Have you ever wondered what you have come into this life to EXPERIENCE?
Many of you may have been pondering this question, or now it may seem more apparent to you? Maybe there’s some cloudiness around it. I encourage you to challenge yourself to answer it as I do in the following blog. But if you find there is some confusion around the question, I would love for you to join Adora Winquist, Patsy Balacchi, and me on our tri-lead retreat in Boone, NC this October 27th-30th at Art of Living Retreat Center, where we will work together to understand what we have come here to experience in this life. 💆🏻♀️🧘🏽♂️✨ I hope you enjoy my reflection below.
Drastic life changes happened when my mother, sister, and I moved from El Salvador to our new life in Connecticut, USA. Immediately, my sister and I were going to different schools, her to middle school and me to grade school. Patsy was a preteen and starting to lose interest in hanging out or playing with me, so we didn’t spend time together at school or at home. When I look back, this was a significant shift in my life, it was the beginning of the separation from my sister. From this point on, I spent a lot of time alone.
Life in America was very different from the life I lived in El Salvador. I went from having my own house and own room to sharing an inflatable mattress with my sister and mom in the living room of my grandmother’s one-bedroom apartment. Not only that, but by the time we would wake up the mattress would always be deflated. None of this really bothered me though. I adapted very well to my new environment, and I never said otherwise to anyone.
I walked alone for four to five long blocks to the bus stop each morning in America, but each day in El Salvador I was picked up and dropped off directly in front of our house. At this time, everything felt strange to me. A foreign land with people that looked different and spoke a different language than I greeted me each day. Trying to build friendships at school when I barely knew English was also a struggle for me. I did eventually make friends, but just a couple.
Learning to entertain and play by myself became a big part of my life as a child because we didn’t have any toys or bikes. Nature was my solace, and I found new games each day when I spent time outside. After a year of living with my grandmother in Norwalk, Connecticut, we moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and the living conditions were not much better from where we started. With my mother working all the time, my solitude continued. This was the reality of my life at this time.
My EXPERIENCE as an immigrant child opened up the opportunity to cherish the feeling of LOVE.
My life as an immigrant child was not easy. I experienced loss, prejudice, racism, solitude, fear, pain, and heartache. This was my experience. Having these painful emotions allowed me to recognize the light that was on the other side of them. Because of these emotional hardships, I now fully cherish the feeling of LOVE.❤️
I love others who look different than me, who speak differently than me, and who love differently than me. I respect and love what makes us all different, and I do my best to be friendly to those who are friendless or lonely. Being alone in life is hard, and life is so much better with family and friends. I treat people with respect even if I don’t agree with them. I’m an ear when people need to be heard or a shoulder to cry on. The compassion and love I feel for others allows me to open and share my heart with strangers because I am touched by people’s stories and feel called to help them. This is who I am at my core.🥰🙏🏽
So, yes, while I came to experience a lot of negative emotions in life, on the other side of them was positivity and light, which I now appreciate so much more. Now that I can express myself and take action on my own, I accept only those experiences that come from love. 😊 Life isn’t rosy and picture perfect all the time of course–it never is. Coming here and experiencing loss, solitude, pain, and heartache has made me realize that I have come to appreciate and EXPERIENCE happiness, community, acceptance, and most of all LOVE. 😊❤️🙏🏽
Are you going through a battle with cancer?
If my reflection resonates with you and you have been impacted by cancer, I can guide through it. There are many phases to go through when you are battling cancer. You don’t have to go through them alone. Book a session with me. I’ve EXPERIENCED that as well. I persevered through my treatments. You can too.
Tell me in the comments: What have you come into this life to EXPERIENCE?
With love and gratitude ❤️🙏🏽,
Karla Perez
Coach Sweaty Girl KP
Wholistic Resilience Expert
