efforts.

So, the ultimate questions become: “Why should I spend my energy trying to fulfill my desires? If the universe has an unavoidable plan for me, then shouldn’t I just stop trying and stop planning?”

The answer is, “No”. We shouldn’t stop trying and we shouldn’t stop planning. We should continue to spend our energy trying to manifest our desires.

But why?

As we become more and more conscious and awake, our desires fall into alignment with the “desires” of the universe. What we want, the universe wants.

And thus, we should always work towards the manifestation of our dreams.

So dream, create and enjoy.

..

I don’t have a life. How could I? How could anyone?

How can you have something that you are?

I’d never said that red paint has red. Red paint is red.

In the same way, we are life. It’s our essence. We are expressions of life.

If you look at light in this light, our anxiety over death seems silly. How can you lose something that you’ve never possessed? You can’t lose it if you don’t have it. Life isn’t like a house or a car. It’s not a possession. It’s what we are.

So, I don’t have a life. And neither do you. Instead, we are life. And that makes all the difference.

As I mentioned before, I was in Rochester, NY, over the weekend.

I stayed at my aunt and uncle’s house. As a self-proclaimed quote whore, I was thrilled to discover that their bathroom is lined with their favorite passages and excerpts. One such quotation caught my attention.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about dancing in the rain.”

Have you ever met someone with the power to turn a bad situation into something wonderful? They are the people that turn a lay-off into an opportunity to discover their true passion. They are the people that wear red to a funeral. They are the people that can laugh at their so-called missteps. As it turns out, all of us have the power to turn shitty situations into something wonderful. Of course, for most of us, that power goes unused.

We don’t have the power to change the present moment. We do have the power to change the way we see, process and react to that moment.

I can’t change that I’m staying in a run-down apartment until (at least) July 1. But I can control the amount of energy I spend resisting that reality. I can control how I react to this situation. And I can control the impact it has on my summer here in Toronto.

We need not hunker down, waiting for the sun to come out. Instead, we can put a smile on our face and enjoy the beauty of a rainy day.

I survived the night in Rochester, NY, by the skin of my teeth.

We’re here for my uncle’s wedding, which is happening later today. As such, the bride and groom’s families gathered for an evening of mingling, food and drink. The menu was great: crabcakes, scallops wrapped in bacon, sandwiches, meatballs, cakes and cookies.

My uncle’s bride owns a pet shop. As such, her house is practically a zoo. There are animals everywhere. Including my dog, Chipotle (who is here because I’m here heading to Toronto for the summer).

One of the cats, named Bubba, doesn’t like Chipotle. When they first met, Bubba clawed Chipotle - drawing blood from her side. Chipotle learns fast, and she learned to stay away from Bubba.

Food, drinks, 40 people, Chipotle and Bubba. Clearly, I’m setting the scene.

I was in the dining room. It all happened so fast. Chipotle was at my side. Bubba sneaked into the room. The next thing I remember was seeing Chipotle on the dining room table. Legs kicking. Food flying. Plates crashing. Meatball sauce everywhere.

I grabbed the dog. People rushed into the room, picking up plates or snapping pictures.

Chipotle’s heart was racing.

I was so embarassed!

And now, for the grand finale. I had the bright idea of doing a “Chipotle-Bubba Meet and Greet”. Lisa, the bride-to-be, picked up Bubba and approached Chipotle. Bubba let out a hiss and clawed Lisa, leaving three deep gashes across her forehead. Scalp wounds bleed a lot, as it turns out.

When you’re sleeping, the dream world is real. Once you wake up, you realize it wasn’t real; it was just a dream.

When you’re awake, this world feels real. But when you wake up from being awake, you realize it isn’t.

Some people - far and few between - wake up from being awake while being awake (in the same way that you can sometimes remind yourself that you’re dreaming during a dream). But for the rest of us, I wonder if that’s what happens when we die. We wake up from the illusion, and realize it was all just a dream.

This world feels real, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t.