It won’t stop popping up on my Facebook newsfeed, (actual) news sites and has been on my mind for the last few months. China has reversed it’s One-Child policy. A policy that is arguably the reason I am where I am today and who I am today. Before I continue further, some numbers according to BBCNews.
I am catching up on the past while trying to be in the present and planning for the future and its quite the overwhelming, but quintessential life experience and I love and hate it all at the same time.
Life is a series of events that none of us are ever fully prepared to experience. But we do. And that is the beauty and tragedy in it all. None of us can plan for anything when we can’t predict the future. We can only live in the now and make conscious decisions that move us to a positive future. As I catch up on the last few weeks of posts, I thought I would start by sharing one of the greatest set of days; the kind of day that you can’t plan for and just say yes to because you know that it is fleeting, magical and rare.
“An apple a day keep the doctor away”
This is a phrase all of us know too well; a concept our parents and doctors growing up indoctrinated us with to encourage us to eat our fruits and vegetables in order to grow big and strong and have a healthy life. However, what if we looked at this as a hike a day keeps the doctor away.
There is always something special going on in the universe during this time of the year. It is an immense time of change from an environmental perspective with the earth shedding its layers from the growth of the spring and summer. It is also a time of change from a personal perspective as a student as well. No matter what year a student is in school, adjusting back into the semester after the initial excitement from the beginning dies down is a major transition. I don’t think we as humans give each other enough credit for how we cope with everything going on. It’s okay and sometimes mandatory to be extra kind to ourselves and sleep another hour, have one more piece of chocolate or sit outside a little longer and ignore the lists we all have sitting on our desks and counters.
College is the epitome of a beautiful conundrum. It is failing to learn and learning to fail, figuring everything out only to realize you know nothing, interacting with the best (and sometimes the worst) people and realizing that every moment of life is flying by and you might as well enjoy it to the maximum because none of us know the future. No class inside or outside the classroom can teach that. Embrace now.
Lately in life I have been lost in the world (as opposed to school). I have been far too distracted and interested in the world (and less in my reading) and can’t seem to stop moving; its as though I have an endless adventurous twitch in my body that won’t let me sit still. I had an amazing weekend and went on countless adventures, mostly by myself which was kind of perfect. I think a lot of people have a huge fear of being by themselves, solo and alone. I think there’s no better way than to be my yourself; we all are stuck with ourselves our entire lives, so you might as well learn to enjoy it.
(If you want to find the video link to our road trip adventure, scroll to the bottom of the article. However…if you do you will miss out on the best part: storytelling!)
There comes a point during an given amount of time in life where it is required to pack a small bag of clothes, grab your nearest friend, a family member, some kale chips, chocolate and hop in the car and hit the road for a good ole’ American road trip adventure. It doesn’t matter the distance or destination, but the open road calls us all at some point. As humans, I believe we all have an innate need and desire to explore and go somewhere beyond the current environment we know.
Wheel pose at the top of Mt. Bierstadt
I started doing yoga when I was fifteen for the reason that 99% of people start, for the physical component; it can’t be denied that many types of yoga are a great workout. Over the past five years, my yoga practice has evolved as I have come back to it, taken a break and come back once again. This past spring I found myself getting significantly more into the practice of yoga, exploring the bounds beyond just the physical practice and experiencing the more mental component that is so powerful. After a month long break this summer due to traveling throughout Southeast Asia, I came back to the practice in full force that was fueled further by the return to school and Boulder. This past month I have tried to practice yoga five to six times a week, only skipping a day when my schedule prohibited me from attending a class. This last month I have become hooked on yoga and have seen the biggest transformation within myself. I attribute this to own evolution in yoga; the realization that I now practice yoga not just for the physical dance, but for the spiritual, emotional and mental as well.
Simply said, life is about pushing yourself. It is. We are only able to on this earth for so long and while we are all here, we might as well push ourselves mentally, physically, spiritually and in every other facet to never stop changing, learning and evolving. I had an extraordinary weekend starting with dinner and Pearl Street with my friend Amy on Friday, taking first year students on a sunrise hike on Saturday morning (which is my job…amazing that I get paid to do what I love), getting a ticket to see the Dalai Lama and an amazing evening in Macky Auditorium at the Tedx Talk Boulder. The Ted Talk was one of the most inspiring events I have ever been to and one day here’s hoping that I will be giving one! Big shoutout to Trace Bundy who performed at the event and absolutely blew me away. Youtube him. He is a musical genius and I felt so emotionally connected to his performance; nothing short of earth shattering.
Kaila in the World 