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Coming Full Spiral Turns One!

Happy Spring! A year ago today, I decided to start a new project on personal growth. I decided to direct my creativity towards writing and documentation in the form of a blog. Today, Coming Full Spiral turns one!

This blog is about personal growth one day at a time through creativity, travel, mindfulness, connection, and vegan health & fitness.

I believe that, instead of following a linear path, life is more of a spiral. As a person grows, they often come back to some of the same points in life on whole new levels. I created this blog mostly for documentation of how I go about this life–How I’m expanding my own world through self-care, self-love, connecting with others, and taking risks. Here, I wrote about my travels, self-care guides when it comes to mental health, healthy vegan recipes for a compassionate lifestyle, and even shared some of my visual art.

In addition to expression, I also learned the technical side of blogging. This included learning the complex platform of WordPress, SEO, and using social media to connect with my audience. The next thing is monetization of this blog, which is a little scary to think about. Once my audience has grown enough, it’s more feasible.

If you have been following for a while and if it inspires you, that’s great! Rather than projecting the message of “if you can dream it, you can do it,” my mission here is to show how life can be taken one day at a time while keeping an open heart and mind. Eventually, things fall into place better. In the mean time, I’ll be posting more as my mental health continues to further improve. Happy reading!

Cape Town: Last Day

It is my last day in Cape Town, thus ending the first leg of my world tour.


After AfrikaBurn, a group of friends and I set out for the Garden Route. Unfortunately, I had to sit out for most of the activities because of the norovirus, the stomach bug that many people caught during the festival. It didn’t hit me until after the Burn. Good times!

The two weeks spent here has already showed how differently people go about their ways. For instance, South Africa has a water restriction enforced, and it makes one more conscious and mindful of water consumption. When driving, we noticed how other drivers are more cooperative. There’s less ego-driven behavior on the road. We saw more drivers sharing the road as intended, instead of controlling it. During the Garden Route journey, one of the friends in our group left her phone at the AirBNB we checked out from. The owner actually went out of her way to chase us down just to give it back! Maybe the last example is more out of the ordinary, but so far the whole experience been astonishing.


This morning I went running for an hour and met these two very sweet Muslim women who were handing out roses for anyone.

They are part of an organization called Who is Hussain, which is one that strives to create positive change in society by giving back to their communities. I was hesitant to tell them where I’m from, thanks to our current administration. But they didn’t judge me or really give any reaction other than smiles and warm welcomes to Cape Town.


Muslims are so misunderstood; people find it easy to fear what they don’t understand, especially in our current events. But how many have actually taken the time to get to know one and have an actual conversation?

My next stop is Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, thus starting the second leg of my world tour. It’s also the longest part, stretching seven weeks. Southeast Asia is where I will actually be on my own. Everything is left open with that itinerary. I really don’t know what to expect. I’m looking forward to it, but the one thought that keeps returning is, “what could possibly go wrong?”

Backpacking the World with Osprey

Blogger’s note: This post is not sponsored by Osprey. After doing research on what kind of backpack is best for travel, I settled on the Osprey Sirrus based on my needs.

First stop: Cape Town, South Africa. I’m actually waiting at the airport terminal as I write this. I’m bracing myself for the 35-hour journey to Cape Town, South Africa. It will take three planes to get there. First, we go to LA and board a plane to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and finally Cape Town. The flight from LA to Addis Ababa is the longest stretch, clocking in at nearly 20 hours. Never have I been so excited to take a Benedryl to knock myself out during this one.

And! Let me show you this sweet new Osprey backpack I bought just a few days ago.

I had a unisex backpack from High Sierra that came with me for the Iceland trip. While it looks cool, it was difficult carrying it around, as I was expending a lot of energy trying to keep my back upright. This eventually resulted in back soreness. I’m in pretty good shape and can go for long distances, but this backpack was making me feel winded after walking up and downhills for a mile. It was concerning, because how was I supposed to travel the rest of the world if it made me feel this tired?

I kept hearing how comfortable and easy to carry Osprey backpacks are. The frugal nature of my lifestyle had held me back from actually purchasing one. After deliberating of whether or not it’s worth splurging extra money for a new backpack that eases back pain, I decided to just go for it. It is, after all, a three month worldwide trip. Back pain should be the least of my worries. Besides, there will be lots of walking around; l really don’t want to be regretting my decision for not buying a quality bag just to save a few bucks. It’s not worth it to me.

The Osprey backpack was purchased through Amazon. I found it funny how the bright purple one was $50 cheaper than the dark purple or black one. This might be because that color is less in demand. I like all three of those colors, so it was easy to pick the cheaper one.

When it comes to picking a wardrobe for three months, I chose 11 pieces to mix and match. I stuck to mostly greys and blacks, with some blues thrown in there for good measure.

The tops include one dress, one breathable button down shirt (Ex Officio), one moisture-wicking long sleeve shirt (Oakley), one moisture-wicking tank top (Oakley), and one sleeveless cardigan.

The bottoms include a pair of shorts, convertible pants (The North Face), a pair of stretchy hiking pants (Prana), a long skirt, and two pairs of leggings.

I do my best to be as practical as possible. Most of the bottoms and the dress have secret pockets sewn into them. That’s where I will keep my passport and payment cards. Those should be kept on a traveler’s person at all times, as bag snatching and pick pocketing are common in SE Asia.

I also have clothes for exercise. Also, I do have a separate bag for costumes for AfrikaBurn that’s happening outside of Cape Town, and those will be donated after the Burn.


And then there are the other essential items, like toiletries, small electronic devices, vegan snacks, drawing supplies, a couple books (I never got a Kindle), first aid kit, sewing kit, and including but not limited to a three-month supply of all my medications. I just hope none of the border patrols make a big stink about them. Thankfully, I do have a big folder containing all of my travel documents, including my medical reports listing those medications.

My nerves were having a bit of an anxiety storm yesterday, but it was just that: a storm. It eventually passed. Probably these feelings of worry are normal. I’m doing okay now. It feels like I have everything with me and that I did enough preparation for this big adventure. The next time I update will be in Cape Town. Stay tuned as I take off into the world!

Welcome to Coming Full Spiral!

Hello, World! This is the first post of my new lifestyle blog, Coming Full Spiral.

My name is Ronnie, and here I will promote personal growth and healing through art, vegan health & fitness, travel, mindful living, and connecting with others. Blogging isn’t new to me, though it sure has been a while.

I live in beautiful Seattle, WA, nested in the Pacific Northwest corner of the U.S. of A.

I love making healthy vegan food. Clean eating is important to me, though sometimes I will indulge in the occasional vegan dessert.

Exercise is a big part of my life. I run 30-40 miles a week and have finished two full marathons, along with countless smaller races. Taking care of my body means taking care of my mental health, too. Endorphins help me get shit done. I also love running in style.

I really, really like cats. In fact, I practically am a cat in a human’s body. This cat here is one that I live with. He’s actually my roommate’s, but I say he’s all of ours. His name is Goose, and he’s a total cuddlebutt. Meow!

Occasionally, you’ll see me post some of my artwork here. I have a separate online portfolio for that, though. Please visit www.ronnie-art.com to see more of my work.

I will also be posting about aspects of my life beyond what is listed above. Travel is about to be a significant part of my life. I will be departing for Iceland on Tuesday. I. Cannot. Wait.

Cheers,

Ronnie.