Over these last couple of months I was feeling really overwhelmed. I have had a lot going on with my work, and my personal life. Everything is so busy and so fast paced that there are long stretches of time where I feel I have very little free time to do the things that I love. The hours in the days fly by so fast, and there are times when I feel like I race against the clock all day , and at the end of the day ,I am left with the feeling that hardly anything got done in the end.
I headed to work last week feeling really bummed about the lack of time I have to do the things I really enjoy. I had a Las Vegas overnight, and I was going to spend that time by the pool just relaxing so that I would not spend any money. I bought a fresh spinach and strawberry salad at the grocery store in Edmonton the night before ,along with some cauliflower and vegetables vegan balls for lunch ; For dinner, the plan was something simple ,and then off to bed early to catch up on lost sleep.
I got to Las vegas, and all I saw were Advertisements for Cirque du Soleil everywhere!!!!!!! I love Cirque, I think they are incredible. I hold a deep appreciation for them because there Talent is real. Cirque in my opinion, is one of the few entertainments that are not computerized, or photo shopped, etc… They are real , genuine, raw talent. From these Advertisements my desire to see them was born . I felt this huge passion to go!!!!!
It was a beautiful hot afternoon, and I thought to myself “Let me go and relax by the pool , and if in a few hours I still really want to go see Cirque I will figure it out from there” . I really enjoyed hanging out by the water. I inhaled my salad and veggie balls; I had no idea how hungry I was until I started eating. I listened to my music and fell in and out of sleep, it was wonderful. I dont always get to do this, so it is during times like these that I remember why I dreamed of becoming a flight Attendant. As the day went by, my desire for Cirque grew more and more and I could not shake it.
I have financial goals , and I am trying to save as much as possible, and not spend money on unnecessary things in the meantime. My decision to go see cirque was a real internal battle . Time was ticking, and the show was going to start at 7pm so I needed to think fast . I decided to go shower and head down to Treasure Island . I decided to get out of the hotel, and make my way over to the ticket counter. I made a deal with myself that If the tickets worked out to be too expensive then I would not buy them. I would pass on seeing the show, and I would go for a walk instead, and get to bed early.
I get the counter and there is a bit of a line up. I took my spot in line, and had this lady standing behind me , practically breathing down my neck. Then she stood beside me, and I began wondering If something was wrong with the lady behind me. She was very angry, frustrated, and in my personal space. I decided to go with the flow, and If things were to become messy then I will take it a sign that I should just leave. The Lady behind me in line was with a group of people and they didn’t really speak English. If I were to guess what they were all frustrated about ,it would be that they thought they were supposed to have a special line because they purchased tickets on the internet. It was a big drama. They had one person go back and forth to and from the front of the ticket counter to talk with a staff member to figure out why they had to wait in the same line as everyone else. It was actually pretty funny. They were causing a huge commotion .
It was finally my turn to buy a ticket while the frustrated VIP group was still behind me ha haa. As I walked up to the counter I noticed the man behind the counter was really attractive . Sweet !! So Things were looking up for me. The Price for the ticket for that night was $50 dollars!!!! yayyyyy!!!!. SOLD!!! I get to see my Cirque du soliel without feeling bad. I was so excited I could not believe how affordable my ticket was. I grabbed a slice of pizza before the show, and headed inside. I practically had the whole row to myself.
I watched Mystere at the Treasure Island Hotel and It took my breath away. I sat there in amazement the whole time. They always have a theme, so the shows are always different. The lights, the music, and the costumes are always so captivating. The show had dancing and singing, and amazing stunts. the acrobats are so skillful, strong, and they just do the impossible with their back flips, and balancing acts. Their talent truly is surreal. The show had comedy acts in between sets. They had me laughing and in amazement for the entire show. The 2 hours that I sat there felt like 20 minutes. There is no better medicine than laughter!!!
Since watching the show, I feel motivated again. I feel like a load of stress has been released just because of those amazing two hours away from reality. During the show I had no cares , and no worries. I was able to escape and rest my mind from the stresses that I had been going through. My blog is about food and health ,so why would I choose to write a piece on this experience ? Health is not just about the food we eat and exercise. Health is also about a healthy mind, and a positive perspective on life, and also on how we see ourselves. If we are always stressed and constantly feel pressured about the demands that are placed on us, then this alone can start chipping away at our health. Living for tomorrow is important, but what if there is no tomorrow? When you really think about it tomorrow really is not a guarantee. I have been trying to find that balance of living for today and a little bit for tomorrow. (in case if tomorrow ;I am in fact , still here. ) This is a challenge because Tomorrow, will forever ,be an unknown. I don’t want to blow all of my money and then be left with nothing, but at the same time I don’t want to save all this money and then be gone without the chance to have ever been able to enjoy it either.
Material things can be great, and there is nothing wrong with wanting material things, but in my personal opinion they are short lived. The more we have , the more we want. When we buy a material product , most times it brings us happiness for a short time, and then we want the next material thing. It can be a vicious cycle if you let it.I enjoy material things, but only to a certain point. Experiences on the other hand are memories we take with us. Experiences fill us up ,and that’s something that can never be lost or stolen. Experiences belong to us. I could not shake the desire to want to go . no matter how long I tried to stall with my decision, the feeling just grew stronger. The $50 dollars went a long way. It lifted my spirits to where I needed it to be so that I could feel motivated and inspired again. If we don’t make time to enjoy and have fun we start to become resentful of the things we must do in order to get ahead in life. When we feel good we see the world differently in a more positive light. Our ability to make decisions improves because we make them from a positive place. We see better options and greater possibilities. When we are bummed we just don’t care ,and we don’t see our options as clear because we have no motivation to improve.
On my way back to the hotel, the cab driver and I started to talk about philosophies on life. He started talking to me about how life is too short, and that we have to enjoy life or else we get depressed. He started to tell me how we don’t take our money with us when we die, and spending money on experiences is the best money spent.He said what is the point to only working in life, and he was right. It’s rare to have such a deep conversation with your cab driver. I took this as a sign from the universe that I was right to have followed my instincts to come to the show, and that I am on the right track !!!! yay!!!
From this experience I have made a commitment to myself that no matter what demands are placed on me, how I react to them is what will make the difference. There will always be reasons why we cant make time for ourselves , but we must create a reason why we can. It can be something simple like dropping everything and going for a walk, having a bath , or reading a great book ; or it can be going to a funny movie or going dancing. Even if its having a cup of coffee or a tea for 5 to 10 minutes. Anything that will give our minds a break, and lift our spirits and as a result ,giving us a better ability to move forward more clearly on this journey of life, even if its just one little baby step at a time. that’s enough. More and more each day I am becoming aware of how I spend my time. I am developing the mind set that every minute spent is time I will never get back. I want to use my time wisely while I am here .Since we will never get our time back after it is spent the question becomes, Is spending on this, doing this, being with these people, time well spent? Being conscious of ” The Time Bank ! No obligations, no pressures, no guilt. Just live your life!!!!
