Tag: Life

My 2017 World Tour

Click image for more details.

Right now my life is going through a serious overhaul. Like everyone else, I have also been going through significant changes. A friend once said that people generally go through big changes every 5-7 years. For a while now, my life has been stagnated, so it’s time to shake things up a little.

In less than two weeks, I will be embarking on a big adventure, where I will be circumnavigating the world for three months. I just came back from Iceland last week only to depart again very soon.

This involves leaving my job of nearly five years. While I like where I work and have made some priceless friendships at my job, it’s time to move on. I’ve already sold my 2003 Nissan Sentra, the only car I’ve ever owned for the past 14 years.

My journey starts in Cape Town, South Africa, where I will be attending AfrikaBurn, which is a Burning Man regional event. From Cape Town, I will then be exploring Southeast Asia starting in Ho Chi Minh City and ending in Bali, Indonesia. The last leg of my trip will be in New Zealand before going back home to Seattle.

This is a dream that I never thought could be made possible, and the gravity of it all is really weighing in now. I like where this is going, but it’s quite daunting to say the least. I don’t know what to expect. I haven’t felt this terrified in a long time. But there’s a kernel of faith deep down that’s always stayed with me, and it keeps getting stronger.

You know… I’m no stranger to pursuing my wildest dreams. The last time I felt this terrified was when I was 23, and that was a time when my life had hit rock bottom. I dropped everything and drove 3,000 miles to move to Seattle, the city of my dreams since I was 16 years old. Back then, I didn’t have the tools for coping with my emotional health, and while it was a very difficult time, I still made it work as my friends and family cheered me on. Because deep down, despite that I was very out of touch with my own soul, there was still that kernel of faith I held onto, even when on survival mode. The difference is being driven by inspiration rather than desperation: running towards what you live for, rather than running away from what you fear. Now that I’ve done two years of therapy, I’ve gained essential coping skills, including seeing from new perspectives without judgment. Keeping an open mind on healing is so important. So, now that’s with me, I will make this 2017 World Tour work.

There’s no better time to travel. I’m single and don’t have any cats of my own. I don’t own a house or a car, and have given away or sold many of my possessions. I just turned 30 and have a clean slate. This adventure needs to happen before taking on more serious endeavors. I have very little to lose.

The whole world has opened up. We keep going, in spite of fear. Time to enter the next chapter of my life.

It’s My 30th Birthday

Today is the first day of my 30th year. I get to start my age with a 3 now! Someone said that life really begins at 30, and I’m really feeling it. You guys…my heart is so full with gratitude.

Today I got to see some waterfalls and then visited the plane crash site near Vík. I’m still a bit injured, so I had to skip my long birthday run. Honestly though, I think today has been one of the best birthdays yet.

Stopping by Skogafoss Falls on the way to the fuselage.
The fuselage crash site: This airplane went down in 1971, and miraculously, no one died.

Growing older isn’t as bad as everyone says it is. Folks will dread it, and I just never really understood it deep down. I see where people are coming from–there’s the fear of losing the beauty that comes with youth, but I’ve always thought that to be a bit superficial. It just seems so arbitrary. I’ve always thought that real beauty comes from within. There’s so much clarity and experience that comes with age. Sure, my skin is a little drier and I’m starting to get creases around my eyes, but I have to say that I wouldn’t trade my newly found wisdom for a younger appearance. And that’s what’s so amazing about getting older: less shit bothers you as your self-confidence grows with experience in life. It’s stating the obvious here, yes. I wonder how many people actually take a step back and appreciate their own growth.

And it doesn’t stop there. There’s always plenty of room to grow. I can’t imagining ever stopping the process. One of the most important things I’ve realized is how much I don’t know about the world, and I wonder how much more my own knowledge and experience will grow by the time I hit 40. I can’t see that far. Kind of like how I couldn’t see where I’d end up in ten years when I was 20. Holy shit, I never would have seen that rollercoaster coming. But at least I came out the other side of that storm.

Happy Birthday to me.