I am sitting in front of my computer here on the first morning of the year of the Tiger feeling very refreshed and content. Not only did I have a wonderful nites sleep but last night was simply a fantastic nite spent together with friends just having a good time. To update you a little bit here, the picnic for youth that was meant to happen today got moved to next week. But I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO glad that happened seeing as I got to bed at 4am this morning after having gone to a movie with friends. And there is no way I would have been able to be up for the 9am bus that will takes the youth from the church to the picnic grounds.
If you've ever lived in Latin America or know anything about the culture here, you will know that latinos love the night! Even at my church, when they throw a fiesta it usually doesn't start before 11 and then goes until 2:30 in the morning. Yesterday I spent the afternoon at a friends house resting after a whole week of doing nothing but spending massive amounts of time working on this site. So when she invited me to her place it was absolutely perfect timing.
I badly needed to get out of my room and just hang out and do something else. It is so amazing that during this whole trip, I have everything that I need just when I needed it. People here have busy live's too but I think the difference between people here and people in North America is that people's here know the art of taking a moment's pause in their busy lives. A pause to breathe, dance, think, reflect, and tell someone special that you love them.
In North America, even on weekends where people have free time I don't think they are actually taking a pause on their free time. They get so busy caught up in buying things, trying to look good and impress others, or they get distracted by things that don't matter. This is one of the reasons I created this website, it is a place where people can take that pause that they need. Few of us have the time to take the time of break where we go around the world in 80 days. Some of you out there due to work reasons find yourselves glued to the computer all day long without end.
The culture of the people here in Argentina has taught me so much on how to just take a moment for me. Any given day here, you will see people lazing out on a park bench or near a 100 year old statue lost in a book. I've done that myself and what I will tell you is that doing that is truly addictive. Wasn't it the president of Google that said in a recent speech that we've become so wired that we don't know when to stop? And that we need to get out and enjoy all that life has to offer? I couldn't agree more.
For me, I reached a point in my life where I needed a life change very badly. So I made the decision to pack my bags, give up a very well paying job with lots of security in the midst of this economic crisis, and come here to Argentina. And this culture has taught me so many things that has been lost in North America. Not everyone will get an opportunity to have this kind of a life change. And not everyone would want a life change in the way that I did it. For some, what a "pause" means to them looks very different than what a "pause" looks like to me.
For those of you who love being wired and love technology and being here on the web, this place was created so you could have a rest, read some fantastic stories, and indulge yourself in some of the goodies that are on here. When creating this place, I had to be very careful about what I chose to put on the side bar. It took alot of thinking. I had to ask myself, it this going to entertain and relax someone or is it only going to be another technological gadget that distracts them?
Some of the blogs are light and funny and some of them are deep and intense but all of them are from my heart. You can read them over and over again the ones that you particularly enjoyed and relive the experience each time. And in this manner there is always something for you here even when I'm having a pause from writing myself. As a writer, I go through seasons. Sometimes here you will see 3 new blogs added in one day. And there have been times where I've gone weeks without adding anything new. As a society, we always feel like we need something new or need the latest buzz to keep us happy. Here at "Making the Same Difference", I really want you to learn the art of reading something, feeling it, experiencing it and drawing from it. And then reading it again another time and reliving it but in totally different manner. I think that people in our society aren't looking so much for things that are new We have more than enough of that. I think that they are looking for things that are well done and good.
Whenever you need a break from reading the blogs, there is other things on the site for your enjoyment. Even here on a website that was created to help you take a pause, there is goodies left for you so you can take a break and even while taking a break, you can "take a break within that break". Make sense? I hope so. At the bottom of the site, I have written a welcome message in both english and spanish welcoming you to the space and inviting you to sit down and take a drink.
Some of you may like your drink totally "decaf", completely unwired, natural and organic and would just be content to read only the blogs. There are others of you who like a little bit of a coffee "buzz". You enjoy the good well written blog but you enjoy sprinkles of goodies. That is what the stuff on the sidebar is for. And yet there are others of you who loves blogs and love getting a BIG "buzz". All I can say is go knock yourself out! I'm just happy that you are here and you took time out of your busy day to come to the site. That's why I've included features like Diggs 2.0 so that you can continue to feed that internal craving that you have to be constantly wired. But what I think makes this site unique is that you can have a really nice experience of reading some totally organic writing by me but yet have the option of playing with some "toys" left for you on the site after your read the blog or may even while you are reading the blog.
To tell you the truth, I think the goodies on the site are great. We've got a feed from a great speaker named Christine Caine who makes for a wonderful listening experience for me every week. Wife, mother, activist for social justice, she's got a huge heart to see social justice implemented with her A21 campaign against human trafficking. She's one of the speakers that are a great influence on me and shaped the way I think. Her feeds are never "preachy" but she makes you feel like you are literally having coffee with someone. Then we have the blogs of the band Santa Clara. A local band from Victoria BC who is enjoying a sudden and crazy amount of success right now and are touring all over the country.
It makes me feel really great that even when I'm not writing stuff or adding new posts, there is always some fresh here. Whether it's Christine Caine's latest feed, a new blog by Santa Clara, or something entertaining and informative that you'll find on Digg 2.0, the moment you click onto this site you know you're in good hands. You can relax, take off your coat, order your drink "decaf", "medium" or even if you want to go for the whole 9 yards and order a "full bodied" roast, just know that there is always something new and special awaiting for you around the corner. In Chinese culture, honor is a very high value to us. And here at "Making the Same Difference", you will always be our highly esteemed guest of honor :)
Gung Hey Fat Choy! Happy Year of the Tiger!
Clarification – The Blog Has Moved
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Just to clarify the post from a couple of months ago, since I’ve gotten
several emails wondering what happened (read the pieces, not just the
headlines!), ...
2 weeks ago