TALKING ABOUT TRAVELLING THE WORLD AND COLLECTING SMILES with Yvette Summers
Hi Yvette can you tell us about yourself?
I was born in America in the mid west a place called St. Louis, Missouri. The gate way to the west. Wow! I am truly blessed at this moment I am in South Africa and since I arrived I have been treated like a Queen by BLMG.
You are fit, fly and ageless, what advice would you give to women who let age define or restrict them?
As we know age is just a number our souls are still the same as when we were 15 years old it's the shell on the outside that changes. Also I never tell my age I always tell people I'm whatever age they think I am. I can hang with all ages and treat the 21 year old the same amount of respect as I would treat a 60 year old.
What are your secrets?
My secrets are I do not drink alcohol or they called them spirits or smoke cigarettes . I try to eat food that love me back. For so long growing up in America I ate a lot of junk food so now my body have a difficult time with sugar, bread , pork and process food. I choose not to eat them anymore. Ok once in a while I will have a little yummy dessert. lol Also I am discipline I try to every morning just a short 15 or 20 minutes workout with someone on you tube and I pray. Thanking God for another day.
You are known as " A smile collector " what does this consist of?
It consist of me smiling at people and sometimes I will stop and take a photo with a person to give them a chance to stop and be present. Because most of the time most people or either in the future and they have anxiety or they are in the past and they are depressed. The only time we can feel happiness is when we are in the present moment. When I smile at people they feel like they can approach me and they feel safe. And ladies if you are having a problem meeting men try smiling because it works wonders. Believe it or not most men are scared to approach you. But if you smile it makes it a lot easier to approach you.
You are also a percussionist , dancer and singer. How did you get into this and how long have you been performing?
One of the greatest percussionist in America was Bill Summers and I was married to him. He was a lot older than me and he had a lot of wisdom. I always loved to dance but when I married him he taught me about the African Diaspora. He was very much into his African heritage. This was very inspiring to me because I was the girl that grow up in the Midwest and knew nothing about Africa. That all change when I met him. I met some of the most knowledgeable legends in Afro/ Cuban culture who where my teaches like Cuban Master Lazaro Galleraga and his daughter Martha Galleraga
both are masters of and world class musicians & dancers. How many years have I been performing? Many years..lol can not give you a specific year because you will add up numbers and know my young age.. Lol
What are you most passionate about?
Making someone's day with a smile and dancing like it is no body's business.. :-)
You are currently travelling for a living, what were the circumstances that underpinned that decision? how are you finding it?
Since I was a little girl I had the dream of travelling around the world. When I started travelling as a musician I loved it. Being with Los Hombres Calientes band which was nominated for best Latin Jazz billboard award and also nominated for a Grammy allowed me to travel many places uplifting people with good live music. When travelling as a musician you do not get a chance to explore the city because most of the time we are in and out. But now I love travelling alone because I can stay as long as I desire and also I am free to explore and show up at places and let the synchronicity bring me beautiful experiences.. And I love it because I meet so many Awesome people along the way. :-)
Which countries have you visited so far and what have been your experiences?
Wow.. I have been in many countries in Europe, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Austria,Bratislava, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Italy , Monaco and South America, Mexico, Cancun, Jamaica, Aruba, Brazil,Cuba, Dominican Republic and Canada- Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Africa- Morocco & South Africa maybe a few other places I am missing. oh and of course many states in the USA.
I have been ask many times which country I loved the most and I would say that every place gave me something special and I found beauty everywhere. Yes I am a nature girl so I find myself in parks soaking up all the good vibrations in nature. From birds, butterflies, squirrels and all the different beautiful tress. This is where I reactivate from all this good energy and fill up with gratitude. :-) The people in all of these places are actual the same a human that enjoy celebrating with good food, good music and lots of laughter. Yes for the most part people are really great beings and want the best for their families & friends. But you would never know by watching the news on television. It becomes relevant to what we need to be happy as far as what we choice to do as a living. Some places I have travelled belief you need to work work work to be happy and others feel like just finding what you enjoy doing and taking it easy and it works for them. They are not interested in the hustle and bustle of life. Does not make them lazy to just living according to their environment. For instance there is a little place in Cancun called Puerto Morelos and it's paradise. The place is really laid back and they are enjoying the ocean as their backyard and feeling the present moment. Pretty much everyone is living their passion. Where as a place like London is I got to go go go and I got to see see and I got to get the money money money. I say do whatever makes you feel good.
What advice would you give someone who is considering travelling for a living?
I would say do it.. Treat life good and show up in places and let the synchronicity gives you the best experience ever. Do not worry how you would communicate because a Smile is a universal language and everyone can understand. Of course you can research about your places you will travel and you can also learn to say the basic hello, goodbye and thank you and more but never let not knowing a language stop you from travelling and enjoying your experience. You got your Smile and it will bring you joy and delicious experiences. :-)
YVETTE SUMMERS THE SMILE COLLECTOR
https://about.me/yvettesdestiny