music

My cat can fly

/ lioneltorres / 3 Comments

Empowerment….

what is it? well in a nutshell it basically means to promote self-actualization, and broken down even further and using terms I am sure we have ALL heard at one point or another. “reaching your full potential.”I know for the most part, everyone at some point in their life has heard this from someone, whether it be a parent, an employer, or an educator.  My high school dramatic arts teacher at one time or another told me that a time or two something along the lines of, “you can do so much better, you haven’t done your best work, now try it again” these statements usually followed a minuscule effort put forth by yours truly…  I swear I heard that more in my high school career than the average person from my parents and educators, and guess what?!  They were right, and I have told both my Dramatic Arts instructor, and mentor thank you for pushing me to be the best I could be.  I am so excited anytime I hear someone I know has a child enrolled in her class, because they aren’t going to be taught only about the dramatic arts, but they are going to be empowered with valuable skills that will help them throughout the rest of their lives….
Now as an adult, I find myself in the same position, looking at others imagining and wishing they could see themselves how I see them, capable of greatness, and so much more.
 For several years I worked as a program assistant, providing educationally creative programming to young people, trying to help them reach their full potential.  When their was a task at hand, it was all work, but when it was time to play, oh yeah, it was time to play trust me, because playtime for young people, is just as important as time spent focusing on an educational task. I’ve been hit by more basketballs, gator-skin balls, and footballs than I care to count, and trust me, kids throw faster than you realize, ha!  Now at one period of time while working there, I was tasked with helping one of the many incredible youth prepare a speech to use in a competition.  This competition, if won, would provide him scholarship money to continue his education.  I made him work hard, and trust me, he knew it, and I knew it.  At one point there was a goof-up oh his end that resulted up with him voicing his opinion about me, TO ME, and not his friends.  It was comical, and I laughed immediately as the following message was a serious back-pedal, and avoidance of me.  He was done working, and it was clear he needed to play, even at 17 years old.  To make an incredibly long story shorter, he won the competition, and received the scholarship…  On numerous occasions following it, he thanked me for pushing him so hard.  My response almost every time was the same, “I knew you could do it, I knew you could do something amazing, YOU just had to realize you could do it.”
Holy smokes, I had become my parents/teachers/employers……..  Now there wasn’t some grandiose moment of realization on my part, it was more of an “ah ha” moment, and thinking “That’s what they meant.”  When you help someone become a better version of themselves, it feels good, and you know you did your part to change the world.
Now why did I go into this drawn-out explanation about my past?  Barbie, a company that makes toys for children recently released a commercial that hit a soft spot.  Here I’ll just let you see for yourself.
When children play, they can be anything they want to be.  Imaginations run wild, and they can be a superhero princess saving the world from giant trolls, a Jedi swinging his light saber, or a doctor curing the most severe case of cooties that this world has ever seen, because Lizzy touched their stuffed animal.  Allowing your child time to be creative, isn’t limiting their education, it’s expanding their ability to play, to think, and to see themselves as something greater than they have yet to achieve.
This ad campaign by Barbie isn’t so much about playtime, as it is about empowering young people to achieve greatness……
Until next time, love fiercely, smile, work hard  play, and empower others.
Much Love,
—L
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The winds of change……

/ lioneltorres / 1 Comment

Imagine with me for just a second…

You are on the edge of a cliff at night, staring at the rolling waves below.  You can barely see them, but you know they are there.  Darkness has fallen over the water, and it has created an unknown environment.  In the distance you see a light-house, a beacon in the night, ushering you towards it.  The only problem is, you have to jump into the water, and swim in order to make it to the other side.  What is going through your mind? Is it safe to jump in?  Do you dare to take the risk? What if there is danger? What if you can’t swim hard enough, and the darkness envelopes you?  What if you get too far, and realize you are too scared and the only thing you want to do, is go back to what’s known and safe; but the only catch is that you’ve jumped off the cliff, and there is no way to get back to it.

That, in a nutshell is what I am going through.  If you know me at all, you know what I probably do as a “Job.” I get paid to change the world just the tiniest bit every day.  I work with young humans, and try to guide them in a positive direction using my words, actions, and sometimes non-verbal communications.  Am I perfect? oh heck no, I make mistakes on a daily basis.  I sometimes say the wrong thing, or make a remark that dampens their mood, but all that being said.  I would like to say, that I’ve created a bond and connection with each and every youth that I’ve come in contact with at work.  There are some that I’ve known since I first started in 2008, and some that I just met within the last few weeks.  Each of them holds something special to me, and I love each of them dearly.  Some are easier than others and some, well, lets just be real for a second here guys, EVERYONE that is reading this; at some point in your life, has watched “The Simpsons.” Well you know how sometimes Bart is acting completely crazy, and out of control and Homer ends up wringing his neck.  Yeah well, I don’t do that, because that’s child abuse, but I’ve felt like Homer a time or two…. but even the Bart Simpson’s of the world have something lovable about them.

So I’ve been there since 2008, and this facility has watched me grow up… literally.  I went there as a kid, and then came back to work as an adult.  As an adult, it has helped me grow, and mature, and in the most sincerest way possible.  It saved me from myself.

Here’s why I’m filling you all in on this… Ready for it?

I’m leaving……. Tomorrow is my last day for a while.

Not forever, I’m not going to the moon, (although that would be pretty stinkin’ amazing) but I am leaving.  After spending the last 7 years of my life in one place I’m going on a new adventure.  This has been a long time in the making, and I’ve worked every little detail out, and it’s really happening.  I’m leaving…  Am I scared? oh yeah.  I’m absolutely terrified.  there is so much fear in the unknown.  But I’ll be back at the end of summer.

That being said, when we push ourselves to the limits and outside of our comfort zone.  It forces us to adapt to the change and most importantly to grow…..  We find ourselves discovering new-found strength and re-igniting the fires of passion and drive.  So while I am terrified, and fearful of ever-looming fact that I might not be as successful as I’d hoped.  I am so excited to embark on this journey of growth and exploration.  I am exhilarated to find out what I am made of.  I am thrilled to find out what new sense of resiliency I might have that is just beneath my conscious mind.  In a way, I am returning to my roots with my adventure, but in an entirely different capacity.

I realize that I’ve been elusive on what I will actually be doing when I leave the Youth Center, and that is intentional.  Not because I want to deceive you all, but it really and truly doesn’t matter.  What matters is the message.  I am that kid standing at the cliff, looking out at the water that is my new adventure…. the lighthouse is my end-game, and the proverbial light doesn’t amount to death (so please don’t take this in a morbid sense), it amounts to a new day as a changed person.  A person that can look forward, and not look back.  I am jumping off the cliff into the water, nervous about the journey across, and knowing that looking backwards to safety (that is my current life-which I love… don’t think I don’t) is there.  But in order to grow, I have to do this, not for anyone else, but for me.  I have to know what that light-house is……. I will struggle, and I will stress-out on things.  But I will succeed, because I know that I am capable of handling infinitely more than I am comfortable with.

So, I will leave you all with this.

If you find yourself in a similar situation….. I urge you to dive head-first into the waters of the unknown, as long as you know where you are coming from and where you want to go. the Journey is everything you need to grow, although the waters may be rocky, don’t get scared and turn back. Press onward my strong friends. I know I will… My view for the summer.

That’s all for now, until next time my friends, be well, love fiercely, smile, and push yourself outside of your comfort-zone. I think you might enjoy it.

–L

What a wonderful world.

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Children are curious, always looking for an answer, or a way to understand things that are happening in their world.  A sunrise isn’t the start of another horrible day, when they open their eyes, it means a new adventure is going to start, and youth often think, “what will happen to them today.”
I have a just-turned five-year old brother, We are going to call him B on here.  like many other little ones in the world, he seeks understanding, and to smile, laugh, and definitely most importantly to him, to play!  He has an incredible imagination, and throughout most of the day, everything is a game.  his imagination allows him the opportunity to make something tiny, like a pool noodle, become a sword on his journey to beat invading aliens, or to use a pillow as a shield since he is now Captain America. He can throw himself around the room making the laser gun sounds that sound infinitely better than my “pew pew” sounds. I honestly think the coolest thing is how his brain processes the amount of information that he is presented.
Since he is still learning about the world around him, he will often ask a million questions, ranging from, “What does that word say?” all the way to. “How do planes fly if they are metal?”
As we grow up and get older and at some point we lose that spark, we stop pretending and seeing the wonder in things.  We drone on in our daily lives, moving from task to task; working, and chasing that “dream.”  But what is the dream? to be filthy rich? to be wealthy enough you don’t have to worry about things financially ever again? Sure, we all want those things, but at what cost would it still be “worth it?” Where is the irony in working your entire life, and retiring at 70, when a majority of your life is indeed gone, and you begin to “live.”
Just earlier today, I was sitting in a classroom taking an exam, when I looked out the window (probably because I couldn’t think of the answer, and maybe I was subliminally hoping there would be a squirrel with a giant note-card with the answer on it.) and there was a girl out there sitting down on the grass, and I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, I want to be out there!” she wasn’t doing anything, and in that moment, she was doing EVERYTHING I wanted to do.  By just sitting down and enjoying the weather, she didn’t have her phone out, she didn’t have a book out, she was simply sitting there with her eyes closed. It was magnificent, refreshing, and peaceful.
When had I felt that moment of peace that I’m assuming she was experiencing? (now this is of course speculation, she could have been fighting a killer headache, but lets just be optimistic people.) The last time I had this feeling was several weeks ago, I was on top of a mountain and sitting there, listening to music and just simply looking out at the ground below me.  In that moment, I was still, my phone was on silent, and I was sitting there quietly on a rock.  Amazingly enough, I was having the best time ever, and there was no video games, or television present, granted yes, I was listening to music, but it was Ed Sheeran radio on Pandora.  I mean just look at this picture!
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Mount Scott is near Lawton, Oklahoma.  I seriously suggest anyone and everyone visit

It was beautiful and serene, and left me in awe, and wonder as to how it has been here all this time, and I’ve lived in Oklahoma for so long and never been here. I realize that life never stops, there will be times that suck, and there will be times where you are happier than you ever thought possible, but don’t forget to find those times, where you sit in wonder, silence, and peace.  These are the moments we should be working towards.
 That’s all for now, until next time my friends be well, love fiercely, smile, and find peace
—L

The Jumping Point

/ lioneltorres / 2 Comments

So I’ve been toying with this idea of starting a blog for quite some time now.  I would get to a point where I was ready to try it out, and then inevitably something would happen and I would forget about things.  Eventually, I would be sitting down somewhere randomly and think to myself, “I wonder if I wrote my thoughts, would anyone read them?” It has been a vicious cycle, and has gone on until I sat and decided “What better day than today to go on this adventure!”

What are you going to discuss? Honestly, whatever comes to mind.  Some days may be more inspiring than others, and some might be filled with nonsensical things that I’ve thought about.

So for entry number one, I guess I’ll start with the one thing I always ask someone I’m meeting or getting to know.

“If your life was made into a movie, what would be the best song on the soundtrack of your life?”

I’ve asked this question so many times, and gotten some very interesting responses.  When I ask the question, depending on the age and maturity level of the person, I can get some very interesting responses.  Some of them take a few moments to think about their response, as if it were a life/death type situation, and I would judge them on their response.  Others instantly think of a song that is relevant to their situation, some of them are heartbreaking, happy, pensive, sad, and some are angry.  Whatever emotion elicited

Some of the most beautiful songs, paint such a vivid picture for people, and are capable of evoking such emotions from them.  I think some of the best responses I’ve heard are as follows (disclaimer:I won’t tell you who told me this song though, because it was a conversation between me and that person.  If you know me, I’m the guy that won’t tell you any spoilers as well, because that takes the fun out of things.)

  • “People Like Us”-Kelly Clarkson
  • “Your Guardian Angel”-The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
  • “Temporary Home”-Carrie Underwood
  • “Untitled”-Simple Plan
  • “Man in the Mirror”-Michael Jackson
  • “Dance with my Father”-Luther Vandross
  • “Live Like You Were Dying”-Tim McGraw

If you have a few minutes, I would suggest taking the time to listen to each of them.  In their own respects, they are beautifully written and performed; even if it isn’t a genre of music you particularly care for.  I won’t tell you what I was able to interpret from speaking with them, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.  I found myself thinking about my life in each and every song, and I’ve come to love each and every one of them.

So if I were to approach you and ask, “If your life was made into a movie, what would be the best song on the soundtrack of your life?” What would your response be?

Until the next time my friends, be well, love fiercely, and smile!

–L