Lessons in Life

Maya Angelou said that "making a living is not the same as making a life". I think Winston Churchill before her said something similar. I'm sure these words have been reiterated in some form or another over hundreds of years by insightful people who recognized a truth about human nature and the world we live in. Wise words. And food for thought. They are words that I've been pondering over for the last three years since quitting my full time job to pursue ...Life.

We have what seem like tough choices to make as we continue to be bombarded by the restrictions that society straps us down with. And by society, I essentially am referring to anyone and anything around us that communicates a message to us. That's pretty much everyone and everything.

My entire life was filled with ideas about what I "should" be doing. Nothing out of the ordinary. It's the same message we all get. Get a good degree. Get a good job. Get a good husband/wife. Buy a good house. Have some good kids. Make some good money. Have a good retirement. I was always on the fence about what to do.

As a young girl, I wanted to be a Buddhist but decided to sneak into dance clubs instead. And eventually, I got the degree. I got the job. I never quite got to the other parts. But I was still of the age where it wasn't deemed necessary ...yet. I was definitely getting close or at the point of my life where I was feeling the pressure of finding a suitable mate, buying a suitable house, and having suitable kids. I was uneasy about the whole thing. It seemed like a pretty long commitment, all these "things". And I wanted to see the world and continue to learn, without these constraints.

I took matters into my own hands. I took a drastic leap of faith. I left my job, packed up my apartment, and went to India. Three years and one Australian boyfriend later (we're still together), I've had the privilege of living in four very different countries - India, Australia, Peru and Argentina - where I've had the pleasure of seeing some of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. But more importantly, I've had the honour of learning some of the most important lessons I've ever learned. Namely, how be happy, how to forgive, how to trust, and how to love (myself and others). Basically, I learned how to live.

....Now I just need to learn how to make a living through Living. I'll let you know how it goes.

Let your mind start a journey through a strange new world

Social philosopher and psychoanalyst Erich Fromm says this:
Let your mind start a journey through a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be. Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.

I've spent the last two years on a journey of self-discovery that has taken me to India with side trips to Australia and Sri Lanka, and occasional visits back to my hometown of Toronto, Canada. It's in India (primarily Mysore and Dharamsala) that I was really able to delve into an intense yoga and meditation practice. I also discovered a strong affinity for Buddhism and its ideologies.

My journey continues as I venture off to South America, specifically the Peruvian Amazon to meet my partner who has already been there for 3 months having his own spiritual awakenings through the guidance of the mystical shamans of the region. This should be interesting.

What was I doing before all this? Well, prior to this, I was on a very different journey which mainly consisted of career (I was a marketing and public relations manager for a fashion company for 6 years), partying (aka "networking"), and just general excess and accumulation. It was fun for a while but never really satisfying, and eventually I just got tired of the hamster wheel. I just could not figure out what I was doing this all for.

So a couple of years back, I took a huge leap of faith and quit my job, got rid of my apartment, packed my bags and made a break for India. Without any real expectation of the road ahead.

It's a little Elizabeth Gilbert, yes I know. My partner is an Australian who lived in Brazil (not a Brazilian who lived in Australia), and I've never been to Bali (perhaps Peru is my Bali ...I guess we'll see). And unfortunately, I don't have a bestselling book on the market that has made me a household name thanks to Oprah. But I guess what I've realized is that my choices in the recent past are much more common than I thought. People question their life choices all the time and make decisions to re-direct their journey on a course less traveled but more fulfilling for them.

This blog is about attempting to unravel -- learning to focus on the journey not the destination. It's an exercise in letting go .... of expectation, of fear. What I mean is this.... by providing an outlet to share my experiences, I allow myself to be exposed. This is a frightening thought to me but I do in some way feel that there may be benefit not only for myself, in freeing myself, but also for anyone who might venture to read this. Also, some of my friends have suggested that I start a blog so they can track me on my travels ;)

There's no real direction or objective for this blog. It's simply a journal of a journey.

And the journey continues...