Lessons from a Vagabond

LESSON #126: You’re never alone

Thank you does not suffice.

I started this journey with a one-way ticket and a backpack. Alone, looking for adventure. It hasn’t been all sunshine and roses, but it’s been fucking phenomenal! However, almost a year of travel on the Long Way Home has taught me that it’s never just about the place. Rather, it’s the people that make it worthwhile; that lift you up when you are down; that give life it’s value and it’s light. 

Over the past year, these people have been my lifesavers, my confidants, my road warriors, my comrades, my soul sisters and brothers, my rides, my dancefloor demons, my skinny-dipping dare-devils, my kaifers, my Madams, my Mom and my Dad, my drinking buddies, my fire dance partners, my midnight moon gazers, my magic makers, my reasons to smile, to laugh, and to make every moment count. Indeed they - and innumerable others - have all contributed to my transformation. 

A love so great requires no words at all. Let the picture speak for itself. 

Lessons learned

Condensed lessons from this life of travel. 

Photo from the Life in Turkey photo gallery. 

GOING HOME LESSON #125: Your tribe awaits, good sir.

I’m tired of hearing people say, “Well life’s hard”, “that’s just the way it is”, and “that’s what being an adult is” - No. That’s what being an adult is for you. Life has been hard for you and that’s the way it is for you. People want to believe that because they didn’t get exactly what they wanted out of life, that dissatisfaction and even unhappiness is somehow normal. Well I’m not normal. I am destined for a different path. I genuinely believe that. Not because I’m living in the clouds or have a superiority complex, but because life has shown me so. (Skip over to my About page to see for yourself.)

In my travels I have been brought into so many peoples’ lives - people who demonstrate that being an adult doesn’t have to mean “dealing” with life or just surviving it; people who thrive no matter what their circumstances are. I believe I am one of those people. They are my people. Tribe: found.

Yes, I have faced a fair set of challenges on this journey - ie, broken bones, broken wallets (jump to min 4:05), stranded abroad with no way home, you know. All that stuff. But I have not faced these challenges alone. Just because I haven’t accomplished my goals independently doesn’t mean they somehow lack value. On the contrary. They are exponentially more valuable because I have a community, love and support all around me. That’s not a bad thing, people. And guess what: it makes life a whole lot easier, more fun, and fulfilling.  

In the US, there is a can-do spirit, but veiled within is an every-man-for-himself mentality. A mentality that leaves too many of our fellow human beings out cold. Alone. Unhappy. Happiness is the point of life. What are you doing to ourselves?

Going back to the US, I know that I am going to be confronted with many ideas of what I “should” do and inquiries into what’s next. What is next? I don’t know. No one knows. I’m just going to continue living the way I have been: I’m going to thrive. 

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GOING HOME LESSON #121: Friends are like gold

Just days before I started this journey, I sat down with a couple of friends and had a conversation (video here). It was golden. 

Community is one of the most important and underrated aspects of life, especially in the West. Especially in the US, in my experience. It seems to be every man for himself. When my apartment burnt down my community shone stronger than I could have known. Mere acquaintances became life-savers, counselors, shoulders to cry on, and homes to count on. After I lost my home, my community breathed life into me. And it’s continued in my travels, reaffirming its importance in my life. For this I will be forever grateful, even to the point of tears. 

This being my experience, going back home - the States, the US, whatever you wanna call it - I’m going to take a look at my community and appreciate it for what it is, not what it can be. I am going to be still be in a state of need, of independent dependence. But love has always served me well. So I think I’ll just let that guide me. 

…and, as much as possible, act completely stupid. Preferably on a beach. :) 

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(Source: picturesandquotes.net, via louistshakoane)