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After my last sailboat delivery, from Charleston through the Panama Canal and up to Acapulco, (in a tiny, miserable Beneteau), I wanted a tattoo to grace my back; an Olde World-style map, tracing my voyages across oceans and seas. The image in my mind was not as luminous as the tattoo below, and I have since put it off my decision due to expense, lack of relevance to my present, and fear of *pain*! However, seeing this image, reading the accompanying poem (see below), has renewed that desire... What a work of art! O'Donohue's poem has the same affect on me as Mary Oliver's "The Journey": it winds me up and awakens the nomad, traveler, sojourner Goddess in me. Dare I? Your soul knows the geography of your destiny.
Your soul alone has the map of your future, therefore you can trust this indirect, oblique side of yourself. If you do, it will take you where you need to go, but more important it will teach you a kindness of rhythm in your journey. -John O'Donohue image credit: Unknown tattoo image My goals for 2014 were:
I look forward to new friends and amazing experiences! I will travel Asia and Oceania! I will save lots of $$$ as prosperity flows and flows and flows! I will open my eyes to no longer needed concepts and release them! I will remain my positive, cheerful self! I will renew my meditation/asana/ pranayama practice! I will commit more time to writing and creative expression like painting! I will start cello and/or taekwondo classes! I will start my Master's Degree! I will be a creative, compassionate, and skilled ESL teacher! I will build up my running mileage again and get superwoman strong! I will remain open-hearted and loving and shine my light outward for all to enjoy! I will continue to visualize radiant health, financial abundance, creative expression, and loving relationships! I will remain grateful for my awesome life! ...and so it shall be! And which did I achieve? Studying Statistics on a Saturday afternoon:
There's a possibility I need to learn some Probability And Geometry's as pleasant as having fleas Coordinate Plane is driving me insane Oooh, ooh, Algebraic Inequalities are causing spasms in my neurology... I need a tune for those lyrics. Anyone? (A not-yet-completed exposition on my unavoidable and imminent expatriation.)
(Stream of consciousness: My impending move. Emigre'. The permanent emigrant. Driven away by violence, poor health care, lack of job opportunities. Perpetual emigrant. Expatriate. Where to move next?) All the non-violent countries with excellent healthcare, social systems, and public transport are in cold climes! Is this coincidence? Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Korea, Japan. Did you know that Kuwait is considered a less violent country than America? Consider the amount of shooting that have occurred on a near weekly basis this year. Further, in January the Texas law of open carry goes into effect; meaning I can walk around like it's the 1800s with a gun on my hip. I could take a gun into the classroom of local Universities and even city hall. Americans cannot see the insanity of their actions that continue to create and ever-increasing violent society. I don't want to live in a land where I can randomly be shot on any day of the week. It's interesting to note that it is safer to live in three Middle Eastern countries than it is in the US–we who love to fear all things Middle Eastern! Qatar, UAE, and Kuwait have lower violence and crime rates than the US! (Source, 2014 World Bank, FBI–http://www.statisticbrain.com/safest-countries-to-live-in-the-world/) I wish to be decisively specific in my next move: careful consideration of crime rate, socialized medicine, social programs, air quality, food supply, climate, public transportation, job opportunities, affordable cost of living, and an overall viability for long-term residency. That said, where are the best places abroad for American Expats to live? I should specify that this type of voluntarily-expatriated denizen is open-minded and inclined toward acculturation and long-term or permanent residency, such as myself! ...to be continued Of all the many years I have been a Chef, I have only cut myself one time, up until yesterday. Last night I severed the top of my thumb, and in the ensuing blood and outer calm/inner tumult, I blacked out. I am lucky in many ways. First, I held my thumb up over my head and applied pressure, and as I began to notice the sounds of ocean waves in my ears and my vision dimming inward toward my pupils, I had the presence of mind to sit down at the table, while still keeping my thumb elevated. Second, I am lucky all my EFR ( Emergency First Response) training came back after I woke up: I never panicked, and I thought slowly and rationally about what I should do. (Select the "read more" button) A marvelous result of our socializing and introductions via social media can be true friendships. What began as a simple online workout accountability group has turned into a group of wonderful friends, several of whom I feel true connection to, as we share many similar challenges, struggles, successes, and intimacies. Sometimes a person can feel isolated or perhaps can't reach those closest, and so turn to their online friends for support. Sometimes it feels easier to vent highly charged emotions "anonymously" on the interwebs: even though this is not truly anonymous; one faces only a screen and keyboard, so it seems like solitary expression.
What is marvelous is when these "anonymous" relationships become concrete, even though you have not met. No, I'm not talking about my (bad) habit (ahem) of online dating, rather, finding commonalities amongst those you meet in various online groups, such as what my experience has been. Us gals rant and rave about our failures, successes, struggles, and wins. We bitch about our husbands/boyfriends/kids/coworkers/friends... and it's all confidential, intimate, and supported by encouragement sans judgment. Take note, most of us have not even met eachother, but we are bonded in sisterhood by by common desires and goals. We are a group who wants to be positive and supportive to women, and so we are! What I want to emphasize is that I have made some amazing friends who truly care about me, and I them, and they have demonstrated it beyond words. I have new friends in Georgia, California, Florida.... Australia! True, lifelong friends at that! I have me none and yet they have offered me a great token of friendship with a gift! They know I've been struggling financially since being unemployed since late August, and got me a gift card to Whole Foods! How cool is that! So, thank you ladies of FF Team for caring about me, for proffering heartfelt friendship, and for encouraging me and supporting me during this time! It means so much to me! I love you all and send you gratitude! |
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November 2020
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