From the Eyes of a Gypsy
It's 2018 now. Wow. Where has the time gone? I'm currently drinking a cup of delicious coffee, reflecting on the past 2 years. Trying to comprehend this thing we call life.
I don't have anything planned for this post. I am going to let whatever comes to my mind flow through my fingers and onto this screen. I want to write about things I have learned over the past 2 years since starting my nomadic journey.
A hunger for adventure is what brought me here.
There are an abundance of things that come to mind when I think of things I have learned. The first thing I think of is patience. Patience for all things. When traveling and living out of a van you learn to take a step back and move slower. I have had to understand that things do not always go as planned. They usually never do. Anything from the van breaking down and being stranded in the middle of no where for a week with no service (yes, that really happened) to having to be patient with the person you are living with in a small space. I notice it the most when I visit my home town. I am able to see a contrast between how I use to be, how I have evolved and how I am am continuing to grow.
I have learned that carrying unconditional love for all things means living in a state of pure happiness and joy and is what I aspire to embody. I have learned that you cannot feel one end of the spectrum without experiencing the other. Love and hate are very real and they reside in the same hand. There is a balance that is required. Most people are dancing on a thin line of both. I have learned that growth is an endless process. If you think you have mastered something I guarantee you haven't. There is always more to know and more to practice.
More times than not I have experienced the soul crushing realization that those who have nothing give the most. They know what it's like to be without. People are only doing the best they can with what they have. Strangers who have had no reason to trust me have opened their homes to me, cooked me homemade food and inspired me with their stories. And let me tell you, those meals are everything. Not because of the ingredients but rather the hearts that were poured into each meal. The fingers that so selflessly made something out of nothing. I have hopped into the back of strangers trucks who have drove me for miles without asking for a thing in return. Their language is compassion.
I have learned that the sky tells stories. Anytime I feel alone I look up to the stars and know that I am protected and safe. I have learned that the sky can also bring people together. Each sunset spent with the company of others will never go forgotten. Every full moon, every sunrise, every stary night and comet filled galactic ocean, all filled with peace and serenity. The laughs, feelings of awe, and silence spent is something truly magical.
You are always provided for. I have learned to never question the divine plan. Going against the grain will always take you an hour longer. What I mean by this is is that you do not have to ever worry about money, food, shelter, transportation, etc. Trust that things are exactly how they're supposed to be. Have faith. And you will always be taken care of.
People are text books. Everybody has their own story to tell. This is hands down my favorite thing about traveling. Stories woven together by strangers who become family. Their spines carry stories my lips may never have the strength to tell. Their curious eyes are soft and welcoming. Their hands are strong and determined. I never miss the opportunity to hear somebody's story because one day I will have my own. This is just the prelude.
I have met people who have immersed me in their gentle hold of an imagination left untouched by this world. Lost in a dream they have not yet learned to abandon. I saw my reflection in their ocean eyes. I watched as they played barefoot in the sand. As they ran back and forth across the glimmering shoreline making sounds of joy. As dusk slowly tucked the slivers of golden light beneath the horizon, I learned something that evening. I wish to be like them, someday. A child again.
As I reflect back I am beaming with joy. I can feel every cell tingling in my body. Craving more. Seeking more. I hope to write more on the things I've learned through travel. For now, this is what I have. Take what you will from it. Remember to take a step back and view life from the passenger side sometimes. Don't take thing too serious. And live from your truth. From your heart. And of course always remember,
YOU. ARE. A. BAD-ASS.
Stay inspired,
Yours Truly
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