Tuesday, April 23, 2013

My brother from another mother

Traveling has always been a passion of mine. I have seen some of the most beautiful landscapes, photographed the most captivating architectures, and enjoyed the most delectable dishes and foods from around the world. The people I have met, however, are what have made my adventures more meaningful and satisfying. They have given me a chance to connect with and learn about other cultures, that I may have never experienced otherwise. They have given life to my worldly trips and have put joy into my heart.

The most interesting person I have ever met while traveling is a young man named Paul. We met while traveling through Europe and the connection was instant. We were like family. Why? Well, interestingly enough, he looked almost identical to my youngest brother, and was about the same age. He even had a personality like my brother's and his sense of humor was strangely similar as well. I shared that with him, and from that day forth, he called me "sis".

Brother Paul (as I called him, "BP" for short) and I traveled to 7 countries together, along with the rest of our groups, and we were inseparable until the day we parted ways in Paris, France. We laughed so much and shared so much about our "real" families, that we started to really feel a strong bond and we knew that we would be friends forever.

I was delighted to be able to give him guidance and influence him as a real big sister would, and I thought it was so sweet that he looked after me like any brother would. I loved him for that, loved him like a brother.

I had tears in my eyes that day in Paris. BP was heading back to his hometown in Australia, and I was continuing my travels in Spain. We hugged each other so tight and welcomed each other to our homes in our respective countries. I found a shirt that said "My Sister Went to Spain and All I Got Was This Stinkin' T-Shirt" and mailed it to his home as a souvenir. He was so surprised and grateful. I just wanted him to know he was special.

Since that trip, Brother Paul has not made it to the US and I have not been able to travel to Australia, but we keep in touch via Facebook and we have many memories and pictures to keep us connected. I hope to one day soon surprise him and pay him a visit. I can't wait to see him again and catch up. I'm sure it will feel like it was only yesterday we were drinking Prosecco on a gondola in Venice and toasting to "family" with our pints of beer in Munich. Ahh the good old days.



This post is an entry in the "Win a Trip to TBEX Contest" sponsored by WeHostels, Webjet, and TBEX.

Wish me luck!

Monday, April 1, 2013

whatever your heart desires


What do you really want? What is your heart's deepest desire?

These are questions I have recently asked myself, and when I try to think of the answer, I can only come up with another question.

How do I know what my heart's desire is?

I'm learning, little by little, that to know your heart, you have to quiet your mind. Your mind is quick to pass judgements and make assumptions. Sometimes your heart is too soft and sensitive to your mind's opinions, that it may just numb itself. I think that's what happened to me.

I let my mind give me all my guidance, or at least lead me to it. I let my mind make all the decisions. I allowed myself to believe that life was all about the hustle. Work, work, work for a better future. Future? There is no such thing!! Maybe in my next life. But in this life, it's only the present. I don't want to spend my whole life planning for a future that will never come. I need to start living life now!

I realized that I was out of balance. I didn't "have it all together", as much as I thought I did. My mind and body may have someone been aligned with each other, but my spirit longed for something so different.

I started listening to my heart. I started writing again, to see what my heart would say. My heart wants to be free. Free to feel, free to love, free to explore, free to create, free to simply be. My heart seeks truth, it seeks wisdom. It seeks to be forever present in the eternal moment of now.

I have learned that to fulfill your heart's desire, you must learn to let go, and just be the creative being you were designed to be, and not let your mind convince you otherwise.