How I Learnt to "Unplug"

OK! So it seems that I'm once more a 'once-a-week blogger.' I'm not sure how I got here again, but somehow I've lost my zeal for blogging (not writing though):( For the first time, I've been deliberately postponing blogging...partly because I just didn't know what to blog about, then I worried unnecessarily about how my blog would be interpreted...After 7 years of blogging, I just had this thought! I often wondered when this day would come, but it's a fleeting thought because I love sharing with you.

Today I "unplugged". I found myself growing more and more tired as the weeks went by, so I returned to a practise that I exercised last year. Once a week, I would not turn on my computer and just devote my time to reading and catching up with family. 

I had planned to spend most of the day in bed, but that was not the case. After going to bed at 4 am this morning working on the FINAL draft of my book, I woke up excited, refreshed and ready to go again at 9:45 am. Drat! I purposely reminded myself that today I was going to take it easy and not get inundated with work. No emails. No book talk. No Skype. No workshop business. Just recharge and catch up.

photo credit - C. K.Correia 2015

I cooked the night before, so it was easy. I spent most of the day on my porch with the gently blowing breeze, taking in some sunshine and the magnificence of nature. The birds, the mountains, the plants and flowers. I stayed there until the sun set and dark crept in. 

During the day I meditated and read 9 chapters of one of the many books I started months ago. I chatted with my mother about everything and anything. I shared with her what I learnt from the various videos I've been researching. I watched her as she watered the plants while I (finally) painted my toes:) We drank tea and exchanged categorically good and bad stories of customer service both locally and abroad. 

We told stories about my Dad and listened to some Jamaican gospel-reggae! It's been over a year, but I could never finish telling her about my own tales about living in Tobago and all the people and situations I encountered. My funniest story was travelling back on the ferry close to midnight one night with thunder and lightning, then driving back home to a blackout! 

photo credit - C. K. Correia 2015

Grown men were seen to be "jumping" whenever thunder rolled and lightning lit up the night skies through the windows. Meanwhile the workers on the boat (so accustomed) laughed loud belly laughs! I was so amused that I bb'd my friends and emailed my sister abroad from my phone, describing to them what was happening. 

(Funny I wasn't really scared, but at the back of my mind I still kept thinking about the Titanic lol. To pass the time I had snacks and a beer at the bar while I watched a movie until the boat docked:)

photo credit - C. K. Correia 2015

Now this April day is almost done and I'm refreshed and recharged, ready to face another week. Just for one day we did not argue or disagree! We took a stroll down memory lane and loved it. We cried and laughed and released. 

I gave my brain a rest and did not worry about my publishing deadlines, unanswered emails, flyers, unwritten articles, interviews and marketing my workshop. 

It was refreshing and it's what good memories are made of. It's feels oh soo good to unplug every now and then. This is gonna be my Sunday ritual from now on. I may even throw in a second day! 

Please feel free to share with us how you unplug from the rest of the world by posting a comment below or via the contact form on your right!

Have a great week :)

Peace & Love

What Sacrifice Means to Me

I know the holiday is almost over, but I just had to stop in for a moment to wish you all a Happy Easter. In some parts of the world, Easter Monday and Tuesday are public holidays and kids are off from school for another week.

photo credit - C. K. Correia 2015

I've tried to make this a non-denominational blog, but tonight I share my feelings on Easter. Subconsciously I've made a promise to myself to attend church more often this year. So Holy Thursday and Glorious Saturday found me attending mass at two different parishes. 

It was a welcome change as some parts of the mass were sung in Latin. I felt a wonderful sense of peace wash over me. Change is good.

For the past few days, I've been reflecting a lot on my life: the past and the future. I picture what life would be like in 10-20 years. Because of my Dad's recent passing, I often think about the mortality of my mother and those around me: myself, my siblings and even my friends. I know, what morbid thoughts! But everyone I talk to have been having similar feelings as people are dropping like flies. It seems to be six degrees of separation as someone we know have died. Depressing, but it's this thing called life!

Although I seemed to have gotten over my grief fairly early, my friends who have been there before, told me this would happen. Easter was a very sad time, save for last night thanks to my friend Beverly. With acceptance comes healing and transformation of our circumstance into a positive learning experience. 

We must find the strength and willpower to overcome and transcend our pain, because there's always more to life. I somehow found the will to get up and get out yesterday and confront my emotions. Today I linked these cathartic feelings to Easter and the death and resurrection of Christ.

No matter our denomination, we can appreciate the significance of sacrifices. By whatever name you call God or whether it is the sacrifices of our parents, loved ones or even we ourselves, we do it in order for the ones we love to enjoy a better life, if we chose to look at it that way.

Easter signifies for Christians the sacrifices Jesus made in order for us to have a second chance. To be free from sin. No matter our sin, how many or how great or small, sin is sin. And it was all washed away on that day...Good Friday. It is up to us, to hold up our end of the bargain and try to live a better life. If not for ourselves, for our children and their children. I'm sure we've all heard "the sins of our forefathers falling on the third and fourth generations." It's just my food for thought.

Have a great week and best wishes for Easter.

Peace & Love.

Have You Disconnected?

Happy April! 

I’m not much of a TV person and the one in my room remains off 80% of the time, but every now and then I tear myself away from my computer to see what I’m missing. Before I know it, I get lost in 'TV Land' where somehow the characters reflect what’s going in my life at the time.

photo credit - C.K. Correia 2015

I remember a conversation I had two years ago in my old apartment in Tobago one night. I could hear my friend Sherry screeching into the other end of the telephone all the way from Trinidad: “Lyn you can’t compare your life to those characters on TV!” 

While this is true, television and movies sometimes reflects the experiences of their writers who are real life people just like us. (She wanted to hear nothing of this though!). I also remember blogging about it back then. It is however, up to us to disconnect when that hour or half hour is up and separate reality from fantasy. 

A good script, like a good book can relay messages that allow you to see your reality a little clearer or give you a different perspective on life. It may even provide healing or allow you to laugh at your situation which may be exactly what you need.

By all appearances today was a great day. It's the little things that somehow elicit good memories like having the funniest chat with my cousin on the phone, completing an article I was working on and running into 6, count them six! friends on the way to and from the gym today. Despite all of this, tonight I felt a lingering uneasy feeling that I cannot quite describe. 

Still very much in mourning, I try to distract myself with all the exciting things going on in my life, like my new book. Maybe it’s lack of sleep! Then I turn on the tele and escape to a world where nothing else matters. 

My hour is up and I have disconnected from their world. I have laughed and found the lessons. Now I’m back to regularly scheduled programming and ready to embrace my life once again. 

Let's transform our dreams into reality this April and in the months ahead. Stay tuned to this space.

What are some of your favourite shows and what has it taught you?

Peace & Love

How Do You Know When You've Found Your Purpose?

I've been bad. I haven't blogged in a week. I guess it's just one of those spells. This doesn't mean I haven't been writing. So much going on as I plan for my upcoming workshop and book launch.

photo credit - C.K.Correia All rights reserved 2015

I had my first assignment as a features writer last evening. It was an amazing rush. I really don't know what all the nerves were about since this story exceeded my expectations. 

It was a human interest story and though I can't divulge all the details at the moment, I left inspired. It is my deepest wish that I too motivated the group in some way. 

Fear is a big part of some of our lives. I wrote about this in my second book. I had no doubt that I could write the article, but it was the interview and facing a new situation/group that I was uncertain about. No matter how many times I've conquered similar fears in the past, I am still nervous before I make that step. That was worry wasted since my fear left as soon as I stepped into the room and introduced myself.

Once we condition our minds to overcome our fears, we begin to believe that we can do anything we set out to do. Self-talk is good, visualization is better. This helps to block out the external "noise" and the negative thoughts in our subconscious. Our life can be an example to others. We must try to live our passion daily in all our interactions and this will be reflected in those we meet.

When I returned home last night, I was energized and on fire! I was happy to make a difference and glad to interact with new persons. I felt connected to their mission and drive for improvement. I felt at one with myself and my purpose. I thought that if I could do this everyday for the rest of my life, I would have found eternal joy.

What if I tell you, that you can find this too? Believe in the dream for a better day. Stay tuned to this space for more.

Peace & Love

Character is Everything

Tonight's blog I promise is going to be a short one. This week had it's highs and lows and at

photo credit - C. K. Correia 2015. Al rights reserved
Mason Hall, Tobago

the end of it, I am grateful for the outcome. I've been awash with a sea of emotions since so much is going on simultaneously, but I'm excited about the journey. 

I've been grappling with declaring my faith in the public realm, but today I can't help but shout it from the rooftops that prayer never fails. So many fantastic things happening in my life and I owe it all to my faith. 

Something that's been on my mind for the past year has finally come to pass and it is only short of miraculous. Although I can't declare it publicly as yet, I am amazed at the power of intent. 

I've been even thinking about it on the ferry to Tobago recently and remembered asking a friend for his advice. I returned from my vacation with it still on my mind and as I drove to my destination, I got a call with the good news! A proposal I sent almost a year ago to date was discovered and well the rest is history. The person on the other end of the line declared: "Nothing before it's time." Wow!

As I watch other pieces of this great big puzzle of life fall into place, I stand back and smile. I silently and sometimes literally jump for joy. I can't believe that God is showering me with all these blessings despite my imperfection. I am happy and grateful for another chance to work on my frailties, put the past to bed and let my inner light shine. A couple wise people once told me: "Carolyn, it's all about character. Outward appearances are just that. They don't mean anything. Character is everything."

We are all a work in progress, but the genuine people will always see your true worth.

Peace & Love.

Have a great weekend.

Bring Back the Old Time Days!

I am trying to keep my blogs short from now on based on the reviews over the years. But sometimes you know you have soo much to say! Something happened today that I was debating whether to blog about. It should not even be an afterthought, but it got a second thought despite my intentions. 

photo credit - C.K. Correia All rights reserved 2010
Macqueripe Beach, Trinidad

On my way home from two meetings today I stopped by the mall to exchange a pair of shoes. As I was walking back to my car, some girls and a guy was sitting on a bench. I did not really look up to meet their gaze as I passed, since I was concentrating on navigating around the puddle of water in front of me. 

Still, I ALMOST slipped in my heels. As I passed by, something very derogatory was said by one of the girls. Something to the effect of: if I should fall, they would just laugh because I purposely stepped into the puddle of water!

I thought about this and how nice it would have been to react to this statement. Then I just shook my head and wondered if this is what our society has been reduced to. I spoke about this briefly in my first book - Thinking out Loud. I wondered what happened to the good old days our elders told us about. Then I remembered this is just one person. This is not a representation of the wider society. After my car accident last year, I realized that there are still good people who genuinely care about helping others. 

As my memoir unfolded, I also came to this realization on my own. I discovered this also (as far as) Grenada and Tobago. Though this second book is about my professional journey, I also disclosed some personal sentiments which accounted for my growth. I started off in one of the earlier chapters mentioning that I find that authenticity in many relationships (both platonic and romantic) are lacking, as so many I thought to be close to me have shattered my sense of trust. By chapter 11, I realized that the universe has always been working things out in my favour my whole life, if only I slowed down long enough to take notice. I was either being protected or prepared/strengthened for something greater.

Things are always working in the background. Every perceived bad occurrence in your life, is a blessing turned inside out. The cliché: "find a silver lining" holds true. Be still and quiet the internal "noise" and you would suddenly become aware of your disguised blessings. Can you also think of ways where this is happening in your life? Feel free to post a comment below.

Have a great weekend.

Peace & Love

ps I don't think I succeeded in keeping it short!

No More Living in the Past

I just spent the most fabulous 6 days on the sister-isle of Tobago. It was a very impromptu decision which are usually the best ones. What I didn't do, I forgot to...I was having too much fun to remember. I really came to do work, but that notion quickly disappeared. 

photo credit -  © C.K. Correia 2015 - All rights reserved
Englishman's Bay, Tobago

My friends back home told me I needed a brain cooler and almost without effort I found just that. I drove around the countryside villages of Moriah, Englishman's Bay, Castara, Parlatuvier, Bloody Bay, L'Anse Fourmi, Runnymede and exited thru the other end of the island to Roxborough, Belle Garden, Goodwood, Mt. St. George, Scarborough and back to my old home of Mason Hall. 

I went to Harvest (sharing of food and drink) and ate enough curry goat, provisions and buss-up-shut to feed a town:). I got to see my brother again and took in some limbo at Sunday School and caught up with (literally) ten more of my friends at a new liming spot. Still couldn't get to see everyone, but words can't describe how great it was seeing the ones I was able to meet up with. They feel like "home"...like if I've known them a lifetime. I have now returned to reality refreshed, relaxed, rejuvenated and ready to go again! I feel like I have a new lease on life.

Last night I used the ferry ride back home to unwind and today I skipped gym to attend my meditation class all rested to get the full effect. When I returned home, things that bothered me 6 days ago, took longer to take effect. I think I may be on to something. Tobago+Meditation[+Gym] = Recipe for serenity and a healthy body, mind and soul.

On my last trip in September, I thought I got over my Tobago tabanca, but I was wrong. Revealing some of those carefree, liberated awakenings I had when I lived there in 2013 in my memoir made me yearn for more. 

Somewhere along the 6 days, I realized that being back on the island and in my old apartment did not have the same effect. I still absolutely love the feel of the place, but I had a simple yet marked revelation: Time did not stand still! Not for me, nor for everybody else. Things are quite different two years later. 

I LOVED my life then, but I like the one I have now too: renewing old friendships, following my dream and all the new people that have come into my life are priceless joys. I can't recreate those identical moments and emotions 2013 brought just by being back in the same place. It's different. I can't live in the past. I must move on. Life goes on and I can't wait for all the exciting things that are in store. Like my mother always says: "Time waits on no man."

I can always go back when I need to. And I can always re-visit my memories of my Dad of when he was alive and visited me with my sister, as well as all my other adventures whilst there. Maybe I would even return to live one day, but for right now, I must live in the NOW and I have a feeling it's gonna be one heck of a ride. 

What are you waiting for? Are you living in the NOW?!! Feel free to share by posting a comment below.

Peace & Love

Happy March!

photo credit - C.K.Correia 2015

Giving thanks for another great week and an even better month ahead. Last week was fun. I am reminded of how good it is to have great people in your circle. 

Over the last week I reconnected with friends and caught up with a cousin I hadn't seen in a while. I remember my Dad taking me to meet her for the first time when I had just entered university. Those were good times.

Being back at her house over the last few days, I remember the times spent there with my father and all the nice memories we had. I reminisced about playing with her very large imported English 'doggies' as she called them, picking mangoes, grapefruits, pomeracs and drinking coca cola! Those were the days when I was thin and not as health conscious! That was before my wine days:) Now when I go to her house, I have Prosecco and still pick mangoes and talk about the good ole days. I also marvel at her still lovely and beautifully abundant bougainvillea flowers.

Being in a different surrounding with different people does wonders for your psyche. You get different points of view and step outside of your own little "Idaho" just for a minute. You realize that some things you were fussing over seems immaterial in the grand scheme of things and this too shall pass. You also value other people in your life more. 

Church does this too. I am now discovering this as I attended the Lenten Retreat last week. I decided I am going to rekindle my relationship with going to mass. I admit I may have been wrong. It's such a wonderful feeling to listen to the choir sing all those lovely songs I remember from school days. It also helps that my mother is in the choir :) This together with the humorous homily and welcome back hug from my parish priest seems to heal all the areas in my life that needs healing. 

So here's to March: May this month be filled with everything you NEED: peace, joy and love. Stay open to the endless possibilities and allow the right situations and people to find you. Reach for the sky and watch your dreams unfold. Oh and remember to Make it Count!

Peace & Love

It's Not All About the Paper

I feel that so many things are competing for my time, that I need to slow down and prioritize. Now that I am an entrepreneur, some ask what I do all day because they somehow think I have the world of time. Little do they know! I stopped explaining.

In my workshop I say that there will always be more: more to create, more writing projects, books, blogs and articles to be done. I am my own boss so I am especially hard on myself. But time is too precious to waste it being consumed with the race to the finish line and not stopping to enjoy the journey....the process...the many pit stops along the way. The people in your life that matter who assist in making it worthwhile.

photo credit - C. K. Correia 2013

Tonight I made the resolution to slow down. I've been burning both ends of the candle for the longest while, sometimes going to bed at the time working people are now rising. 

Although I am encouraged by my friends and others like me who are on a similar path, everyone's threshold for endurance is different. I must strike the balance between not wanting to go to sleep at night and not wanting to wake up in the morning but having to anyway! :)

I also decided to take a time-out from the virtual world of email, Skype, self-imposed deadlines and real life meetings to relax and unwind outdoors at least once a week. So last week and yesterday I did just that. I celebrated with family and took outings in the middle of the day. Things I could not do when I was employed full time. It was refreshing. I returned with a fresh outlook and new energy.

So while I would like to finish my book and get ready for my workshop in April, I must pace myself and do it properly. My research shows that this can take a while. I am now into the third draft of my book. After I get feedback from my beta readers, I presume I would want to make even more changes. But I will ensure that I do not lose my voice in the process. 

After meeting with my marketing person to discuss my workshop, I realized that this too is a work in progress. I am glad to have him on-board with 'fresh' trained eyes to give me objective advice. 

For me it's not all about money. This is an ongoing debate for some, but I don't need a lot of it to be happy. I have everything I NEED. The rest ("the WANTS") will come in time. I must survive, but every now and then, I take a time-out to just be ME. 

How about you? Can you relate? Please log on and post a comment below.

Peace & Love