Only Two Things

I'm going through a phase where I urge to meet and discuss life matters with the widest variety of individuals. I'm sure that is because of the environment I'm presently immersed in. You honestly must run into every ethnicity and background you can possibly imagine in this city. It's like a constant foreign experience at your door... it's foreign culture 1 on 1 home delivered! I plan to start studying two new languages... just like when I'm picking up a books in a store I can never just pick one... the same I experience when I want to learn a new skill. I usually have to pick at the very least two. Why? Because otherwise I feel like I'm not using my time and resources in a productive way. So, I decided I want to learn Russian and Arabic. I suppose that if you go for the challenge, you might as well pick the hardest one to really test yourself. Maybe it's part of my mid-life crisis where I refuse to accept that I'm getting older... and I want to prove to myself that my brain can assimilate as much as it did when I studied other languages one too many years ago.

During my sporadic extroverted attacks, I told my new friend from Algeria my desire of learning Arabic. I now officially have a personal trainer!! She is determined to teach me! She calls me everyday after work and forces me to meet her for my Arabic lesson! She is amazing! In exchange I'm teaching her English. Think about it! She barely speaks English and I speak NO Arabic! It is quite the comedy scene. But believe it or not we are both learning. She loves introducing me to all of her friends. Our background is a million years apart! Yet, we have a great connection. I love the fact that she is so honest and she can't hide her emotions. Today I told her that I wouldn't be able to see her tomorrow because I have a business dinner to attend and she couldn't hide her disappointment! She said "But I bring my book for you! I wait for you! And you don't come?"... I felt like I was breaking up with a boyfriend! But it was really endearing.

After our "class" we met with a friend of hers. He must be one of the wisest, deep and worldly persons I have ever met. I wanted to remember every sentence he said. I wish I had a recorder! He works in fashion trading. He travels a lot. He had stories about Brazil, India, USA, anywhere. And he really enlightened me when he said something so simple but so true. Something we all know... but often forget. "Only two things happen for sure in life: your birth and your death" and he added "in between is up to you to make the best out of it". He was telling me how he lives with no regrets, he loves the job he has chosen, he loves to travel and whether is for business or pleasure he will manage to see the whole world before he dies. He said that he knows he die happy because he is doing accomplishing all of his goals in life. He went on how people get stuck on a single problem and avoid "to look through a clean glass instead they look through a dirty glass". He mentioned so many more great thoughts he learned on his travels. Oddly it wasn't anything really knew, it was more how he passionately worded everything, how he believed it, and how he made it work. It goes back to the law of attraction. If you really want something, you set your goals, you find solutions to problems, and you successfully live your dreams. I was very inspired. I always am when I meat one person after another as a chain and learn something from every single one of them.