Eruption

It keeps building. Building up inside of me like lava about to erupt from a volcano. I want to explode. I want my fiery insides to burst everything into flames. I keep asking myself, how can I stop myself from exploding? how can I stop the flames from sparking? Maybe, there is someone that can help me. Someone to cool me down, to pour their spring water on me and make me into a relaxing waterfall. Someone to make me smoke and dissipate. Someone to take their rivers and run it through me; lead me to an ocean of glistening calmness. Someone to choke me with their dams and keep me contained. Where is that someone, because I need saving. Saving from all the global destruction. Saving from myself.

 

 

Image Credit: Sebastián Crespo

The Mile High City

The crisp, crispy air was my first impression of the midwestern mile high city. With its thriving metropolis in the middle of the surrounding mountainous area, Denver, Colorado was better than I expected. When I first arrived from my four hour flight from Miami, I quickly wanted to explore some aspect of the area I was staying in. The first place I arrived to was Illegal Pete’s. It was one of the few restaurants open at 2am around Denver University where I was staying. Though it was conveniently open, the food was subpar and the restaurant was definitely a place for hungover individuals. After the greasy meal, it was time to rest up for the first real exciting day in Colorado. My friend and I woke up and set out to find the nearest dispensary in our area. We found this place called Native Roots Dispensary, which was right off of Quincy Ave. It was the best rated dispensary closest to us. As we walked in ,the smell of marijuana intoxicated the air, that’s when I knew I was in a state with legal marijuana. Our ID’s were checked and we waited in line. Though I wasn’t too educated on strains and their effects, the employee we talked to gave good insight on their products. Eventually, we bought sativa oil, Indica flower, and a 10mg THC blue raspberry soda. Now it was time to set out for the adventure of the day, Strawberry Park Hot Springs.

It was going to be a three hour drive to the park, but obviously there would be stops on the way. Once you actually leave Denver, Colorado itself is just vast mountains and large open spaces of land. The roads were crazy, going up and down on winding roads. One minute you’re going 70 the next you’re reaching 100. Nevertheless, it was beautiful and driving to the springs was breathtaking, I’ll never forget all the mountains and sceneries I passed. When we had finally arrived to the hot springs there was an entry fee of 15 dollars for the whole day. The snow was still present in this part if the mountain, so it was still cold. As I dipped into the water it was incredibly hot, I felt like a boiled berry. Either way, my friend and I stayed inside the hot springs for about 30 minutes, took some Instagram worthy pictures, and then suddenly felt like we were going to be cooked alive. When I got out the water I had to sit down for a while because I was so light headed from the springs. After, resting for a while we headed on the road back to Denver.

The following days I did a lot of sightseeing in the city. Visited downtown Denver and also shopped at the best dispensary called Den Rec. Partied around Market St., got a tattoo at Clean Slate Tattoo & Body Art Studio (go see Ansley she is incredibly nice and professional), and saw a Gud Vibrations concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I also visited the amusement park in Denver called Elitch Gardens where I got to eat Dippin’ Dots and played my favorite game, Dance Dance Revolution.

The last day in Denver, I walked a five mile trail in the Rocky Mountains National Park. It was the easiest trail with only 200 ft. in elevation. Though it didn’t seem like a very large rise in elevation, it sure did feel like it. My friend Micaela could barely make it as she was consuming a liberal amount of edible gummy squares while we hiked.

After, the hike we immediately made our way to the airport and at that point I was exhausted. All in all, I am thrilled about my trip, from Denver’s breathtaking landscapes to it’s interesting people. It’s a place to visit and in the future maybe even a home. If you haven’t visited Denver yet, what are you waiting for?

 

Let Me Tell You About The Little Sanctuary In My Favorite Place

When my mom was my only best friend, she use to take me on many little adventures. One day she brought me far out west and down south to Homestead, and we went to Robert’s Is Here. Robert’s Is Here  is a local fruit stand in Homestead, their fruits are grown locally and they have the best freakin milkshakes.

 So, Iv’e always had a fondness for this southern part of Florida, the long roads and vast stretches of land for farming. Anyway, I was skimming through my facebook feed, and I see the cutest pictures with Homestead in the title. I’m always finding a reason to drive down south, whether it’s the famous cinnamon buns at Knaus Berry Farm or seeing the Everglades. So, I search on google for this place called “Patch of Heaven Sanctuary.” The pictures just captured me, I had never heard of this place and I had to find a way to visit it. I looked for their Instagram page and found their number listed in the bio. The only unfortunate thing is, the sanctuary isn’t open to the public so you have to make an appointment to visit. I scheduled it on the day of my birthday.

As, I’m getting ready, prepping myself for the gorgeous photos I’m about to take, I get a phone call. The woman who was suppose to give me a tour was stuck in Chicago and couldn’t make it on time for my tour. I explained to her that it was my birthday today and if there was anyway she could find anyone to show me around. After 30 excruciating minutes of waiting to see if she found someone, she called back with good news. Her associate Gretchen would be taking me and my friend Mariam on a tour through the sanctuary.

Upon arriving to the sanctuary, I was greeted by Gretchen and followed her into the second main house on the property. My friend Mariam and I signed a guestbook, and used the hidden bathroom before proceeding to our tour.

First, Gretchen brought us through the horse stables in the back of the house.

She then walked us over to the beautiful and blue koi ponds.

We then proceeded to a meeting room which contained outrageous decor.

And then we saw the outdoor seating area, where they grind up cacao beans and supposedly make delicious chocolatey coffee.

At this point we just looked at every aspect of the house and explored the grounds.

I saw an Elvis inspired lounge, with an old jukebox that still works. I saw the brides suite which is only used when weddings take place at the property. I also sneaked around the library which had a bar in it. Explored the cabin in the woods, which was previously occupied by the owners son. And took a picture with a gigantic Buddha statue that was located in their asian inspired pond area. I lastly saw the sanctuary for Florida bats, which they are currently still working on. It is a big dome like cave in which the bats sleep in and populate.

 At some point I got tired of taking pictures and was soon ready to head home. I paid my donation to Gretchen and left the sanctuary with many beautiful pictures and an experience like no other. All in all, Homestead will forever be one of my favorite places in Florida and for all these reasons it should be yours as well.

Insta: ryan.mberry

Who Knew That Facebook Ads Could Lead To Good Things

I’m on the couch watching a show and my friend nudges me “Hey, let’s go to this party in South Beach I found on Facebook. Here’s the link for the guest list, it’s free.” I was a bit intrigued, especially when the ad said, “open bar.” As an avid social drinker, this peaked my interest even more. So I followed all the instructions to RSVP for “The Essential Electronic Pool Party” which is what it’s called, and received my confirmation for attendance.

As I arrived to South Beach (and amazingly found perfect affordable parking), I walked towards the Dream Hotel, which is where the pool party was being hosted. There was an empty check-in line to enter the party, so we approached to the front quickly. My friend and I gave our names and our reservation was immediately found. We received cute wristbands and proceeded to enter the pool area, which was on the top floor of the Dream Hotel. As we entered, it was your typical South Beach pool party. Obviously, I quickly made my way to the bar and received my free drinks. The DJ booth was centered right in front of the pool area and the bars were beside it. In the back were people exclusively from the record label, so that area was off guards for regular goers like me. I also saw that HITS 97.3 was attending the event, so I asked a woman from the radio station who was taking pictures of party goers, why they were covering the event. She told me that the Casablanca Record label was showcasing there DJ’s, hoping to get them more visibility. Well, at least that’s what I heard while in my tipsy state.

All in all, the party was very fun. As my friend and I loosened up a bit, I danced in the crowd when it rained and enjoyed the nice vibes that the party offered. My friend ended up jumping in the pool splashing and dancing with others. Not to mention, I have multiple Instagram worthy photos, like the ones above. I left the party feeling good, hungry, and exhausted. I guess I’ll be keeping an eye out for ads on Facebook for open bar parties.

 

 

 

My Country, My Love

 Here is a photo I took while I was hiking in my grandmothers backyard in Puerto Rico. I identify closely with my hispanic culture because I grew up around it. Every time I land in my island, I can smell the fresh air from the mountains and greenery that lie all around it. This picture just shows you how green a backyard can be in Puerto Rico and how my culture is rich. It only shows you a part of why I love my island so much. So, after I took this picture me and my cousin’s continued to trek through these giant trees and dense rain forest. At some point we come upon a “parcha” tree or passion fruit tree. We collect as many as we can hold and make our way back to our grandmothers house. Why this picture resonates with me so much is because I can literally smell the trees through this photo. My culture is special to me and it includes a rich history and delicious cuisines. My love for my island is a part of me and makes me who I am today.

Loving Yourself

This is a poem by Rupi Kaur from her book called “Milk and Honey.” A widely known poetry book amongst our generation’s time. This poem right here has always resonated with me because it breathes self-love. Kaur’s whole book speaks about love, feminism, and self-love. For me, seeing this puts me back in a place where I was once hurt by the people who were suppose to love and care for me. and once I learned how to heal from it, i was still here in spite of all the heart break and hurt i was put through that was suppose to tear down myself. But my experiences have only made me stronger.

Traveling and Love

Recently, I went on youtube on found that one of my favorite YouTubers Stef Sanjati  posted a video recently called “Why I Went Home”. Stef Sanjati is a transgendered woman who is very vocal about the questions and concerns it comes to about being transgender. In her most recent video she talks about traveling across America with a friend of hers that she had to leave. She was dealing with a lot of financial stress from traveling and her partner she was with was also feeling her emotional toll. She also talks about the love of traveling and how it had helped her mentally. Not to mention, her partner she was with was heading in a different direction than her and she just needed to go back home and figure things out. In my opinion, It’s hard to travel when you aren’t financially and emotionally in a good place. I am glad though she brought a partner with her to at least help with the load she was carrying. I believe it’s important to travel with someone you love or just a good friend to keep things going on the right track. I have always had a love for traveling and always plan a trip every year accordingly. What Sanjati didn’t do was plan and save. For someone who can’t wait for the next trip, I always plan and save.  

Dating and Commitment Issues Today

Have you ever wondered why dating in this day and age is so hard? Probably because most millennial’s today have major commitment issues. Almost half of the people I come into contact these days have some sort of issue when it comes to dating. Either they’re afraid to get hurt or they have some incomprehensible fear of loving another person. Dating has even become more difficult due to technology and social media. You can’t just seem to remove a person out of your life, you have to remove them off your phone, contacts, instagram etc.

Almost any millennial you’ll talk to has had some sort of horrific heart-break, either with a first love or multiple bad relationships. At this point it seems that many people just give up on finding love or even having decent relationships. The trials and tribulations of finding that one specific partner seems too stressful or even too difficult. Looks like our generation is getting soft, we can’t even handle a little heartbreak here and there. People tend to go to services like renting a boyfriend/girlfriend or going online and swiping right for that “uncomplicated” encounter. Has love become too complicated and wearying to look for?

Indeed, I can see why dating can cause such fear and turmoil these days. Cheating has become more frequent. articles on VICE like, “Why and How I’ve Cheated On Every Person I’ve Ever Dated” and “People Explain Their Reasons for Cheating” can really scare the crap out of people. Reading articles like this can scare away wanting a relationship. when I had read them myself i thought “is this what really goes through people’s heads?” Moreover, I’ve also met multiple people who’ve had tragic love stories with past partners and lovers. Stories that contain infidelity, falling out of love, jealousy, ultimatums, and so many more tragedies.  So I can see why dating has become strenuous with young adults.

As a result, social media makes it harder breaking from your past heartaches. Every time I see my Ex lurking on my instagram story, I bask in the fact that, because he sees me he’ll hit me up soon and start a conversation. I should probably get this notion out of my head, but it feels good to know they are watching. So, basically this old love has me stuck and makes it harder to find new love, and experience new relationships. Dating is getting over your Ex, removing them out of your life, and forgetting the past.  Much less, being stuck on some guy who said he had depression but really just found another girlfriend. Now social media has made it harder for me to overlook this past heartbreak, and I have a feeling others feel like this as well.

Given these points, I’ve grown up a romantic believing love prevails all. These still aren’t enough reasons to give up on finding someone who makes you happy. There is always someone for you. no matter what gender or sexuality, love will find its way to you. It might not be a lasting one but it’s worth the lessons.  And if you really can’t get over someone who hurt you deeply, I find revenge is the best served hot.

 

 

Photo by Trinity Kubassek from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/young-couple-in-city-at-night-246367/

 

author: berrysweetthoughts