Casa Unita

Sometimes I forget what guides me. Some days it’s my ego. Some days it’s fear. Some days it’s courage. Today I was reminded of what guides others who are truly happy in life, something that I often forget when I feel lost. People who have it are never poor, and the most wealthy who don’t have it are the most lost.

Today I feel inspired by the light I saw in the eyes of the beautiful people I encountered today. It made me want to cry, the love that was in the room.

I immediately felt the love when I entered into the building and the director shook my hand, followed by his co-workers. I was late and it was rude, but that didn’t seem to faze them. I went to the back of the room where I greeted my colleagues, embarrassed and apologetic by my tardiness. I asked what was going on and they had no clue. My acquaintance, Amy, asked if I wanted coffee so I went to the table where a nice man started assisting me in preparing my cup by adding the cream.

The meeting began and we all sat in a group therapy type circle. We were asked to introduce ourselves –we gave a brief introduction, our name and the branch we were interning at. Then the director explained to us the program in English first and then translated it into Spanish. He had nice things to say about each member of the clubhouse and then the members had an opportunity to speak. Listening to each one of them speak, I felt that they truly felt valued, loved and appreciated there. The staff was amazing! They, in turn, respected each member and you could feel how genuine the relationships were. When one of the members asked what our initial impression was, I went first in stating how I had only been there for less than an hour, but I could feel the love in the room as well as the fact that I knew something special was going on here. Casa Unita is very special. The love is there, no question in my mind. The director could’ve been a character out of a Pablo Coelho book. He emanated love, knowledge and wisdom.

Visiting the downstairs basement I remember looking at the sewing class schedule and all the great skills that the members were learning by being a part of the clubhouse. I saw the beauty in the paintings on the wall.

The tour of the facility was followed by lunch. I was somewhat embarrassed by the fact that all the interns were sharing one table. I would’ve rather had each one of us take a separate table to mingle with the members of the clubhouse. I wonder if they felt the beauty in the place the same way I did. I could’ve asked, but instead we spoke about the same mundane topics –school, classes, the track we were following and all that surface stuff. I’m no different. It only takes one person to steer the conversation into or at least attempt to talk about something real. I miss talking about what’s underneath, but I guess I allowed myself to fall victim to being an android as well. Sometimes talking about what’s underneath is too much for people to talk about, including myself.

I’m a perfect example of compromising integrity at times in order to keep the waves from rocking the boat. The question is do I want to swim in a shallow pool where the currents can be controlled for, or swim in the ocean and feel the currents of what brings people closer to truth and themselves. I would rather be in an ocean where I ride the currents as they come, and wait out the storm if it should arise, than live a life that can only go as deep as a swimming pool. A calmness and exquisite beauty always accompanies a storm. In order to experience this beauty, however, I need to set sail rather than look out at the ocean from the shore knowing what it encompasses but never understanding it. I know there have been times in my life where I have done this, but I end up being washed back on shore out of fear of going to far.

My visit to Casa Unita reminded me of what’s most important in life. I need to just forget about the degree, forget about yesterday and tomorrow and focus on each day, each moment that I have with others. The only thing I’m certain of is this moment, so I need to make it count. I do believe in tomorrow, but the quality of tomorrow is dependent on the quality of today. Quality is determined by how much I choose to love myself and others.