Livin' la vida loca

Tonight I was meant to be on a date. I cancelled. I just wanted to go home and just be. This past week, life has really thrown me around in all directions, quiet literally. Today is my first day of just being. No running around from one place to the next, just a simple day. I just wanted to go home after work and cook, recalibrate and regroup after a whirlwind.

In the space of a week, I had an amazing long weekend up in Byron Bay with the girls, reigniting the inner gypsy in me. We had a ball eating our way around the town, hitting the beach, having our palms read by an interesting man on the street and of course some retail therapy. We then returned to real life and I was getting ready to embark on a non-eventful few days ahead.

Just when you think you have a good grasp on your life, surprises can come out of nowhere.

That's what makes life exciting! On Thursday afternoon I was spontaneously invited to attend a health  industry professional event in Melbourne by a person in my life that I call my real life Guardian Angel. The ticket was available and it had my name on it - if I wanted it! Oh my, I went into overdrive. There was no way I could say no. Before I knew it, I was in Melbourne, immersed, inspired, still pinching myself that I was there. I was surrounded by people in the industry that I really admire and respect. I relished every moment. 

In between all of this, I was actually having pretty serious dramas with someone at my work place, I wasn't going to let it derail me or burst my bubble...no way.

It occoured to me that sometimes you think that you may be lacking something in your life and then you come to realise that what you want or yearn for is actually coming your way - you just need to be open to it!

My trip to Melbourne was short, yet sweet and unforgettable. Dashing off my flight from Sydney, I then headed to an amazing afternoon at a networking event by The Relauncher, again surrounded by like-minded souls, I felt like I was bursting at the seams with energy and inspiration. I had a pitt stop home for sleep and then a road trip down to Canberra for work for two days.

From Byron Bay, to Sydney, to Melbourne, back to Sydney and then to Canberra!

My dear friend asked me today if I missed galavanting around. We haven't known each other for all that long, but she does know me so well.

I get bored easily and love change, so I thrive instances like the past week, with everything happens at once and you really just need to ride the wave. I also realised that I need to ground myself as much as possible during those times, so I tried as much as possible to not get to out of whack - whether it be jumping into the ocean, exercise, walking through a beautiful park, drinking a great cup of tea and just enjoying the present. And the reason why I am home tonight and not on a hot date :)

Some weeks can go by with nothing significant happening, almost forgettable and then others, like this past loco one for me, will be etched in my memory forever.

A modern-day gypsy

The last few years have seen me travel to some amazing places throughout the world. I often refer to myself to a modern-day gypsy, I thrive on change, moving and exploring. So in 2013, I made the conscious decision to stay put. No big, grand plans to conquer another place. It was a hard concept for me to grasp, but I can say this with the benefit of hindsight now, after travelling through Bali and India the year before I needed time to regroup. I put myself through so many life changing experiences, it was time to make sense of it all. So after a trip to the Gold Coast hinterland for a few weeks in February, I didn't enter the airport again until this last weekend. It was a long time, I needed this break, but I was getting withdrawals. I won't lie, there is never a time that I don't drive past the airport, see a plane in the sky or when I hear a travel story, do I yearn to get back onto a plane to wherever life wants to take me.

It is funny, that the very thing that makes me feel free and alive can also unnerve and unsettle me to the very core. I learnt that I can be a tourist in my own neighbourhood and still feel the joy I experienced when exploring the globe. Realising that I can tap into these core feelings, here in the comfort of my own city and that there are ways to feel this all the time was a huge 'ah huh' moment for me. So for me, living and breathing a beach lifestyle has made me feel more alive than ever before, going on road trips and simply being around people who energise are all activities that conjure up the same feelings I get when I travel.

Not that I am placing any lesser value on travel, I think it is essential to my growth and development and I hope to travel for the rest of my life. This weekend I set foot on a plane again for a few days away up in Byron Bay with the girls. The inner gypsy in me became reignited. Such a short trip, yet it meant so much to me, being away from your bubble really gives you the capacity to see things in a different light, my inspiration was on over-drive. 

 Stories to tell, experiences shared, laughs and giggles, time seems to be cherished so much more when you travel.  

      Good times in Byron

I have come back home recharged with energy and zest...and maybe some more travel ideas to start looking into!

Twenty seconds of courage

During my magical time in India, I spent a few months in Mcleod Ganj. This is the town where the Dalai Lama is based and there is a huge Tibetan refugee community here. I arrived in the town not really knowing what to expect. I didn't really have much planned when I first arrived in the country and when I was trying to work out next steps, I kept referring to my bible sized Lonely Planet and for some reason I would always open up the page to this little town. As soon as I arrived, I completely fell in love. Everything fell into place for me quiet quickly. What I initially planned to be a three week stay, turned into just over two months. I loved the small town, with 3 main streets, life was so insular and simple. I went to study Ayurveda in the mornings, would catch up with friends and then I would go to work at the Rogpa Baby Care Centre in the afternoons.

There are many westerners coming and going throughout the town. Many coming for the Dalai Lama teachings, some come to learn yoga, many come and volunteer. There is a lot to do for everyone. It is such a melting pot of cultures with your obvious Indian influence, meshed in with a strong Tibetan flavour and every other culture combined together. This was the perfect combination for me, as I was able to meet people from so many diverse backgrounds.

One morning, while I was enjoying breakfast in one of my favourite cafes, I was reading one of the many books I had picked up on Ayurveda. A much older lady came into the cafe by herself to eat breakfast too, she was seated in the table opposite me and came over to me to start chatting about the book that I was reading. It happened that the lady knew the author and there started our instant connection. I asked her to join me for breakfast. Meeting kindred spirits makes my heart sing. I think that is why I travel so much, you tend to meet them when exploring the world. We had a lot in common. It was nice. 

I always find it funny how you can connect with a person you just met, tell them your life story, your hopes and your fears without any qualms in the world. 

She sat and listened attentively to my story. I sat and listened to her in awe. I call her a guardian angel. I never saw her again. But the mark she left on me, will always stay with me. When we parted ways, she left me with these words of advice

All you need is 20 seconds of courage...

The sun can rise and set in the matter of a few minutes. Enough to turn darkness into light. We too can change the course of our lives from our comfort zone to raw, open, freedom.

                                                              A magical Indian sunset 

Today, as I was pondering on matters of vulnerability that have come up in the past few weeks and has left me quiet raw, I remembered those golden words. I went out at lunch to a local card shop and found a card to release all of those words from my heart that just needed to be said. To me that wasn't as hard a deal, as actually putting the card in the mailbox. I almost chickened out, but then I remembered that all I really needed was a few seconds of sheer, brave courage. I have had a few thoughts cross my mind, thinking of how I can somehow reverse this card, maybe I could go and get it from the mailbox before the recipient receives it, but alas it is a bit of a trek. I am more at ease with myself knowing that my moment of courage today has made me stronger and more vulnerable than ever before.

My advice to you, is to do whatever it is that freaks you out, whatever it is that you have been analysing again and again, do what it takes to go beyond that. No expectations. Just sheer courage and strength.