I beg young people to travel. If you don’t have a passport, get one. Take a summer, get a backpack and go to Delhi, go to Saigon, go to Bangkok, go to Kenya. Have your mind blown. Eat interesting food. Dig some interesting people. Have an adventure. Be careful. Come back and you’re going to see your country differently, you’re going to see your president differently, no matter who it is. Music, culture, food, water. Your showers will become shorter. You’re going to get a sense of what globalization looks like. It’s not what Tom Friedman writes about; I’m sorry. You’re going to see that global climate change is very real. And that for some people, their day consists of walking 12 miles for four buckets of water. And so there are lessons that you can’t get out of a book that are waiting for you at the other end of that flight. A lot of people—Americans and Europeans—come back and go, Ohhhhh. And the light bulb goes on.

—Henry Rollins

(Source: runouttheguns)

the more i travel, i have begun to realize that things like “organic” or vegetarian food preferences, are a cultural luxury. i’m not at all saying it’s not possible. but such a privilege really. at least you know it’s local. they probably shot it out back. it’s unsure what hormones, but probably none. all you can really do is make the best possible food choice with the options you have. you loose weight though, because you don’t eat so much. you’re busy, or distracted.

Shootings in Colorado; bombing in south Thailand. Come on people. When will we learn? At what point did we have to write the ten commandments down or make laws so people realized killing was not ok? Where is our basic level of humanity? Our compassion? Others lives are not up to you to decide. No matter what you believe. I’m sorry the world was not good to you but you get what you give.

the past couple weeks have been a trip ya’ll. i worked so hard, and achieved something i’ve always wanted- PADI Scuba Dive Instructor, and it feels sureal. i’m on my way, and doing big things. i hope you all are too. because we deserve to live the way we want. 

a week ago, after completing my instructor, i went out to this hostel called Rick N’ Roll in Phuket, by my house. the owner, Rick, about a 40 year old show business guy from Vegas, and you can’t help but giggle at him. he loves thailand and moved here because he loved the life and has built something here, it doesn’t seem odd at all. in the past few weeks, i have gone back to Rick N’ Roll over and over, to meet the kids and hang out with fellow travelers and backpackers… people like me. although i am here to work and have a legit job, i can relate to these people. the nomadic life, no home, that’s me. and over and over again i find myself meeting inspiring AMAZING people. and feeling so blessed. and blissed. all over again.

last week i met 2 guys. Jesse from Holland (traveling for 6 weeks then back to school, 24) and Grekko from Mexico (been studying in Australia and Bali for over a year) and decided, “hey, i think i will go with you”, at about 11 pm the night before i left. and what a blessing it has been! 2 really really really good guys. Grekko looked at me today on the beach, floating in the water and said, “this is a good life” and “you brought something to this trip, without you it would not have been the same”. and i am so blessed to be a part of this cosmic overture. whatever it is. i feel like i’m floating. and i trust the universe to provide not necessarily what i want, but what i need. and to put in it the people that will teach me something, so that i can also teach them. 

2 “moon” parties down. days on the beach, where the sea anemones smile and the light twinkles. where the sun promises another day. and where i sit, and remember, how blessed i am. but trust me, there is no such thing as a direct route here. even getting to Koh Phangan was hard. 800 baht (22 USD), 20 hours total travel time. on a bus, in a pick up, back and forth, onto another bus, peeing in a hole with no toilet paper, to a restaurant, in a pick up, 3 hours where we get fed, then with a bunch of other travelers, to the pier, wait and drink, 8 hours overnight on a boat with rows of little areas you can sleep, then arriving and getting a tuk tuk to anywhere. wandering the beach, tired, exhausted, with backpacks, looking for a bungalow. just by feel, guessing. 

and honestly, the best thing i can experience. i feel as though i never know what will happen in one month, where i’ll be. but i’m confident i will be exactly where i should be. doing good things, teaching the world about something i love. what else could i ask for? 

thank you ALL, namaste.

it’s sureal. almost strange. something i’ve been striving for my whole life. right in front of me. how ready am i? how prepared am i? i donno? i guess as prepared and ready as i should be. if i waited until i thought i was ready, i would never be ready. that’s it. so, here i am. and it all starts tomorrow. the boiling point. my time to exhale. 

most ppl around me are studying right now. but i figure, at this point, i either know it or i don’t. and all my years of college have taught me that what i don’t know at this point, isn’t gonna change. and i’ve given this my all. i’ve studied harder than i ever have in college. ever. i’ve filled my brain with anatomy, physics, pressue, density, biology, physiology, and every-other-friggen-Ology you could possibly think of.

so i guess it is my time to exhale. 

every night i have been mediating lately. sitting in silence. sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s hard. the buddhists call the busy brain, “the monkey brain” cuz it swings from here to there. that’s my brain now, “the monkey brain”, and i refuse to let it get me. i have been living my light and seeing myself accomplishing all the things i’m here for. that’s where my energy goes. to the positive. i’m not gonna spend my time saying, “i can’t” when i could say, “i can”. what’s better?

where are you putting your energy? your words? where is your inspiration? i dare you to genuinely ask yourself that.

because i bet you’ll stumble on your words.

hey all,

i haven’t written much in the past 10 days. the IDC prep started last monday, then wednesday we started the actual Instructor Development Course (IDC) which ends on the 13th and the 14th and 15th is the IE (Instructor Exams), so there’s a lot to do and it’s been really stressful but, as we like to call it, “serious fun”. but hopefully, less than a week today (fingers crossed) i will be a certified PADI instructor! AH! 3 other candidates here with me, which is nice. we do everything together and go through all the homework. we are constantly studying and preparing for presentations in the confined water or open water. so far all of us are doing really well. Andy is our PADI Course Director and he is hilarious. hasn’t had anyone fail yet! he says we’re a relief after the last group <and they still passed> so clearly, we’re off to a good start. 

today we did our first Open Water Presentations and pretended to teach a class new skills. it’s fun because Andy assigns the “students” problems and we have to demonstrate the skill and catch what they do wrong to correct it. we’ve all been scoring well above what you need for these presentations during the IE (which is a 3.5/5). today i got my first 5! yahoo! Koi is from Bangkok and her and i might head to Bali for a 5 days and go diving for less than $500 dollars if we can swing this deal right. i need to get more dives in and Bali is… well, Bali. AND cheap. so we’re gonna see if we can possibly manifest something if i can afford it. 

things are great, i’m so excited. gonna start lookin for my own place in 2 weeks when i’m done. got a good lead on a bungalow right now. gotta check it out. miss you fam. 

hope you had a fabulous 4th and didn’t suffer any major burn injuries. 

love you. keep radiating.