Our thinking creates our reality---how I fell in love with Chicago, again.

I was in the Chicago area sometime in June of this year, I decided that I wouldn't go back. Too many painful memories.

Saturday, August 15th was my birthday. I made up my mind to go back and celebrate it. But this time was different, I went back with a different mind set, a had a set of concrete plans. I had an assignment given to me by my spiritual partner and mentor. She said: I want you to go and come back with five new positive experiences or rediscovering old ones.

This is what experienced: I saw a friend from NC playing with his old band in Chicago, that was different. I had my son and his best friend with me. We had a great time and drank lots of beer, what am I saying, I don't even like beer.

I watched the water and air show from my nephew's yacht parked right on from of the magnificent Chicago skyline. We reconnected with old friends, way back then, when I first arrived in Chicago. I met new ones. Terry and Don, were gracious to share their lives with me and we discovered that we are like-minded individuals believing in the power of our minds and how to use it.

I went back to the Planetarium and Shedd aquarium, nothing new, except that I saw them with a new sense of gratitude, being there, talking to a great friend (cel phone) and watching the skyline from a different angle was overwhelming.

While I was at the Planetarium I met a young man (Chris) who shared with me in a brief moment his sadness about his father and a desire to grow spiritually and change his environment. All that happened in a brief moment, because when the student is ready the teacher will appear.

There were others along the path who impacted my life: There was Chris--the thirteen year old boy, who speaks with the maturity of a thirty year old man. We spent two hours in the plane to Chicago talking about life, his vision and the tenacity to make it happen. Thank you Chris.

There was Ralphie: The young entrepreneur who I met while waiting for his business to open to have my son's car detailed. We talked about life, how to turn around our lives by changing the way we think. He has a great future ahead of him.

On my way back, I met a bright, friendly young female executive who provided us with the opportunity to share our thoughts, dreams and the rare experience of sharing our lives with a total stranger, thank you Lisa.

I can say that my trip was magical, people showed up from nowhere to connect with me, the parking lot spaces were there when I needed them. My partner laughs at me when I say that, she forgets that when she is driving on the highway, she has a bodyguard of cars, making sure that her space is open and safe. The interesting fact about my going back to Chicago was that it was the same Chicago, what was different is the way I chose to see it, beautiful, vibrant, friendly people willing to interact with me and share their stories and their visions for the future.

Let me finish this rambling with a story I heard some time ago. "A stranger from a big city arrived at a small town and decided to talk to two old timers sitting in the front porch of the general store. He asked: Hey, old timer, are people friendly in this town? The old gentleman took a puff from his pipe and slowly answered him: The people from where you come from, are they friendly? The stranger, replied: NO, they are nasty and not friendly at all. The old timer said: Well, in that case I suggest that you go to the next town, because you are going to find out that the people here are the same as the ones you left behind."

How do you "see" the world? Is it friendly? Or do you see it as your enemy?