Back in LA and very grateful.

IMGP0687

After traveling for nine months I’m back in my home town of Los Angeles. I had the most remarkable adventure, and it could not have gone better if I planned it.

I’ve been back for just over a month and it’s been an interesting adjustment. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been incredible to be back. It’s been good to spend time with my family, friends and Babs (my dog). I’m not even annoyed at staying with my parents. I get to appreciate them every day. It’s not that anything is different. It’s actualy the opposite. Everything is the same; I am the one who is different.

I’ve had unbelievable experiences, adventures, and conversation, I learned lessons that changed my life. I left the States confused and searching for some inner confidence. While traveling I was very present everyday to how grateful I am for the life I live; not to mention what an extraordinary person I am.

People have asked me, now that the trip is over, if My Grateful Journey has ended? I keep saying, “it’s just beginning.” To me the GRATEFUL part of ‘My Grateful Journey’ is just being present. It’s much easier to practice this while you’re traveling, waking up by a gorgeous beach in Australia, or lying in a hammock in Thailand. The real work starts now that I’m back in the “real word”.

Since I’ve been back I’ve definitely made it a point to slow dow , trusting that I can maintain the proper balance between work and play. Focusing on enjoying and appreciating my day has also made me realize how incredibly lucky I am. I might be at a party at the Playboy Mansion one night and surfing with friends the next morning. I get to live, work, and play in a very cool sand box made up of amazing people. I love the life I have created.

IMG_1154

In previous blogs I have mentioned a few lessons I learned on my journey. The lessons that really stand out to me are: Don’t sweat the small stuff, have trust, and embrace community.

Good and bad things will continue to happen everyday. By not sweating the small stuff doesn’t mean you have to be numb to them, but rather deal with them in a way that doesn’t allow negative thoughts or experiences to consume your time and energy. What ever happened, happened. It’s as simple as that.

To me having trust means: not second guessing oneself, being confident in the choices you make, and feeling that no matter what, things will work out.

As for embracing community, I was fortunate to meet and stay with so many wonderful people along my journey. Some were family I’d never met, others were friends of friends, and some were complete strangers who made me feel so loved and welcomed. In embracing community I put myself out there and made requests to people, asking for support and connections to all people I could meet along my journey. The response was overwhelming. To embrace my community and ask for support has allowed me to expand my community. To me the more you expand your community, the better life is.

So what’s next for me and “My Grateful Journey?” I’m grateful to be back in LA. I’m working on getting myself back to feeling one hundred percent after an ankle injury on my travels. I feel more inspired, confident, and creative than ever before. I’m currently developing a few projects based on my travels that would allow me to be back on the road in a few months. Stay tunned for the next chapters of ‘MY GRATEFUL JOURNEY’.

IMGP0627

Leave a Reply