Discovering My Dad #3: OMG! I have a sister!!!

After Las Vegas we headed to the Grand Canyon and it was time to make the call to Ariana Gardner Herrman! MY SISTER!

I felt the butterflies in my stomach as I pulled up her name to make the call. It's an interesting feeling discovering I have a sister you never knew of, from a father I've never met... 
The moment she picked up, the butterflies just turned to excitement. I am hearing the voice of my bloodline, and there is something to it, I never quite understood before... I felt a sense of connection different than any I have known before, a connection that drew me in and said 'I just need to be near this person, this person is a part of me!'. Her voice made me giggle (not only do I have a sister, but I have a sister with a thick southern accent!!! Yeah!!!) and her enthusiasm matched and exceeded mine. This was a pure moment.

We wasted no time and jumped directly into what she knew about the man I never met. Piece by piece the revelations of my own story were presented to me. The talent, the creativity and the energy of my life today was revealed along side the narcissism and self loathing of my past. As we navigated the many layers that mirrored my own story, one of my deepest fears was revealed in the tragedy that was my father's end. This sent me into an oblivion of tears. Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Gratitude and Tears of Letting Go. 
Although I am not ready to share publicly what that fear is, it is safe to say that my father's playing out of that specific fear is just the healing balm I needed to erase that possibility from my own story. For that I am sincerely grateful.

We ended our time searching for as many possibilities to see each other as possible along this journey. I trusted it will be sooner then later! and sure enough, it is! We will meet in one week!! This is so exciting!

It's been a few days now, and I am still vibrating from my connection with my sister and cannot wait to fill in more of the banks in person very soon...

Discovering My Dad #2: Show me who you married, and I'll tell you who you are :)

Las Vegas was the first stop planned on the #HolidayGratitudeTour. As it happens, it is also the home of the fabulous Heidi Thompson, whom just happens to be my dad's ex-wife... 

And although I have never met my dad, just talking to her on the phone got me thinking, anyone who married such an awesome, dynamic and talented woman has to be a pretty cool guy :)

Heidi invited us into her (Coolest Christmas Decorated) home for some food and conversation. I learned that my dad was a spiritual seeker. He studied Holistic Living, Kinesiology, Acupuncture and dabbled in Scientology amongst other things! Super duper cool!!! heheeh! Never been there myself, but awesome. I also learned that he was a great salesman and was a very charming, likable and playful guy.

She shared pictures, life stories and more and really we just connected, as she and her beloved are just an amazing people! A woman after my own heart :) We connected on love, relationships, music and life. One happy family really. It was super enjoyable. 

When I was looking at the pictures, I noticed that I have seen this man before. I truly felt like he had been in my life. Maybe he did. He lived in cali for a while..Hmmm... 

We left with music, laughter full bellies, full hearts and a few more pieces to the puzzle. I am very grateful for the opportunity to explore!

This is the Video of us first meeting:

And the journey continues...

Oh, and here's a funny video from one of their projects together: Tekno Penguins - Mandroid the Android

Having Fun in the Court Room! Is That Possible? YES IT IS :-)

OK, this is a major turning point in breaking through the fears of the past and bringing enjoyment to something that I had great deal of boredom and negative emotion tied to. Does anyone get excited to go to court? I know I never have, but after today, I am!!!

So, I got a moving violation for actually communicating with a fellow driver, that driver giving me the right of way, me taking it and then getting an “unsafe lane change” ticket. I decided immediately that I will plead “not guilty” and take this to court -:) But a bit of a back story.  

Now, while living in India, Drivers communicate with each other and make moves accordingly, here in Los Angeles, we just follow rules and pray for safety, hence the ludicrous amount of accidents on any given day in LA. When you take human communication out of operating a motor vehicle, what you get it system breakdown.

In my case, I pulled up next to a bus driver that had been stopped for a while. I needed to make a right turn, I looked at the bus driver, we smiled, he waved me on in front of him, I turned happily and then… sirens, and you know the rest.

Now, Yesterday, after dragging the ticket out to court for 8 months, was my court date. In the days leading up to it, I felt a sense of nervousness, as I remember going to court quite a few times when I was young, and it was ALWAYS an impotent and negative experience.  My stomach churned for moments throughout the day when I thought about it. What was it bringing up? Well the childhood sense of “I am bad” “I have done something wrong””I am an outcast””I am not good enough” and on and on and on. 

It wasn’t until about 10 minutes before walking into the courthouse, after a loving hug and smile from my wife, that I decided to let go and have fun, be present and enjoy the process and see what happens (as I am doing with most similar experiences in life now).

This is what happened. 

I arrived to the room to see my past, a large group of other people with the same, 'I have done something wrong complex' whom all hung their heads and failed to look in each others eyes. Not me though, I connected,. I connected with the security downstairs, the people in line, the various beautiful woman ( a must :-) all the way to the bailiff whom greeted us with one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen. I told him that! He smiled even brighter. Come to find out, this guy was like a comedian, super funny, sharing about listening and what happens if we fail to listen. His ever expansive smile filled our hearts as we sat and waited for the judge. Then the judge comes out and the comedy of errors begins as he darts from one person to the next with quick comedic wit of a Jester. I am smiling from head to toe, this is amazing, the whole place falls into comedic uproar, and, I feel of sense of community in the room and a great deal of support for each and every character that walks up to the judge to give a plea. Violations from Arguments on Buses, to Storage in Parks, Speeding and tinted windows. Each and every story had a story behind it and I observed the magical play of life that was in this room and the beautiful humans that paused their life to clean the slate. We all had arrived there with a purpose to move forward with something. For most, it was to clear the ticket, but for me, it was to take the next step of the journey and give my simple plea of “Not Guilty” (with a smile). I LOVE LIFE!

Now, I got another 4 months before trial, and oh boy, I cannot wait to see what comes to life in the next court room chronicles.  Stay tuned ….