Trying A New Type of Travel

I'm not sure why, maybe because I only decided I was going to take the flight about 12 hours before departure, but when I thought about what to pack for my weekend trip to Catalunya (Spain) last weekend, I kept going back to this thought of, "Just take your every day backpack, no change of clothes, and go." So as I was taking down my rollie backpack from the closet, which is by no means a large backpack, and laying out the clothes I would pack, it was no surprise that my conscience kept putting more resistance in my heart and chest with each item I picked up to pack. And then it hit me: 

Why on Earth are you even thinking of taking anything!?! You're going to be in a different city each day, wandering around the whole time, why take anything? 

You don't need ANYTHING. 

Just go! 

So in a great feat of relief, I abandoned all, left it on the couch as an act of defiance, and decided on what one outfit I would wear for the whole weekend! I ended up going away for three and a half days and three nights, with my small leather backpack that I use every day, and packed in it the following (amount of stuff can be seen above in the selfie-mirror pic):

• One extra tank top
• Leggings and a t-shirt to sleep in/use as an alternate/"going out" outfit (the leggings are psychedelic and kinda sexy)
• Three pairs of socks
• Toothbrush/toothpaste/mascara/face wash packet
• 1 pair of underwear
• Swimsuit bottoms
• Poi balls
• Kindle
• A book
• Journal/pen
• Camera
• Passport/money/ID

I didn't take my phone charger, knowing that would mean I would have to leave it off most of the time if I were to have any battery to contact my friend in Barcelona, who I'd be meeting up with on Sunday (which turned into Saturday). My phone actually died right as I was walking down the street to get to her place, and right after I was able to show the street names to someone so they could point me in the right direction. It served me long enough to Instagram a couple photos in Girona, look for a hostel/figure out how to get to it, Whatsapp my family and some friends a couple times, and know how to get to my friends place. I happily survived from Saturday afternoon until Monday mid-morning without it. 

I wore jeans, a tank top, a scarf/wrap, a light jacket, and ankle boots, and tied my denim long-sleeve button-up around my waist, and had my Spirit Hood around my neck. The outfit that I ended up wearing on both Friday and Saturday, and pieces that were incorporated every day/night I was gone. The extra tank top I took with me, I only wore during a nap I took on Sunday, paired with my swimsuit bottoms, that I wore as underwear that day as well. I borrowed a dress and sandals from my friend on Sunday, and wore them while I biked around town, but then wore my pajama bottoms (the leggings) and the tank I'd been wearing the last two days, when we went out dancing that night. My pajamas then served as my travel outfit on Monday morning, mostly because the flight left at 6:15am, and I couldn't be bothered to wear jeans at that time/to travel. Granted, when I got home, all my clothes were dirty, but I personally love coming home from someplace when unpacking only requires that I throw everything in the laundry basket. 

Normally, I don't like to wear jeans when I travel, because all of mine are quite tight, and it's not that comfortable for travel. Leggings or maxi dresses/skirts are my preferred travel clothes. But for going to Barcelona, the flight is an hour, and I knew all my other travel time (on buses and trains) would be under two hours, so it wasn't a big deal. 

This was the first time I'd ever actually brought into reality my knowing that to travel, you don't need to take a lot with you. I usually take enough clothes to change each day, and what always weighs me down are converters, books, and journals. This time, I decided I didn't want to go with a phone, and I just wanted to have complete freedom. Since I went without a real plan (no travel or sleeping arrangements booked/payed for, or knowledge of when/how/where I'd go), I didn't want to have anything holding me back. It was a weekend to just go into the world of Catalunya, with God, and without an excess of material items. 

And it. was. GOOOOOD!!

I felt so liberated to know that when I woke up in the morning I could only put on one thing, in turn wasting zero energy or time on "what do I put on today?", and knowing that I was alone and had no where I had to be at a certain time, left me with such an incredible sense of freedom. I wasn't in a rush for anything or anyone, and I was just floating around the streets, knowing I could go where I pleased, because I didn't have anything to lug around. It was a taste of the minimalist lifestyle that has left me hungry for more. (Somewhat ironically, I suppose, since it's a style of living with less.;) And where I usually am carrying around extra weight in fruit and snacks "just in case" (I'm always hungry/snacking), I didn't want to add anything to my pack, and decided to just fully trust that when I got hungry or needed anything, God would provide. And that's exactly how it went. (Except for the dark chocolate almond bar I always had with me. Whoops.)

When I decided I was hungry or wanted a snack, I'd say, "I want a banana. I want to find a fruteria (fruit shop)," and just like that, within minutes I would come upon one! When I decided I didn't want to eat in a restaurant, but instead just take my fruit lunch somewhere nice and enjoy it, God led me up and up some mysterious stairs, until I found myself on top of a hill, alone, with an amazing view of all Girona! And when I decided, okay, I'm going to find a place to sleep now, He said, "Ok, sounds good. And by the way, you're going to get a private room for the price of a shared dorm, because I want you to continue in solitude. It's what you and I need." (Read more about this here.)

View from where  I ended up having lunch

Literally every step of the way I was cared for. It was the most incredible thing to just follow my inner guide and let It show me the world I was meant to see and feel. To live fully in the moment, and not worry or plan for the next, was remarkable. It was necessary. It was perfect. It was a glimpse at how we are meant to live.

And now as I sit and write this, I have a perfect view of my closet, and I see an abundance of clothes and shoes, and while I am full of gratitude at my ability to have these things, I know none of it matters, none of it's necessary, none of it can take care of me the way living in the now and going with God can. And that's powerful, powerful knowledge to have and hold.

I highly suggest going on a last-minute, unplanned and unpacked trip. Just get in the car, on a bus, train, or plane, and take nothing more than a journal and some extra socks with you. Go with God, and live for the moment that is. The meditative freedom that it brings into the soul is so magical. It transformed me, and I'm still gathering the benefits of it all! I have become a born again traveler, and am now going to go with as little as possible always. Less is more, that's for sure!

I hope that the calm, present feeling that I have can be felt by any and all, and that you have an amazingly blessed and beautiful week! 

Blessings, Love, Light & Peace 

<3

Why Waste a Day? Why Waste a Life?

I think one of the greatest parts of our journeys here on earth lies in figuring out our passions and finding ways to incorporate them into our daily lives, if not make our lives completely center around and serve these passions. It is not an easy task, as the societies many of us live in want to crush our creativity and make us all one in the same. However, it can be done. There are many people who have followed their hearts and are wildly successful.

I should clarify that when I refer to being successful, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with money. We have grown up thinking that how much money you make determines how successful you are, and that is such a crock of crap. Success could better be defined as living your life with purpose, passion, and drive; and being full of joy in nearly every moment you pass through. Money has so little to do with happiness, contrary to what many think. The richest are often the most miserable, and the poorest most joyful.

Here's an example: 

This summer I was living with a small portion of my wardrobe. I woke up, looked at what I had to put on, and generally put on something I'd worn twice already that week. But did I care? Did it bother me? Did I feel like less of a person or part of the world? NO, not at all! So far from it! And you know what else? No one else cared or commented either. Now, back in Sevilla with all the clothes I have this side of the seas, I find it makes the process of getting dressed more stressful and frustrating. Instead of just reaching in, grabbing, and going, I consider, look, and spend time having to try and care when I could spend it doing more valuable things (ie. reading, writing, exploring, praying, talking, sharing my moments). Bottom line: having more doesn't necessarily mean you have or feel more.

So why do so many people spend their days in jobs they hate? Living in a town they can't stand? Sharing their time with people with whom they feel no connection or interest? Or wasting their days in a situation that doesn't make their souls happy and hearts smile? I will tell you why... it's comfortable. But you know what? Comfort is overrated. Highly, highly overrated. And there is a quote that wraps it up perfectly, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." (Neale Donald Walsch) 

We are living in a day where the days seem to pass quicker than they ever have before. The pace of life only continues to move faster, and we're left on the 18th of the month thinking, "How did we get here already?" It's freaky, it's weird, and I do not really like it. Every morning I write in my journal to God. I tell Him things I'm thankful for, things on my mind, or a small review of what is going on in life at the time. And even though each morning I write the date, I never cease to be amazed at how quickly it seems I'm writing the next one.

One morning I realized that the only reason why it freaks me out that they pass so fast is because I am not fully satisfied with the way I lived the day before. If I was living each day full of passion and love, then I would never be panicked that I'm already putting down the next day's date. I would be excited, happy, proud, and ready for the day, knowing that the goodness I'd put into the previous one was going to carry on, into, and through the now.

This is all part of the practice of being happy in the moment, no matter what that moment might be. A practice that we must actively work with each and every moment we're alive. The hardest possible practice we could ever take up, but the most beneficial. Because if we can master the art of just being happy and loving no matter what, we have acquired the key to life, and success, the real kind. So let's all take a vow, to do a better job at being, a better job at loving, and giving our best to really living each day fully and happily!

If you knew tomorrow you would die, would you be okay with that? Would you be ready to go? Satisfied with the time you've spent and the things you've done? I know I'd be pleased, but not completely satisfied. And that is what I am vowing to work on each day -- I want to be fully alive, and utterly satisfied!

Wishing you the best and brightest on whatever endeavor you're currently conquering, and hoping that it might be life! :)

Blessings, Love & Light, sweet souls <3