For those that don’t know me, I want to welcome you to my blog, and for those that do, thank you for being part of my life. I have been blogging for some time and am consciously looking to share my creativity and experiences with folks like you in my relentless desire to both challenge myself and inspire others to do the same. I can’t thank you enough for becoming part of this community.
Who Am I?
For the last 40 years of my adult life, I have been a community development practitioner working primarily in economically depressed communities, facilitating the work of nonprofit organizations whose mission is to rebuild neighborhoods using every possible tool for change. Over the years, I have been fortunate to travel throughout the US to learn and work in communities doing amazing things to survive and thrive. This experience has awakened in me a desire to travel and explore how communities all over the world are managing economic and cultural shifts, while experiencing my own emotional and physical changes as I age. This has led to the creation of my blog…. Limitedlimitlessliving.com, a baby boomer’s aspirations to a Limited Limitless Lifestyle now turning four years old in March 2024.
As adults, parents, professionals, artists, daughters, sons, siblings, we all face some limitations, whether it’s financial, family-related, physical, or emotional. Despite these limitations, this should impede none of us from living the life that we want and deserve. We just need to discover what makes us happy and make it part of our forever journey hence the name …Limited Limitless Living.
I am hoping to inspire others through this blog, pushing the envelope of what’s possible through a relentless pursuit to create and explore. To get there, I created the following tabs on topics that resonate with the work and the many pleasures that I love.
Here is my commitment to sharing my world and my journey through “my lens” within “my limits. “
Feeding your Wanderlust
My philosophy about traveling is that it’s not solely about international travel. It’s also about what is in your backyard waiting for you to drop in and visit. Any form of transportation can take you to places that are a couple of hours within reach, offering an opportunity for discovery.
I offer my experiences and photos in hoping to inspire you to fill that bucket list in any way possible. As a storyteller, I promise you a little bit of history, an understanding of culture, current trends and their impact on communities, as well as beautiful landscapes and portraits of people from all walks of life.
Art and Culture
Deep inside, I scream to be an artist. I am most happy in the presence of art. My photography is the first step in that direction, but it’s not enough, and I hope someday to frame it within a mixed media platform (just need more time, another elusive goal to achieve). In the meantime, I will continue to be a commonsensical self-appointed art critic of art fairs, craft shows, museums, private collections, and interesting artists. I also hope to engage you to find your inner creativity…Yes, we all have one.
As a community development practitioner, “Street Art” is something I feel connected to and want to share, as it is the art of the people with no fees to charge and certainly no curators defining the artist or the work. I am mindful that Street Art, in its recent evolution of street murals, is a gentrifier of low-income communities, which is both good and bad. The power of art in building communities is real, something all humans seek.
Reinventing Yourself
Whether you are a millennial, X-Gen, or Baby Boomer, we need to be more conscious of the long-term positive effect of self-care. Regardless of age, the benefits are there. Yup, I know all the excuses and struggles with weight, pain, health as I been there along with you. But that is only one part of it. The other part is how do we reinvent ourselves to learn new things, gain a new skill, be creative, get inspired, and find mindfulness from all the distractions and multi- tasking that we experience daily? Do you know on average folks check their phones 150 times a day —- a bit of distraction that is here to stay. I offer reviews of trends, products, books, films, and the benefit of a discipline to plan and self-care.
Serving Humanity
Again, as a community development practitioner, I worry about how brown and black families, immigrants, the homeless, foster children, and animals are treated in what is a capitalist-driven culture that is destroying the planet. I want to speak about these issues without getting into the weeds of partisan politics. I want to spotlight people, organizations, communities, and even public officials on the amazing work they are doing and the impact they are having in changing what is ugly and insidious in this world.
One More Thing…
Managing and growing a blog takes time, expertise, and a general understanding of the technical aspects of operating a website and blogging. I am blessed to have Jocelyn Diaz as part of my team in helping me sort through all of this. Jocelyn is a remarkable young woman with both marketing and graphic expertise that manages all the technical aspects of my blog. Regardless, whether we are in the same room or remote, we work seamlessly as a team, making this creative process a lot more fun.
I hope you will be curious enough to subscribe and be part of my growing community of challengers seeking a lifestyle with no limits.
One last shameless plug, be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates, photos, and stories on the road. Drop me a comment about recent posts or photos and share with friends and family.
Your committed blogger,
Grizel Ubarry
Jocelyn Diaz