Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

Life's too short to play it safe

One Gutsy thing I did in Belize

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Only seven women signed up for the zip-lining and cave-tubing tour in Belize, and they were half my age. With a life-long fear of heights, I forced myself to be Gutsy, and play Tarzan for a day.

Our adventure started the minute we boarded a retired American school bus and bounced all the way to Jaguar Paw Jungle Reserve, a tribal style resort located on 215 acres of jungle reserve in the heart of Belize. The Caves Branch River meandered through the jungle with several miles of underground caves where the Mayans once lived and worshiped.

Two young Belizean men led us on a steep path to our starting point in the heart of the jungle’s lush, tropical canopy. After a brief lecture on the equipment we’d be using, I told Louis I was scared of heights. “You’ll be safe,” he said. “We have two steel cables on each of the eight rides so you’re doubly protected.” We each wore a metal helmet which I assumed was to protect our head in case we crashed into a tree trunk.

Oscar, Sonia and Louis at Jaguar Paw, Belize

I started working out when these young girls were still in diapers, and my years of weight training finally paid off. My arms lifted me with ease, and Louis snapped my belt to the cable. We each stepped into a harness which Louis tightened firmly against our waist and hips. He then fastened the harness clasps to the steel cables and a safety leash secured us to a massive tree trunk at each of the eight landing stations. We looked like seven monkeys tied to a tree trunk, forty feet up in the jungle canopy.

Our first platform was knee-shaking high. “So who’s ready to go first?” Louis asked.

A short skinny girl raised her hand. “I will.”

Louis gave a brief lecture, then instructed the girl to put on her heavy-duty industrial type gloves.

“Put your left hand around all the ropes. Your right hand slides behind you on the bottom cable. The right glove is reinforced with a thick leather pad, so you don’t rub a hole through it and end up with a bloody hand. Use your right hand for braking. If you need to break, you’ll pull down on the cable with that hand.”

“How do we know if we need to break?” I asked.

“We’ll make this type of motion,” he said, waving his hand up and down.

I hoped we were done with all the instructions as I started getting confused.

“Are you ready? Let’s get started,” Louis said.

Oscar, the other guide, demonstrated our first ride to the second platform, about ninety feet away. He made it look fun and easy.

Our first volunteer started her Tarzanna trip, screaming, as she zipped along, though not as smoothly as Oscar had demonstrated.

I decided to be fourth in line—my favorite number for good luck. I concentrated so hard on technique, that before I knew it, I’d reached the other side. What happened? This was really no big deal. My fear of heights didn’t even enter into the equation as I focused so hard on the task. Thankfully, I’d forgotten to look down. Everyone except poor Tracy, became experts at inter-tree air-borne travel.

Sonia flying through the trees like Tarzan

The grand finale was getting down from the last platform. No we didn’t have the luxury of a staircase or a ladder, we had to repel. We were instructed to squat, grab the rope on the edge of the platform, hang over and control our descent with a hand lever. A slight pull could send you flying, so the exact contraction on the rope was critical.

All of us struggled with the repelling, but I reminded myself not to look down and that helped. Once again poor Tracy was last. It took Oscar a good ten minutes to prep her. She accidentally released the lever too quickly, which sent her flying at top speed. Her terror stricken shriek ended when Oscar controlled the security lever from above and succeeded in aborting her free fall a third of the way down.

“I can’t believe how much I enjoyed this,” I said to Louis, all proud of my accomplishment. One by one we waited for our security gear to be taken off and headed to the Jaguar Paw Lodge, where we met the less brave who spent the day at the zoo.

After a typical Belizean lunch of chicken, rice and beans, our group of seven women hiked towards the underground river and caves, each one carrying an inner-tube into the jungle. Now we were ready to see some Mayan artifacts.

 What one Gutsy thing have you done that you remember?

*****

 Remember to come back and vote on January 1st-11th for your favorite December “My Gutsy Story” 

 

REMEMBER TO VOTE on January 1-11 for your favorite December "My Gutsy Story."

How can I change? Call the expert on 9/22/11.

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  • Are you sabotaging your own dreams?
  • Do you try a diet and exercise program and then give up?
  • Do you compare yourself to others and then give up?
  • Do you blame external events on why you’re not getting results?

On Thursday September 22nd, at 4 pm PST, you get the chance to call expert Robert Macphee.  He shall answer your questions related to, “How to get out of your comfort zone and get the change you want.”

Please call in with your questions:

When: Thursday September 22nd, 4 pm PST.

Dial In number:  (712) 432-0404
Participant Code  702847#

Robert MacPhee is the author of the great little book:  Manifesting for Non-Gurus: How to Quickly & Easily Attract Lasting Results.

Who is Robert MacPhee?

  • Robert MacPhee is the Former Director of Training (4+ years) for Jack Canfield (Jack is the Co-Creator of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series and the author of the bestselling book “The Success Principles”…)
  • Founder and President of Heart Set, Inc.  A company dedicated to increasing awareness and helping people understand change, get out of their own way, and get more of the lasting results they really want.
  • You can read more about Robert MacPhee on this post: Do you need help? Ask expert Robert MacPhee

 Downtown San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. We uprooted our family in 2004-2005 and moved to Belize.

Just like my husband and I longed for adventure and change, so did Tina and her husband John. They wanted something new and exciting in their life, so they sold their home in Arizona, and rented a house in Panama. After a short while, John found work as a contractor, and was soon able to open his own business.

  • What gave Tina and John the courage to uproot and pursue their dream?

Things were very different on the island where they lived; getting supplies shipped in, learning how to work with locals, trusting people, and so many other issues that go with island-style life in Central America.

  • How did they overcome their fears of making a living in a foreign country?

After a few years, John got cancer. He was treated locally, however, it was terminal cancer and after he passed, Tina had to figure out what to do?

  • How did Tina handle her husband’s cancer treatment in Central America?

After a year, Tina decided to return to live with her father in Colorado. She was not making enough money to support herself in Panama, and needed help.

It’s been three years now and Tina is lost. Her 85-year-old father wants her to move out and find a job. Tina called me in tears. She’s scared and has no idea where she wants to live, what kind of job she can do, and all she wants is a person to take care of her.

  • How can Tina get the courage to change her life and get out of her “comfort zone” in the safety of her dad’s house?

What makes a person do something bold? Is there a secret to getting “unstuck”?

Get all your questions answered by author Robert MacPhee, an expert on how to quickly and easily attract lasting results.

When: Thursday September 22nd, 4 pm PST.

Dial In number:  (712) 432-0404
Participant Code  702847#

If you cannot call in, please contact me on the contact form on my website to ask your question, or leave a comment with your specific question and I’ll ask Robert to answer it for you.

Any questions?

 

 

The Satisfaction of Enough

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[Photo credits: guitars: fotobicchio and shoes: Orin Zebest]

“That’s so cool. That’s awesome!” an irritating squeaky voice kept repeating. She looked no more than six, her cell phone glued to her ear.

I stood behind her, waiting my turn in the “15 items or less” check-out line, still on a high from all the choices of breads, cereals and vegetables at my local grocery store. My family and I had just returned from our year on Ambergris Caye, an island with only 11,000 people in the Caribbean. We were lucky when Superbuy carried fresh milk, and in heaven when we found ice cream. Our choice of bread was white, or white with brown food coloring. Writing a shopping list became pointless. In Belize, the store ruled, and the customer learned to appreciate what they offered.

Back in California, I felt like a kid in a candy store. So many choices, too many in fact that my head was spinning. I’d smile at people and they’d quickly turn their head sideways to avoid eye contact. Many treated me as some kind of weirdo, because I did things differently. I would take my time and get out of their way when they pushed their shopping carts like NASCAR drivers. I would let them get in front of me in line. Men, women, even children looked tired and stressed out. No one seemed to understand how lucky they were to live in a country with everything you could possibly want and need.

“No hay!” the Spanish phrase for “there is no” became a daily phrase which my kids and I learned to accept without getting flustered. If they don’t have beef, we’ll eat chicken. If they don’t have lettuce, we’ll go without. Imagine the outrage of people in a U.S. supermarket if they were told, “No fresh milk today. Maybe next week. No hay!”

“That’s awesome! The blond, skinny, six-year-old repeated for the twentieth time on her cell phone. With small feet inside a pair of glittery high-heeled sandals, a baby-size Luis Vuitton purse, and her cell phone still glued to her ear, she reminded me of a mini Paris Hilton. Her mother glowed in admiration of her daughter’s pretentious mannerisms. She would glance around to see if others paid attention to her “cute” daughter.

I wrote this in my journal in 2006, and now realize I’ve changed. It’s easy to start taking things for granted when you live in a society of abundance. Now I allow myself to buy a pair of earrings or a top, more out of a want than a need, however, the guilt stays with me.

So when I shop, I make sure to ask myself, “Is this a want or a need?” And we all know the answer to that.

I made a list of how Belize has influenced my daily life:

  • I turn off the faucet in between brushing my teeth and rinsing.
  • I use paper towels sparingly; never to dry my hands at home though.
  • I only use paper plates when we have more guests than I have plates.
  • I use Ziplocs over and over.
  • I turn off the lights whenever I leave a room.
  • I always close the fridge door as soon as possible.
  • I never turn on the air-conditioning until it becomes unbearable.
  • I always bring my own bags to the grocery store, even Costco.

The satisfaction of enough, is something that I think about whenever I’m tempted to buy a want rather than a need. What about you?

Blogs I follow that help me re-focus on a simple life:

Leo Babauta from Zen Habits, has many ideas on living a more frugal lifestyle.
Lori from Groovygreenliving, offers tips to simplify life, and not waste.

Is blogging messing with your mind?

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For once, I’m determined to get my posts ready for the week. It’s Sunday afternoon and I’ve been glued to my office chair, staring at my computer for several hours. What the hell am I doing? the sun is shining and I’m inside my kitchen writing. (No need to tell me I’m crazy, I already realize that thank you.)

Fortunately, I find a blog post that resonates with what I’m thinking today and it’s called: “5 ways fear can mess up your blog,” by Tess Marshall from The Bold Life.

Tess points out “5 ways fear steals your joy and what action you can take in order to enjoy life and the blogging process.” Please hop over to read her great advice.

1. You obsess about the competition.
2. Your content Lacks pizzazz.
3. You Doubt Yourself.
4. You’re unmotivated and stuck.
5. You want to give up and quit.  
  
“Become aware of how many times in one day you wish for a better and bigger blog and all that goes with it?

Now estimate how many times a day you say to yourself,’My life is great just the way it is today!'”

Of course Tess is right, but once you get bitten by the blogger bug, it’s very difficult to erase it from your mind; especially when you’ve been asked to join a panel and speak about “Beyond Blogging” at the Orange County Branch of the California Writers Club.

A romantic dinner at home.

Last night I set a romantic table next to our fireplace. I had candles, roses in a vase, and champagne flutes ready for our dinner. With the kids gone, my husband and I can finally have romantic dinners at home. As we sip our champagne with some smoked salmon appetizers, I ask him, “Do you think I’d spend as many hours in front of my computer if we moved back to Ambergris Caye? (Photo at the top is from Ambergris Caye where we lived from 2004-2005. This is Victoria House, a beautiful resort on the island.) Before he has time to answer, I say, “I’m sure I’d blog and spend hours on my laptop.” In a way I’m scared Gutsy enough to admit that blogging and writing is my obsession, but since statistics show that women outnumber men in the social media world, perhaps society has created a new female disease that requires a new form of treatment.

So my question to you is: “Is blogging messing with your mind?” If so, in what way? 
This question is for men too. Please ask your friends and share.

Making Love in Paradise

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 HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO ALL
Laguna Beach, CA February 13, 2011

When my husband and I moved to Belize, I knew we’d found the perfect place for romance. The two of us would embrace on the powdery sand with the sun’s warmth caressing our bodies. After a couple of exotic coconut rum punches, passion would take over, right?

Wrong! A primitive hut on stilts is not the place for a fulfilling love life. There’s a limit to how many coconut rum punches you can knock back while ignoring scorpions, large spiders, sweaty odors and sand flies sharing your bed. Having a mosquito net made no difference; the critters appeared on-time, and uninvited.

We moved from a luxury California king-size mattress to a knobby double mattress in Belize. Duke’s feet stuck out a foot or so, but at least the mattress offered a separation between us and the floor’s ecosystem.

The ceiling fauna was exactly the same, but gravity caused numerous landings of critters and their poop, onto our protective mosquito net. I just prayed that a giant iguana or rat wouldn’t fall out of the palm-fronded, vaulted ceiling and cause the net to collapse over our faces.

Body odor was another distraction during romance. The humidity and lack of air-conditioning caused us to sweat like baboons. I tried everything to get our sheets to smell fresh, but our stinky well water didn’t help matters. I boiled pot after pot of water mixed with bleach on my kitchen stove, and sprinted outside to fill our washing machine located underneath our hut. A colony of dock flies resided next to the washing machine and pounced on my legs, like hungry carnivores. Within an hour, I’d have large welts. I finally gave up and sprayed my precious Chanel perfume onto our sheets, but this was only a three-second fix. Desperate, I sprayed some inside my nostrils, and screamed in pain.

On this special Valentine’s Day, please remember how lucky you are to have a comfortable bed with clean sheets. If you want some tropical romance, check yourself into a nice hotel with air-conditioning.


What about you? Any romantic or fun stories to share?

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