Giramonda.com

Coronavirus. Humanity around the globe is currently fixated upon this word, this concept, this virus. Life as we knew it in our capitalist-driven, global network has literally stopped. The worldwide halt we are currently experiencing has been a gradual process, first occurring in Wuhan, China in January of this year (2020) with the affecting ripples extending to all corners, all countries by March.

Aside from having the global economy on a standstill and more than a handful of countries on government mandated lockdowns, as of this post, the virus has infected more than a million people and has reportedly killed hundreds of thousands. (RIP.) We are three months in the midst of what has been officially deemed a global pandemic. Personally, I have extremely strong doubts about the information we’re being fed. I am convinced we are not getting the whole story – not even close.

Yet, that is not what I’m interested in exploring in this post. I simply wanted to provide some real world context as, yet again, I move to “re-start.”

Writing. I truly miss and long for this time with myself – this time dedicated to reflecting on my experiences and fleeting thoughts – allowing me to learn, polish and grow. I’m convinced writing is most therapeutic.

We, as a global community, are enshrouded in uncertainty. How long will this global halt last? How long will our global and local economies be shut down? How long can we make our scant savings last before the looming threat of not-enough-for-food becomes too real? What’s to become of our debt – that we simply cannot pay without a functioning capitalist system?

Before coronavirus slammed into humanity, we had only just started hitting our stride with our coffeeshop venture. The story of our grassroots LIVE coffee concept is one ridden with tough challenges and just when we saw the proverbial light – maybe our crazy dream really might be able to economically sustain us – the coronavirus pandemic shut us down.

So here we are… No income. Thousands in debt. Scant savings. Already sub-par living conditions (relative to my middle class upbringing of course) due to big sacrifices for self-funding the coffeeshop. But, time… we have a lot more time. Honestly, getting the coffeeshop concept off the ground, most literally consumed us. I fell out of very healthy habits as I allowed “making it” with the coffeeshop to take over my life.

Thus, amidst a constant battle to keep pulling my mind and spirit from the “doom and gloom” fog settling over all of us, I’m urging myself of focus and re-focus. Let’s get back to the basics. Let’s re-start those healthy habits.

Thanks to Oprah and Deepak, again I am starting my day with meditation. The influential duo periodically team up to offer free “21-day Meditation Experience” programs. I’ve participated in past programs as well as their current program that’s just wrapping up. The central message of HOPE during this particular experience couldn’t have been more spot on. I’m most grateful for their generosity with this program.

During today’s mediation, at one point I found myself entering into a labyrinth. I began following the path, choosing between a few turns when I suddenly found myself at the end of the labyrinth but… going back into it. I started again, choosing between a few turns to make my way back to the start. Then a thought occurred to me, “mark the way!” Thus, I head back to the end of the labyrinth so I can make a mark at each turn. I progressed again, moving through the labyrinth and heading towards the start when I my consciousness left that vision.

We have a decision to make and a situation to resolve with our landlord for the rental space of our coffeeshop amidst this coronavirus crisis. I interpreted this encounter I had with the labyrinth as a clue to how we should approach the issue: reverse engineer the situation in order to arrive at a better, more informed decision.

My next morning “re-start” habit? Fill up my big glass jar with room temperature water. Starting your day with vital, life-sustaining water is an easy habit to develop… but it’s just as easy to suddenly realize you’ve spent two weeks without getting the proper daily intake of pure water. Drink up dearies!

Water is followed by daily exercise. Right now, it’s usually running. I’ve thrown a bit of youtube yoga into the mix, but I’m waiting to get our cramped space more organized so I can practice yoga more comfortably. When we moved into our current studio located out in the jungle, we were neck deep with high season and changes at the coffeeshop. Organizing our living space took a back seat. The daunting task of somehow fitting everything from living on a large ranch property, complete with it’s own work shed, into a studio set up (with decent patio space mind you) simply required too much energy while in the midst of setting up an “emergency” coffeeshop location (so-to-speak) during high season. Finally, we are now able to dedicate time to making the most of every nook and cranny. It’s coming along… I plan to incorporate yoga daily, in addition to the morning run, as we progress with organizing our studio.

Among the usual tasks that end up occupying the day, I’m working on “re-starting” my writing – hence this post – and I’m looking to make the most of free education on the internet. The two main areas I wish to further polish my skills: i. continued spiritual development ii. finances. Time to start fashioning those imagined results… Wish me luck!

I’m anxious. I’m happy, but I’m anxious.

Happy? Well, I do have much to be happy and grateful about…

I currently live in tropical location of my own choosing. I am the boss of my own time, running my own boutique photography business that, at the very least, keeps my life in paradise afloat. I go to the beach or a cenote often – both in my down time and as a part of my self-appointed career. I have constant contact with the natural surroundings found in this little corner of the world in which I’m living. I have an adorable young pup who I wasn’t planning on adopting but who has been one of the biggest blessings in my life to date. Ay La Fiera… Her name is Ahalya. She is quite the little ornery devil sometimes – hahaha.

So, yes, on many levels I’m very happy. 🙂

Yet, on other levels… anxious.

I’m anxious because I know that as I near 30 years of age, a business that keeps life “afloat” just isn’t going to cut it anymore. I’m anxious as I more fully come to terms with the fact that the “investing in myself and my own business” debt I’ve racked up… has not deflated but has incrementally increased. I’m anxious about the fact that if I want to start embracing some new objectives in life I need to “get it together” quite a bit more. I’m anxious as I feel that after having seemed to steam ahead in so much so quickly during my early 20s, that I have slowed to a more relaxed pace for a little too long. I’m anxious because at nearly 30 years of age I’m starting to feel not so ahead anymore. And, in some areas, even a bit behind. And I don’t like it.

Thus, more determined self-analyzation, Ted Talks and, once again, writing about my own life… are just some of the tactics I’m attempting to use to find my way back to “feeling ahead” or at least “feeling most content with where I’m at.” 

Now, back to editing photos…

Wow. The last post on this blog was published four years ago. Four years… so cliché, but WHERE does the time go?? So much has happened and so much has gone unchronicled in those four years. We’ll see how much comes up as I again take to the electronic keypad…

Time and again I would admit out loud how much I missed writing… writing for myself. At certain moments, I would realize just how much writing and thus, reflecting, about my own life would serve me as a therapeutic tool. I have already correlated that my inner state of contentment about my own success seemed higher when I took the time to write versus when I did not. Yet, so much time in front of the computer editing images, building and updating my company’s website, emails, etc… left me very reluctant to dedicate yet more time in front of the computer to write.

But today, a TED Talk has convinced me of something I already knew: it’s worth it. I’ve started watching Ted Talks while I’ve had to tackle long hours of tediously editing the photographs I capture. It was a smart move. My over-active brain gets to soak up 20 to 25 minute nuggets of invaluable information so many of the world’s greatest minds have to share, while I slave away editing the images. Yes… slave. I LOVE capturing images. I am so burnt out on editing them.

Biggest priority to date: Earn enough income to delegate key tasks that are a part of the operations of my business… with post-production image editing among the first tasks to delegate.

Anyway, today I listened to Conor Neill re-iterate the fact that “writing down your life” is a prime tool to one of three major keys to being successful – said key being: Adaptive Intelligence.

Interested? Listen to his presentation here:

And I hence, I have decided that it is imperative to my own success to again find the time to write.

So after what has really been a 5+ year hiatus… the silly thoughts, opinions, stories, interests and perspectives of Laura “Rico” McNamara once again go digital.

I just received this update from a couple who dedicate a large part of their lives to helping feed the famished Chortí Maya. I thought it was touching and wanted to share…

Buenas Noches from Honduras

Since my last update, we’ve been a little busy. I’ll go ahead and give you the numbers of corn and beans we have distributed over the past 3 weeks. We have delivered corn and beans to:

• 34 villages
• 1, 202 families
• 132,020 pounds of corn or 66 tons
• 26,120 pounds of beans or 13.1 tons

We can’t say thank you enough for those of you that have contributed so we could purchase food for the Chorti. Without your help there are over 1,000 families that would have nothing or very little to eat.

We had 3 folks from Seminole come and join Farrell and John the last week they were here as well as Kyle McNamara and Nick Majors from Parkwood. After the first day, you’d have thought they had known each other for a good while. They really served as a team. One of the villages we delivered food to was El Chilar. While one group was
registering the adults so they could receive food, another group was in the school sharing Bible stories with the children. The teacher told us that the children all morning had been so excited and all they talked about until we arrived was that they would have food to eat in their homes that night. The only meal they had been eating was the beans and rice that was served at the school at about 9:30 each day. They are in one of the government
feeding programs that sometimes work and other times it does not. Thank you for caring.

At another village where we delivered food, I was very humbled as I watched and elderly man pack his supply of corn and beans so he could carry them home. Each person was asked to bring 2 bags to exchange for the bags they would pick up their food in. Each person brought a bag but they would always empty their corn and beans into their bag. They always wanted their bag to take back home. As this gentleman emptied his corn into his bag about a cup or two spilled on the ground. He stooped down and gently picked up each kernel of corn as if it was a treasure and how precious each kernel was to him as he put it in his bag. My thought was how precious each one of the Chorti is to our heavenly Father and how much He wants them to come to know Him. Pray for us as we try to share God’s love through the food distribution process.

The Parkwood youth team arrived on the 22nd—all 14 of them plus 5 others that came to work with the food distribution. We went to the Baptist Church (that is the name they have given it) in Ottuta. They have asked for over a year for a portable sound system to be used in their church. They had collected a little over $300.00. Thanks to a friend, we were able to deliver to them a sound system on Sunday morning. They were speechless—which for Pastor Elias is most unusual. We had to put it together, take it apart, put it together again—just to make sure they could do it themselves. I’m sure at the Sunday night service everyone anywhere around heard the singing and preaching of God’s word. A couple weeks prior to this they had a revival from Friday to Sunday. Elias said it would have been so much better if they had had a sound system so everyone could have heard the messages. They are planning another one. This small church has started 3 different Bible studies and they are planning to start another one. They requested that we come and prayer walk the village before they start the Bible study. I assured Elias we would be glad to do that.

Figuring out transportation and delivery was quite a task for the number of folks we had working this week. Thanks to Jose for allowing us to use one of his vehicles, we were able to get food delivered and everyone out to the villages. The youth from Parkwood were wonderful. Parkwood you should be proud of the kids that came. Each morning as we shared devotions, I was amazed at how grounded this group of kids are in the scriptures. As I listened to them as they shared Bible stories with the children their love for Christ showed on their faces. At San Rafael, we had to wait until classes were over before we could share with the high school students. They patiently waited and were not going to leave until they had the opportunity to share the scriptures with the students. They played ball, jumped rope, and laughed and loved the children in each village we served. They realized that the Chorti are also made in the image of our Father and they wanted the opportunity share the love of Christ with them whether it was through a story, a hug, or a smile. All too soon it was time for them to leave.

On Friday morning after we got the youth team off to the airport, we loaded up more corn and beans and made the 1 ½ hour trip to Porvenir 1 and 2. Along the way, God’s handiwork was so visible in the lush mountains. They looked like patch work quilts— a beautiful sight—sorry the group had to miss it. After we had completed the delivery process, the leader of Porvenir 2 talked with us. He stated they want to start a Bible study and they were ready to start it now. When could we return?

I have been so amazed at the number of villages that through the food distribution have requested that we return—some just to visit, but the majority asking about having a Bible study started in their village. Please pray for guidance as we work to decide where, how and when this can be accomplished.

We look forward to having the second Parkwood youth group arrive on Monday. Continue to pray for us as we deliver food to the remainder of the villages we have received request from. Pray for this next group of young people that God will give them the attitude they need to serve Him and to share His love to the Chorti. Pray that we will have all the plans completed to deliver food and share stories from the Bible with those folks that we serve. Continue to pray for us that we will have wisdom and organization skills to complete the process of delivering and serving among the Chorti.

Steve & Audrey