Moosh is Back!!!

Sara Pratt has returned to my life!  :) yay.  A little background about Miss Pratt...Sara was one of my first friends in Austin and at AustinDeep.  Her and Mari showed me the ropes..if you will, at the office.  She is ALSO the lady who sent me the link for The Young and Wild Expedition 2013... (5 month bike ride around the country)...we have both had a busy, soul searching, 6 months..and now we have reunited!  It is such a beautiful thing to share our stories and findings.

July 17th she had a pretty serious knee surgery, and was told recovery time would be longer and more intense than expected.  In yet still so positive and up lifting..always searching exploring the brighter side of situations.  She is such a gentle but strong beautiful soul :)  

It feels so rejuvenating to talk with her.  It is so good to see how much we have both grown and experienced.  

Today, was a beautiful day..my mind wondered in all of my massages today..more so as the day went on....At the end of the day, I came to accept where I was...as they say, "just be in the moment".  

I have finally realized where I am...and have come to accept...

I am lost and confused.  

For weeks now Mari has been telling me this truth... it was only today that I accepted it.

I accepted that being lost and confused isn't a bad or wrong place of being.  

Because it is real.  

Sara almost put such a simple truth into words for me that also rang true...

"Happy, is not the only state of being."

This is obvious, but today, I finally felt human...is this what humility feels like? (if so, it is more humbling than I imagined it)...

I figured that I would be done with the "lost and confused" phase when I wasn't alone in Washington anymore...but this isn't true.  

I am at peace knowing what I feel is okay...today, or any day...whatever I am feeling is okay.

Just because you are not happy does not mean you suddenly don't exist.  

Every other feeling that we can contain might even hold more promise than happiness or joy. 

Happiness is the gift...the prize...showing us we are on the right path.

The body is 70%-90% water.

We are mostly fluid.

We are constantly flowing.

It is patients and practice to handle the feelings that arise.

Thank you to my girls at AustinDeep.  Thank you Sara.

may 2014

Having a powerful conviction, I feel, is one of the most beautiful gifts of life. 
Not allowing the, social norm, judgment, or fear (from others ideas) slow you down is a beautiful challenge.

The last time I wrote a post like this..(my first post)..I was living out my dream (of that time).
I promised myself I would be living in Austin, working at the most ideal massage clinic I could ask for...and after a couple months of planning, saving, and packing.  I was on my way.

When I felt like I needed something more at the end of 2012...like I had concurred my goals for Austin...  Sarah Pratt, a wonderful massage therapist, friend, and teacher (I worked with at AustinDeep), happened to stumble upon just the right dose of adventure. 

While visiting my grandfather in Nashville for thanksgiving last year, I read over the link she sent me back in October...I could hardly contain my enthusiasm as I kept clicking and reading about this organization.  It was so perfect...
I emailed the expedition leader a few minutes later..
Praying I wasn't too late for the cut off date to join in.
Double checking the post to make sure I wasn't emailing about a post from 2006.

Anyway, now, a good, solid, 9 months later... I did go on the bike ride across the country.  I did create a community with beautiful idealists and creators.  I did cry.  I did laugh.  I did ride my bike alone, a lot, just like I wanted to.  I am so thankful for the opportunity. 

Currently, I am back in Austin...for the time being.
I am so happy to be welcomed back to AustinDeep with my lovely ladies!
I am so thankful to be in such a prosperous, thriving, beautifully, hot state..with a bunch of weirdos!
Austin is a great place to be...

BUT....(mum was waiting for the but, I know it ;) haha)
again, there is nothing like the conviction of truly living.
the current inside me seems steady when it comes to traveling across the world...I can't seem to drift too far away from that...

So, I wont fight it anymore..it can be overwhelming and stressful to think about...
how to make it all come together and happen..but as my good friend, Monica, reminds me, "Nature rewards courage"... I will set a date, and be on my way, nature will be by my side..if it is meant to happen.

I don't have a deadline to when I should return..and I don't necessarily intend on reading it like a book, either...however, I am excited for the date of departure to get closer and closer.
I don't really plan on having much of an outline to be honest...
I will take down contacts of friends of friends around the world to stay with..
I will become part of the WWOOFing community globally..
I will spend my time working for a few weeks to get to my next destinations..
I will volunteer my time for people in need of it...
I will be able to learn and practice ancient and modern massage techniques from different cultures..
I will ride camels, and elephants..
I will try to keep my feet on the ground as much as possible, instead of flying..
I will scuba the reefs and climb the mountains....
I will marvel at ruins, and march in protests...
I will learn new dances and have some great laughs...
I will meet and live with strangers...
I should pick up some of the basics in all sorts of languages..
I will learn how people do life..

When...?

I have asked myself this since the February...the beginning of The Young and Wild Expedition 2013..
I have come up with dates, calculated the months, tried to hold out....etc.
Now that I am being realistic with myself...

May 2014 (10 months)
Just enough time to scramble up some change.
Just enough time to enjoy my surroundings..to grow and learn from where I am now.
Just enough time.

I will plan out the first few places I will stay, work, sleep, eat.
For now I am looking into finding a job on cargo ship to China or Japan to start.
I also imagine I will probably have 1-3 people joining me along the way.

I will be looking for a good camera to post pictures on the blog a few times a week.
(considering I will have internet access almost everywhere and time on my hands)

I will be living way minimally here in Austin for the next 10 months...I guess I will be putting some of the tips I picked up from the bike ride and carry them on to be prepared for the next adventure.
(ex. I have been couch surfing with co-workers/friends since July 13 and will continue to until my apartment is ready September 5th..)

I anticipate the next 10 months as time to enjoy having a home, researching others experiences, visa info, making connections (networking/couchsurfing.com), researching job positions globably, wwoofing requirements..etc.

I hope I am being realistic when I say I plan on leaving with about $17,000 USD.
Making money along the way shouldn't be too terribly hard.
Plus it gives me the chance to get localized.


So here is to May 2014