72 hours from now I will be waiting in Honolulu Airport to board a plane
traveling west to what western civilization calls the east. It will be my first journey to a world rooted
in tradition that extends beyond the reach of British Imperialism (some of it), and further back than the days of Columbus. I will be observing, participating, engaging
with an open mind, knowing I may be relearning the basics, such as breathing, eating, walking, smiling. I am entering this new world in a state of
transition. I am not wiping my slate
clean, though I am beginning again with an experientially developed foundation.
As cliffs are formed by the prevailing winds, beating rain and the waves
of time, I too have been molded by the natural forces of this earth; the events that I have not foreseen or imagined, that have all befallen me while I enact growth on
this little rock. The cycling of randomness, the balance that surrounds it, and
the nurturing within it. I am a pawn, I am the chessboard, I am the stillness before the storm.
I am many things and I have lived many lives, and I am seeking not to
forget them, but to simplify them into a state of present awareness, where I
can engage with others as a better, more helpful self. My journey is one of
learning, and giving back. I am
indescribably grateful for all the people who I have crossed paths with and the
impacts each has had on my life. From
the friends growing up in New York to camping trips in the desert and the mountains, from
September holidays with family to the mentors who have guided me without
trying, from the island dwellers who have humbled me with their good natures and large hearts to the amazing people I
have met in just the last month and have shared experiences that I will never
forget.
I am ready to create new loops and finds pace from the persisting ones to
help gain perspective and move towards attaining a state of peace with
all that has and will transpire. I am leaving with this intention for personal growth and engagement with cultures I have not yet immersed
myself in. I travel to seek balance
between the diverse peoples and places of this world, to note the similarities, and to see how sustainable cooperative systems can be applied
across oceans, or simply shared with neighbors. I will be growing food, and learning how the
Nepalese and Thai sustain there ways of life (and thrive) without all the advancements of the encroaching
modern world.
I begin this travel blog, still on Maui, not fully ready for flight. The moment I
physically step on the plane and watch the islands become clouds as I ascend
towards the atmosphere will cement that all this is real and is happening. There will be postcards and pictures to follow, and new feelings and sensations to
describe. My eyes are wide and my heart is beating and and I will return, someday, soon myself.
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