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Find Your Smile: BE OPEN


#SoManyReasonsToSmile2020
“An open heart is an open-mind." - Dalai Lama

I woke up just a few weeks ago, picked up my phone as I always do, and began scrolling through my social media (Yes, I know, this is a TERRIBLE morning routine!). Something was different that morning though. I kept coming across black squares. Initially, I thought “Hmmm...why aren’t things loading?” But, shortly after, I noticed the captions ‘#blackouttuesday’, ‘#BlackLivesMatter’ and '#BLM'. Later, I turned on the news (which I often avoid) to try to catch up on what was going on. As I watched clips of protests as well as the brutal killing of a black man, suddenly, I began feeling...well...an assortment of emotions.

In the few days that followed, I was glued to my TV and my phone trying to keep up with what was happening in the United States and around the world. I’ll completely admit that I wasn’t (and still am not) fully aware of the history of black people in America as well as the intricacies of racism. I have had so many questions and concerns lately that have led me to reflect and to educate myself further. The more information I have come across though, the more my head has spun. I have had so many thoughts on what has been going on, but I have struggled a bit to make sense of it all. 

Humanitarian trips (Dominican Republic and Peru)

Humanitarian trips (Dominican Republic and Peru)

 Throughout my life thus far, I have had the opportunity to go to a multicultural high school, to meet all kinds of people travelling and living abroad, to work alongside educators and coaches from different cultures, to teach children from various backgrounds and to hang out with a diverse group of friends. Through my encounters with all types of individuals, I have learned some really great things, such as how to dance many different styles, how to cook diverse dishes and how to speak several languages, but most importantly I’ve learned some very valuable lessons on opening my heart and my mind, by listening, learning and loving. 

Volunteering (Salvador, Brazil)

Listen
“Do not listen with the intent to reply, but with the intent to understand.”

Every single person’s journey through life becomes their own story, their own personal narrative. Everyone’s story is based on their own experiences and is told from their own perspective. What we often forget is that every story has several perspectives depending on the other ‘supporting characters’ that have been a part of that story at any given time. The more we listen to various peoples stories, the more perspectives we’ll gain and the more we’ll learn. Also, we’ll always be in a better position to make opinions after hearing various perspectives. We may never fully understand, in fact we will definitely never fully understand, what others have experienced, but if we truly listen, we’ll most definitely gain something; more information, another perspective, a more empathetic view, a sense of compassion...

Football (soccer) community (Dubai, UAE)

Learn
“There’s no limit to what you can learn with an open-mind.”

Most of the learning we do early on tends to happen at home and at school. But, as we grow older, it becomes our responsibility to branch out so that we can continue to learn. Everyone can learn, at any given time, through living experiences, reading books, magazines, articles, listening to podcasts, listening to the radio, watching the news, watching documentaries, scrolling through social media...and of course, listening to others. Keeping an open-mind is crucial to valuable learning; it’s truly the best way to assure growth within ourselves and to evolve within a diverse community.

CrossFit community (HCMC, Vietnam)

Love
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” - Nelson Mandela

Love has many shades and nuances, but at its roots we could consider it to be the act of accepting someone for who they are and caring for their happiness. Every person may love and receive love differently; through words and, or actions. Love can simply be understanding, accepting, valuing, appreciating, trusting, respecting, forgiving, embracing, supporting and comforting. Love, just like hate, is taught from the day we’re born and it will mostly be influenced by our upbringing and our environment. Interacting with various types of people will likely enable us to learn to open our hearts to others in spite of our differences. 

Zumba community (Southern Ontario, Canada)

Every so often, we face some sensitive, complicated and controversial issues and topics of conversation - race, social justice, politics, religion, sexual orientation, money, relationships, health, war, abuse, sex trafficking, slavery, child labor… Many times, our personal opinions on these topics will differ from the opinions of others. It’s very important to remember that we see things a certain way because of our individual journeys, from childhood to adulthood. Sharing our experiences and our opinions with one another can be challenging and uncomfortable, but it can also be so incredibly enriching if we are open to it. 

Some of my 'old' students (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)

“It is not our differences that divide us. 

It is our inability to recognize and celebrate those differences.”

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