Author Archives: ambatopia

Diamonds! One Of The Few Things That Last Forever.

Posted on by
4

PeriwinklestarrDiamondsCollage

Hello Y’all! I hope it feels a little more like Fall in your neck of the woods? There’s so much going on in the world around us lately and I was recently asked by a Starr reader why I didn’t write more about politics and the mainstream media happenings. Well…Periwinkle Starr is by no means a bury your head in the sand – while we sing hey nonny nonny as the world falls apart around us – blog. 😦  I like to see it as a fun space to share the things I love and enjoy in everyday life! 😀 Even though the news and media happenings are important, I feel we’re already bombarded with enough already.

Diamonds as they say last forever; but our bodies? Not so much. :/ Over the last two years, I’ve slowly joined the healthy living/detox band wagon…something I would have laughed at a few years  ago; but not now. I literally inched my diet away from a huge list of unhealthy ‘must haves’ to better choices mostly due to influences from friends and colleagues. The results have been nothing short of spectacular.

Some Of My Unhealthy ‘Must Haves’!

  • Eating ice cream right before bed – so unhealthy but sooo good 🙂
  • A diet dominated by red meat
  • A diet high on salt and sugar
  • Caffeinated beverages
  • All things white flour – bread, pasta, pastries etc

Detoxes are awesome!! 😀 😀 You don’t need to be a neuroscience major to realize that you get out of your body what you put into it. Even though  a lot of ailments may be hereditary, lifestyle habits or exposure to the wrong things; I feel we can still change the course of our overall well being to some extent. There are so many detox cleanses to choose from and if (like me) you’re a little bit of a skeptic at first; you can try cutting a few things out of your diet for a few days and then go on from there. You can never go wrong on a detox regimen just as long as you stay within the limits of what is safe and healthy for you.

Benefits of a Detox

  • Less Fatigue, More Energy.
  • Better Sleep
  • Weight Loss
  • Reverse Aging
  • Total Body Cleanse
  • Clear Thinking
  • Better Productivity – If you feel better, you do better!

Aging is inevitable and surgical enhancements can only go so far. So lets plan on making our bodies function naturally for as long as it can. Feel free to share what your experiences with any detox cleanses have been. And if you haven’t tried it yet, take a leap of faith. I promise, you won’t be disappointed. Until I come your way next time, be safe and stay young and healthy!

Periwinkle Starr

 

Disclaimer: The first few days of my 2 week detox, I thought I wasn’t going to make it…and I’m serious about this. 😀 The crave for sugar was real. I saw all the things I couldn’t have E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E and I thought about food constantly… ha ha! But I made it. So can you!!

 

 

Kayaking on Lake Grapevine!!

Posted on by
5

 

Pstarr.KayakingonLakeGrapevineCollage

Hello Y’all and welcome Fall 2017! I hope you’re enjoying the cooler weather these past couple of days that it’s been so nice outdoors. I have always wanted to go kayaking but the timing has been far from perfect. This time, there were few people from my meetup group who were going and I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to finally try my hands at it.

Prior to the trip, it seemed everyone and I mean E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E had an opinion about kayaking on Lake Grapevine; Even the checkout guy at the sports store said ‘the water wasn’t clear, you couldn’t see the bottom’…Wa! Wa! Wa! In my mind I’m thinking, ‘there’s a reason why it’s called a lake :/ and if you want to see crystal clear to the bottom, you’re going to have to wait a couple more weeks for Irma to be done. 😐 A friend of mine gave me a ‘what to do if you get screwed while kayaking’ list of sorts…ha ha!. Some of the items on that list were outright hilarious. One of them was: ‘If you see something huge moving around or under your kayak, paddle faster’! 😐 To where? If I might ask – when I’m right in the middle of the lake for Pete’s sake. On a more serious note, I found those tips very useful especially if you don’t plan on being a part of the 6 o’ clock evening news. :/ I also did some research and found a couple of tips that would be useful to anyone interested in the sport.

Do’s and Don’ts of Kayaking – 101

  • Check the weather forecast.
  • Let friends and family know where you’re going, when and who you’re going with.
  • Do not drink prior – No mini martinis, wine tasting events or a ‘few’ beers before.
  • Use sunscreen.
  • Wear water shoes.
  • Have a water bottle to stay hydrated.
  • A whistle and a light along with your name and phone number taped to the inside of your kayak – necessary if you’re in a big body of water.
  • Wear a life jacket.
  • Wear polyester – wet clothing made of cotton against the skin makes your body lose heat at a faster rate.

Are You Ready to Paddle?

The weekend was finally here. The weather was beautiful, the sun was shinning but it wasn’t hot.  😀 I arrived a few minutes into and met other members of the group. Our instructor Steve Walls strikes me as an ‘all things outdoorsy’ type of guy. He was very friendly but firm on safety.  He was getting the first batch out on the water and then it was our turn. It was one of those days I wished I had a go – pro camera than risk damaging my phone in the water.

Getting into the kayak was when it dawned on me ‘What on earth have I gotten myself into’? After wobbling a few times, I got my balance and headed out with the rest of the team. I learnt certain tricks on how to maneuver the kayak against the tide and avoid running aground.

After the first 30 minutes of paddling, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to vomit or take a nap (I learnt that this is pretty normal to first timers) but since I was in the middle of the lake and I had signed up for TWO WHOLE HOURS of fun, there was no quitting now. 😀 😀 We made it back to the shore and it was awesome!! I hope you enjoy the outdoors while you still have it. Here are a few pictures of the beautiful Lake Grapevine!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Special thanks to:

Steve Walls – http://www.discoverkayak.com (Certified Instructor)

Paul and Kate Kuthe – Canoe and Kayak Magazine (info source)

 

Until I come your way next time, I remain

Periwinkle Starr

Are You A Star Trek Super Fan??

Posted on by
2

pstarrAUSTSFcollage

Hello Y’all!! Its been a minute and I am so glad to be back. Walking into work Monday morning, I have to say that whoever invented eye drops deserves a Nobel prize in my opinion. Having bloodshot eyes from trying to sleep in a crammed position on a plane for several hours non-stop is not one of my best looks. :/ And of course, I look like I spent the last 72 hours partying it up which unfortunately was the exact opposite.

Now I have been a Star Trek – Next Generation super fan for a very long time – dating back to the early to mid 1990’s. My favorite characters were: Captain Picard, Commander Data (the android), Commander Riker, the blind guy with the super cool eye wear, Lieut. Wolf (the Cling-on) and a few others. This doesn’t imply that I would be caught on any given day wearing any costumes or attending any festivals – bored to tears would be an understatement 😦 nevertheless,  I love space fiction.

Star Trek – Next Generation had a lot of structure to it which is one of the reasons I loved the show. We had the Federation – this was the universal government that owned a fleet of spaceships that explored the galaxy. The Enterprise – a space ship that was one of the spacecrafts that went on many voyages into unknown worlds. This is what the story line or premise for the series is based on. During such expeditions, one of the things I enjoyed seeing was the fact that whenever the Enterprise would encounter an unknown species or spacecraft that appeared hostile even after several attempts to hail or establish some form of communication; the Captain would give the order to have the ‘shields up’. This was a magnetic field of sorts that enveloped and protected the Enterprise from the impact of an assault thereby ensuring the safety of the Bridge (the control room) and the crew on-board.

A shield is an object that resists or protects a person or thing from outside influence and boy do I see a parallel even as it relates to real life. A shield is not influence specific meaning: It can protect you from both good and bad external influences. The question now is:

What Do You Have Your Shields Up Against?

External influence is oftentimes a barometer showing where we’re at in life. Sometimes when we strive to succeed or do the right thing is often when we get the most push back as opposed to laying down, being silent or playing dead… literally. The ideal is to put our shield down for those things that are healthy and positive; those things that stretch us to be and do better in our lives as a whole. We should have our shields up against unhealthy, toxic or negative things that attempt to put us down or scare us back into the shadows of conformity and complacency.

We can choose to live out our lives in an assembly line like existence – but only if we want to. A life where we toe the line – like everyone else. We live like everyone else and sad to say ‘die like everyone else.’ One thing we all have to realize (according to a colleague of mine) is: None of us is getting out of here (Planet Earth) alive so we need to make the best use of life while we still have it. 😐 😀

Everyone and I mean E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E gets beat down by experiences in life and sometimes so much so that some  of us no longer feel the need to get back up or feel we have any fight left in us. I am fortunate to have older friends, some who talk about themselves in past tense as if their time was up even though they are still living. All their dreams are stored up in nice little boxes they keep along with other items of when they really dared to live – and dared to try; whether it was a business, a hobby or an attempt at something they had a passion for.

But, I have made up my mind to grow into one of those old people you come across every now and then who still have the sparkle in their eyes and are excited about new adventures and new ways of thinking and are still not afraid to get their hands dirty trying out something new.  So feel free to share with me in what areas  you have your shields up against and in what areas you need to let in more positivity? It feels awesome to be back guys. Thank you for the emails and comments 😀 Until I come your way again next time, I remain

Periwinkle Starr

Let’s Dip Those Down Days In Chocolate!

Posted on by
8

LetsDipThoseDownDaysInChocolate-PStarr

Hey Y’all! I hope the month of August has been off to an amazing start for you. The burn is almost over in North Texas which is worth celebrating…ha ha! Today, I want to talk about something that affects us all – even the best of us and unless you’re a direct descendant of Tony Robbins; you are not immune to the feelings that govern the rest of mankind.

Sometimes, life throws curve balls at the same time and in quick succession that we sometimes can’t seem to catch a break. We tend to store up the emotions associated with those events and keep it moving. We oftentimes never have the time to go back and really experience those events and we forget that our bodies deal with so much on a daily basis already; coupled with all the fun things we experience by just being adults .

There’s no denying that there are somethings that happened early on in our lives that some of us haven’t gotten over – things we had no control over, loss of loved ones or friends, failed relationships, being misunderstood or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As time goes by, those events remain well hidden under layers and layers of walls. It’s no wonder meltdowns are considered the norm these days; more than they have ever been because we keep layering and layering occurrences until the breakdown happens. The end result: premature ageing, ulcers, weight gain, high blood pressure and more.

Money, success, sophistication coupled with all the serums in the world will not heal a wounded soul. Facing things one baby step at a time… eventually will. 🙂 At some point, we have to get tired of wearing that same raggedy mask – year in year out – and start dealing with the real underlying root cause so we can truly live our lives from the inside out and not vice versa.

Down Days …Be Gone!

On those days I feel somewhat down, scheduling a quiet moment to think about what I’m feeling and why is a step in the right direction. A tissue box, my favorite facial mask and some nail polish while I’m at it  work wonders – ALWAYS. There’s nothing wrong with killing a couple of birds with one stone 😀 . But take time to actually relive the experience, soak it in, acknowledge it and …be done with it. Journaling or video vlogging – where you actually articulate what you felt then and now and how you intend to grow from it going forward – are great outlets. Call a family member or persons connected to that event and let them know how you really felt and if they’ve passed; talk to someone trustworthy. The end goal is to just let it out and find a way to let it go.

When you’re done, take a nap. Go for a run. Swim. Trust me, the sun will shine brighter when you get up. You will feel lighter and you’ll have more room for positivity in your life because you’ve let go of baggage you’ve held unto and logged around for years. And always reward yourself afterwards. An easy reach is one of my favorites – Ben and Jerry’s ‘Everything But The’…chocolate ice cream. Trust me, it does wonders for the bravest of souls. 😀 😀 Until next time, like, share and follow for more from…

 

Periwinkle Starr

 

Summer Games!…Are You Winning?

Posted on by
12

Summer!RUWinningPStarr

Hello Y’all! I hope you’re doing amazingly well and the heat feels just as wonderful as it looks :/ If you’re in my neck of the woods, you’d know that its office volleyball season  – where co-workers get to bond outside the four walls of the office and team build – that’s putting it nicely but we do get a chance to be out in the sun, socialize, make utter fools of ourselves and have a fun time doing it 😀

I happened to be drafted into our office league after many failed attempts to convince our Supreme Leader aka Team Captain that I was better off cheering on the side than actually playing; but for some reason, he had more faith in my athletic abilities than my actual track record in ANY kind of sports. So game day arrived. Our team had been on a winning streak the past week. Our morale was high. We were pumped and scheduled to play against ‘Shots n Sets n Bulls**t’…Now I’m thinking to myself, who on earth gives their team that sort of name anyway but at this point no one cared.

Game On!!

The games begin. We had four solid players on our team; the rest of us were just bodies. I also realized much later that the goal was to actually hit the ball instead of running from it…ha ha. In the end, we got beat by ‘Shots n Sets n Bulls**t’ 2 to 1. The game was over. We  would do better next time…I meant ‘they’ 😀

But whenever I hear the word ‘Winning!’, my mind always goes to Charlie Sheen and his epic meltdown a couple of years ago. He was on rampage acting like he was doing great on the outside when his world was falling apart on the inside. How often do we come across people who appear to have it all together so much so that we’re tempted to question if we’re trying hard enough or aiming high enough in our own lives. Its almost like trying to ‘Keep Up with the Kardashians’; although beautiful in pictures they have lives that are so tumultuous a normal human being would question their sanity on a daily basis.

But in my opinion, winning in life doesn’t necessarily mean you have ALL your ducks in a row or you’ve arrived and all your dreams have or are coming true. Winning in life means you’re taking steps (whether big or small) in the right direction (however that applies to you) to meet an expected end goal with a time frame in mind. The questions we must then ask ourselves is: Are you winning in life or are you giving people the impression that you are when you’re really not doing so good? And if you’ve lost sight by living from the outside inwards instead of from the inside out; how can you get back to ‘really’ winning in every area of your life?

Looking forward to winning the next game and maybe a little more practice will help. But until I come your way again, I hope y’all have a cool and fabulous weekend!!

 

Periwinkle Starr

 

 

That Happy Place!

Posted on by
6

Thathappyplace.PerriwinkleStarr

Happy New Month Y’all! I hope you’re enjoying the long weekend and gearing up for fireworks and the 4th of July fun fare? This week, I will be writing about what i’d like to call “That Happy Place” so stay with me.

I find that we all have a point, a goal, an achievement that once attained we will get to a place of bliss. This ‘set place’ means different things to different people. For some, its getting a certain position or having a net worth of certain figures. It could be having a family, buying a home or owning a business or a string of businesses. The list is endless. But as ideal as these achievements are, once attained we may soak in it for a while but eventually an unrest that comes from within sets in and we need another conquest, another thing to aspire to in order to get back to ‘That happy Place’. The mirage of this ideal is the fact that the post keeps shifting and if we aren’t careful, we might go through life not having being present or sitting still long enough to be in the moment and just be plain old happy 😀 😀

My Definition of That Happy Place

Moments in life where you are at peace in the core of your being in spite of whatever’s happening in your world. You acknowledge that life is not and will never be perfect but as long as you’re breathing, you’ll keep doing the best you can. You are kind to your soul. You’re here now and will enjoy every moment. Tomorrow is another day!

A couple of days ago, I set out at lunch time without the gang to check out a coffee shop I had spotted a few days prior. It was a nice walk. The interior had a window wall system directly facing the DART with chairs lined up to enjoy the view. It took me a few minutes to take in the scene around me: the skyscrapers, people walking, the DART,…everything. As I sat there, it suddenly occurred to me that I was in a ‘Happy Place’. Looking back on my journey and how far I had come, the people in my life, the places I had been – the good, the bad and not so pretty – summed into this moment and I was….CONTENT.  It took me sitting at a coffee shop on a rather quiet day enjoying the view of the outside world around me to realize it… 😀 😀

I believe that a happy place should be points where in spite of what life throws your way, you are accepting of who you are and at peace with yourself as a human being and confident that whatever the future brings, you’re planting your feet in the sand –  and you’re ready to take it on.

Until I come your way again, I remain

Periwinkle Starr

 

For The Love of …Pets.

Posted on by
4

Forthe loveofpets-Periwinkle Starr

Hello Y’all! I can’t believe its the middle of June already :/ My mind goes back to scary movie 3 (I think it was) where the guy is screaming ‘Nooo!!, with both hands in the air while he’s left behind with that weird dude with yucky fingers and I can’t stop laughing because that’s exactly how I feel about this year running by too fast.

Thank you for all the comments and personal messages on the last post. They meant a lot and I may do a part two on that topic in the near future but this time, my focus might be on progress we’ve made so far – in training ourselves to run in the right direction in all areas of our lives! 😀

Over the last couple of years, we as designers have seen an increase in the need for pet friendly housing projects here in North Texas. The demand has gone up 26 percent especially among the millennial generation. Its so high that our multi-family housing clients require us to have dog parks, wash and groom stations as a vital part of our marketing package which wasn’t the case just a few years ago. In my mind, this is such a positive change that speaks volumes to how we as people have evolved.

But I find that the term ‘pet’ means different things to different people 🙂 What comes to mind when you think of a pet would be a dog, cat, maybe a cute pig, birds, rocks or pebbles (I was perturbed when i heard about having rocks and pebbles as pets but its true). For others, they might go the exotic route by owning a pet that can eat them up just because they forgot to latch a cage door OR the ‘wild animal’ just happened to break free after studiously watching them lock and unlock that cage door a zillion times…ha ha.

I was having lunch with friends a few days back, the conversation turned to pets. Everyone had stories to tell of the good, the bad and the oh so frustrating experiences of past and presently owned pets coupled with the effort plus the responsibility needed to keep them healthy and active as long as we could. There was no denying the fact that the benefits far outweigh the discomfort. Its said that pet owners are happier, they appear to be more active and to an extent less stressed than the rest of the populace 😀 😀 which I think is true. I’m by no means implying that this is the green light to visit the pound and grab the first thing that barks at you just because you can but knowing that animals possess personality traits unique to their breed.  If you happen to work long hours and are out on the weekends or gone for days on end; shoving bowls of food and water at an animal that wants to play, be talked to, cuddled or taken for rides is not going to cut it. You may need to start off with a rock or a bird.

Caring for an animal is such a beautiful thing and you do know that life is so much more  colorful with a pet in it than without. 😀 I hope you have a fabulous week ahead and feel free to share your most hilariously funny pet tales. Until I come your way again, I remain

 

Periwinkle Starr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are You A Runner?

Posted on by
9

AreYouARunner-PeriwinkleStarr

Hello Y’all! Its been a minute 😀 and I hope your week has been ‘Aah-mazing’ so far. If you’re in the States, you know you’ve hit the jackpot when you get to stay home on a Monday and pretend like you’ll sit still and do absolutely nothing…which probably never happens anyways… :/ ha ha.

Over the weekend, I was driving home from the gym. The heat is slowly beginning to creep in and its taking a bit longer to cool the car in between errands which is a mild irritant….but hey! its Texas right :/  So I get to a traffic stop and as i’m waiting on the green light, I see this couple running. I look at my dashboard and its 95 degrees  outside and I’m wondering why on earth anyone would do that to themselves in this heat and my mind flashed back to high school.

Growing up, I went to boarding school…and yes we wore uniforms (the whole nine yards). A lot of people liken it to an upscale lifestyle…but truth be told; I honestly didn’t like it and as much as it did ‘straighten me out’ according to my Mum, I have quite a few pet peeves as a result of my time spent there. I remember we had schedules for E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G and it was like boot camp – clock work – day in – day out – year in -year out. 😦 :/ There were days where we were awakened  early in the morning to go running by this annoying bell that sounded like 10 million angry elephants auditioning for the Dallas symphony orchestra at the same time. :/ And I, being the rebel I was back then remember skipping out, jogging over to my big sisters dorm room, climbing into her bunk bed and catching a few more hours of sleep while all the ‘great athletes’ ran their hearts out…’And for what’? my teenage mind would ask. In my mind, a lady was supposed to look like a lady…not the buffed up ‘manly girls’ with deep throaty voices and hairy legs that the matrons were in some way trying to transform them into…Not me sweetie, that ship had left the dock even if it couldn’t sail just yet. 😀 😀

But I do find that in life, we are all runners. Whether you’re running from something or you’re running to something. And for every individual, it all boils down to your state of mind. Scientist say, the human mind is the most powerful thing you could ever come across; but just like any smart machine, it has to be trained, re-set and reprogrammed ever so often in order to function at it’s ultimate best. I like to think that the mind is likened to a computer running programs in the background while you work – in other words, your life as a whole is a product of your mindset… more than anything else.

As you go into this amazing new month of June,  I encourage you (myself included) to take some time to re-evaluate, ponder, breathe and reset your mind so you can be up and running in the right direction – whatever that means in your personal life. I invite you to share your thoughts in the comment section but better still become an amazing Starr reader by following this blog. Until I come your way sooner 😀 I remain

Periwinkle Starr

Its Downhill From Here!

Posted on by
Reply

Happy Hump Day - Periwinkle Starr

Happy- Hump- Day Y’all! I hope your week has been great so far. Its been so much going on but also so busy lately and at this point I wish it was Friday already 😀 We do have Memorial Day coming up so its going to be snooze central in Far North Dallas ha ha! Anyways, I hope the weather is great in your part of the world; a quick shout out to all the Starr readers in Europe, Asia, Africa and the US!!! I am humbled – so much so – that I have to pinch myself each time I look up the Stats and see the different countries representing readers from all over the globe. Just a couple of months back, these posts would have been snippets in my journal or conversations I have with friends or just  thoughts and memories in my head.

Thank you for reading my scribbles, allowing me share my thoughts and my humor, my views, opinions and snippets from my life. There’s so much to come and I intend to ‘blog on the go’ and try to post as often as I can.

If you haven’t already signed up, please do so by clicking the follow icon on the right hand side of your screen to subscribe .

My heart goes out to the victims of the Manchester Attack and their families. May their souls rest in peace 😦 😦

Until I come your way next time, I remain

Periwinkle Starr

 

 

 

 

Resilience: A Resolve. Not Defined By Strength

Posted on by
Reply

CincoDeMayoPS-Collage

Hey Y’all! I hope your week went really well…and if it did not, at least you made it to Friday and hopefully you can get some time off to rest, re-evaluate and do better next week. I will be talking about something I love to do but don’t get a chance to do so as often as I would like because its so expensive and very time consuming.

Travelling!!

I find flying pretty interesting because not only do I get good views sitting by the window (a must have) but also the fact that you’re literally trapped sitting next to a complete stranger for the duration of the flight.  😀 In my mind, it can only go two ways and I’m going to explain in a minute what I mean. There are basically two kinds of people you sit next to on any given trip and I’m going to breakdown their categories based on my own travel experiences which have been quite a few over the years. There have been trips where I have exhibited traits from both categories, so its nothing to castigate yourself over if you are guilty of either or all..ha ha!

The Sunny Side Up People:  A smile comes easy to these individuals. They’re eager to indulge in a little chit chat. I like to call it ‘testing the waters’, and if you’re receptive enough, it could be an interesting conversation, shared travel experiences, family photo swaps and nice places to check out – that is if you are intrigued by strangers; or it could be a barrage of non stop chatter if you just want to nap or finish that chapter you’ve been putting off for over 2 months.

The Occupied/Preoccupied/Work Centric People: These individuals are curt and they may not always mean to come across as rude, stoic, aloof or snobbish but they might have so much going on ‘head space wise’ that this might be the only quiet moment they’ve had to themselves in a while.

One Particular Trip

I was heading out to visit my family. I had just boarded and had settled in. The weather was nice so the probability of turbulence was next to nil. I was finally going to finish reading the last few chapters of my book! Things were looking good. 😀 Not long as more people came on-board, I see a woman walk right up to my row with a little boy (who I got to know was 7 years old and heading out to visit his cousins for a couple of days) and after exchanging a few pleasantries while stowing their bags away, they settled in. We took off and had stopped climbing (phew) and so I decided to pick up my Kindle and start reading. I can almost swear 2 mins hadn’t gone by when i heard the question ‘whata ya reading’? I turn to look into two intense brown eyes trying to peer into the screen of my device. I smiled, put it down and tried to explain the story-line in a summarized version that a 7 year old could understand. After I was done, he seemed to give it a thought for a few seconds then he nodded his head and was quiet so I went back to reading.

I kid you not 3 mins don’t go by and the next thing I hear is ‘why are ya reading’? I look up and at his Mum who gives me an apologetic ‘my son is curious about you and you don’t have a snowballs chance in hell until he gets all his questions answered’ look. So I smile (a happy but strained smile) and I tell him ‘I like to read when I’m not working’. Guess what the next question I was asked was…you got it! ‘What do you do’? At this point, I turned off my device and put it in my bag (I had resigned to fate that those few chapters would have to wait for the return trip :D) and I again do my best to break it down in the easiest way for him to understand. His eyes light up as he very proudly told me how he loved to draw and got his Mum to bring out his coloring book from his backpack in the overhead storage to show me some of his drawings and colors.

I don’t exactly remember how we transitioned to me drawing pictures of every and anything he could think of but that’s what ended up happening 😀 I drew everything from bicycles, planes, sunsets, to comic heroes I didn’t  even know existed (that’s how you know you’re getting old 😀 ). It turned out to be so much fun we were getting interesting looks and smiles from a few of the passengers sitting close enough to hear our conversation. By the time the trip was over, I was very happy to hear him say ‘Aah-Ki-Tects were kinda cool’ and he would want to be one some day. I had just won a new convert…ha ha!

Bottom Line: Some doors in life will only open not because you will them to but because you don’t give up knocking. Happy Cinco De Mayo guys!! Until I come your way again, I remain

Periwinkle Starr