ECUADOR

I spent all of last week on a surf trip to Montanita, Ecuador. I am excited to share pictures and stories with you all and I am so glad that so many of you keep up with me this way. There is an underground group of Great Lakes surfers, yes people actually do surf the Great Lakes. I am not one of them, however the guy that I am dating is and that is how I got hooked into this trip. I do have to say that I didn't really feel like I "deserved" a vacation like that since I was just in Costa Rica over the holidays, however the price was something not to be passed up and so I found a wonderful doctor to cover my practice and off I went. Montanita is an old fishing town turned hippie surfer town...just my style. The people of Ecuador are a simple folk. There is not much money and barely any education in the area I was in and so the people are not living and working to try and get anywhere. They are happy and content and present and WOW that is refreshing!!! There i no "running the rat race" mentality and subsequently, a lot less stress or at least a very different stress. I do my best to take each moment as it comes and be present so as to not miss a beat. I haven't always been this way however I find the most peace in that space and will continue to strive to sustain that. Join me, why don't ya... (picture taken at one of the beaches we surfed at, more pictures to come).

BEST FRIENDS

Meet Jennifer... she and I have been best friends since high school...a VERY long time. She is one of the most wonderful women that I know. She is intelligent, funny and authentic, probably the top three qualities that I look for in friends. The greatest thing about her is she has been such a dedicated friend to me no matter what. I do not believe that there has ever been a time that she wasn't in my life. I moved all over the country and she came to visit me in all the places I lived. She has been on the other end of the phone for some really wonderful conversations and some really crappy conversations where it is all tears and barely any words. She has guided me in many of my huge life decisions, or at least I always let her have a word about whatever the situation is. She is amazing. She has the biggest entrepreneurial spirit of anyone who I have ever met and she is in the process of materializing her latest "million dollar idea" and this one is going to go far. In the few years, when her and I have hung up the phone, I take a moment to be grateful for her in my life. Thanks Jen. My life is better simply by having you in it:)

SWEAT LODGE

One of the most disappointing parts of the media today is the fact that something like a "Sweat Lodge" can go from a wonderful and beneficial Native American ceremony to something that "kills people". Just a few months ago, there was some famous someone doing a sweat lodge somewhere and 2 people died while there. I can tell you up front, there was a lot of ego involved when things like that happen. So when I was invited to go with a friend, I was slightly apprehensive. When I first mentioned to a few people that I was going to attend a Sweat Lodge, the first thing out of their mouths was "Don't people die doing that?" Yeah some people have died doing that however so many more hundreds of thousands to millions of people have lived during sweats too...so I went anyways. I have been involved in a lot of life transforming activities however I have to say that this was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. There is a place called "Cedar Water Healing Lodge" http://www.gaylejoseph.com/. in Milford, MI. When you go there, you are instantly accepted as one of their family. The people that run the ceremony have the most loving and giving energy and the experience is one that I would recommend to everyone. The ceremony was explained to us when we got there as well as a guarantee that if something is not going well for you, a phrase can be said and you can remove yourself from the lodge. There were 16 of us for this experience and it lasted about 3 hours followed by a wonderful feast of delicious food. Really and truly a wonderful experience. The lodge in Milford runs sweats every three weeks and I plan on attending as much as will fit into my schedule. Come join me if you would like:)