A little over two months ago I embarked on a journey of seemingly minimal portions that has evolved (and continues to) to be one of the greatest things I have done to date. This journey that continues to unravel in profound ways was the path to becoming a yoga instructor through Corepower Yoga in Boulder. This is where I met Allen.
Amidst the rhythmic and chaotic circulation that we all sometimes find ourselves in, it eventually becomes essential to throw it all away, jump in a car and hit the road for a good old-fashioned road trip. This is exactly what I did with one tent, two friends and three days in the most beautiful state that I call home, Colorado. There is something about getting away from the city and moving into nature that allows time to slow and down and deeply moving and meaningful experiences to be felt. While I absolutely love the city life, there is nothing like being in the great outdoors. With minimum planning, we settled on a three day trip that would take us from Denver to Buena Vista, Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado Springs and back. It’s fair to say that we returned back to Denver wanting more of life on the road and inspired for the next adventure.
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.
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.
It is far too easy to get cynical about education; the questions of its potential, purpose and possibilities of impact often going down the cynical rabbit hole. Sometimes if can feel as though a never ending cycle of read and repeat, homework, sleep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOUVzdc02vc
The concept of escaping, leaving, getting away has always interested me as travel is often another synonym that is associated with the word “escape.” What are we trying to leave behind? What are we looking for? Why do we have a desire to leave? For me, it’s a restlessness that I often find myself in; a desire to find something new and that often leaves me blending into the crowd and standing out at the same time. Escaping can often have a negative connotation, but I lately think its inherently a part of being human, the need to move and discover. Last year I took a fascinating class about drug policy from an anthropological perspective and studied the theory of a fourth drive, a human thirst to discover different forms of reality. I think escaping might be the fifth drive, and for some of us, it is more potent or has been exposed more at specific points of our lives.
Kaila in the World 