Today regardless of how the sky looks overhead there exists an opportunity for sunshine in our lives. How we create it is our choice but I thought I would share how I am going to do it today.

The first thing I notice about sunshine is that it lifts my spirits. In the absence of actual solar rays I wondered to myself what else lifts my spirits? The answer immediately entered my thoughts. I love how immediate ask and receive can be. It is music from Cuba. It is salsa. It is the rhythm and beats from my other home. It is totally infectious for me and whenever I hear it I immediately feel uplifted. Ask yourself the question what is it for you? Then listen to the answer. If you do not immediately find one then I invite you to join me in putting on some Latin music.

So now that I have music bringing sunshine I need to embody it. The best way I know how to embody music (and absolutely mandatory if you are Cuban) is to dance. Salsa dancing is a unique and distinct Cuban tradition that has been exported around the Latin world and to some honorary Cubans such as myself. It is designed to make the dancers feel and appear sensual and it works. So after I put on my Latin tunes I get up and dance the salsa. In Cuban tradition if you cannot dance then you cannot make love so it is no surprise that my husband chose me because the first morning after we had first met in Havana I was willing to dance with two women whom I had just met. It was hot and humid and I was in my underwear and truth be told somewhat shy and intimidated by this handsome and young Cuban man but I was told to relax and to follow the music and so I did. After all this was Cuba and the one rare freedom allowed was the dance.

No matter what I am thinking and feeling beforehand, dancing the salsa is always guaranteed to put a smile on my face and if you have not ever tried this form of self-expression I encourage you to do so. There are only six steps in eight beats which reminds us always to pause and reflect. It is a lesson well applied to living as well as dancing.

So that is one way I help myself to let the sun shine into my life and create the life I love to live. I would love to hear some of yours.