Serendipity

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Serendipity is : the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for;

Nothing could represent that to me more than what happened today.

I'm walking around with Liesje and Ana through the streets of Ipanema (yes, like the famous song) and we stop at a big flashy fruit stand. The guy was an excellent salesman, and started giving us little pieces of delicious fruits to taste and be tempted, before quoting exorbitant prices for them. We were busy trying to figure out what to do, if we should buy something or not, when I hear something in the background that catches my attention. It sounded like "mangostino."

For those of you who don't know what this is, it is a fruit from South-east Asia that I am completely obsessed with, and it is without a doubt the best thing I have ever tasted in my life. By far.

A few months ago, I spent a couple of weeks in Colombia looking for it everywhere I went (as somebody had told me you can find them there) but with no success. After I left, a friend of mine was lucky enough to find them, but I wasn't there anymore, so I didn't get to taste heaven.

And then today happened. I wasn't thinking of mangosteens. I had never heard they existed in Brazil. I would've never even dream of looking for them here. Don't know anyone who knows them and hasn't been to south-east Asia (or been told by someone who has.)

So you can imagine my surprise, and my reaction, when I caught that faint "mangostino" and turned around to realize that I was indeed NOT dreaming, and the old man from the fruit stand behind me (which I hadn't given any attention to and would've missed completely) was opening one up and offering me a taste of heaven. I tasted it. I started laughing and hyperventilating and acting like a crazy nut.

Of course, I bought some, at the price of gold, but who cares?? It was cheaper than a plane ticket to Thailand... :)

All of this to say, if you haven't had the chance and happiness of tasting a mangosteen, you don't know what you're missing... but most importantly, sometimes the best things in life we find when we're not looking for them.

Butterflies and decisions...

I like making decisions. I'm usually pretty sure of what I want, and have a somewhat clear idea of how to get there. Of course, that doesn't mean I always get what I want. A lot of the times things are out of my control, and so even when I can see the path, sometimes the door is closed in my face.

But I think an unavoidable part of making decisions is that familiar feeling of butterflies in your stomach, and anxious bursts of impatience, "which one is the best choice? Should I pick A or B? What are the pros and cons of each?" I don't spend too much time in that though... I know that not making a decision usually results in lost opportunities and regrets, so I dive right in. There's the popular saying "I'd rather regret something I've done than wonder forever about the outcome of choices I didn't make."

All of that to say that I made quite a few decisions in the last couple of days, which will be appearing soon in my travel blog .

However, the butterflies don't go away the second you make the decision... and I think that's part of the expectations that follow a decision, no matter what it is about. I guess that's part of the fun... after all, I like butterflies... ;)

The virus of complaining and the art of relaxing

Complaining is something I don't like to do. And I don't like to be around people who complain all the time (I think nobody does...)



For the last month and a half, I was in Brasilia, and around people who complain ALL the time. They're negative. Nothing is ever alright, if it's hot, it's too hot. If it's cold, it should be hot. If it's Monday, they want it to be Tuesday. If it's Tuesday, it's because it's not Monday. It's insane. It drives me nuts! But like I said, it's a virus... so it rubs off on me and I catch myself complaining all the time. (I'm even doing it right now!!!)



But then you go to a different place. A place where people are relaxed and happy. Where the sun shines and the ocean is an incredible hypnotic blue. Where there's a hammock on the balcony, and you can just be, and hear yourself breathe...







All of a sudden, all that complaining goes away, and you remember that life is beautiful... and you walk for half an hour under the pouring rain at night, with a smile on your face and thank God for the rain, cuz it's so refreshing and beautiful.



Yeah, I definitely like the art of relaxing.... ;)