"I am you, You are me, We are One"

Among the many amazing things that happened to me on my wee journey… was an influx of little epiphanies/ revelations / “penny dropping” moments. I would like to say that one day when I was sitting beneath that beautiful fig tree (pictured below) I suddenly had the mother of all ‘Ah ha!’ moments, but alas most of my experiences were of a more subtle nature. In fact they were more rediscoveries or… creating a path from my head to my heart where my understandings could travel with ease.

One of these “rememberies” that has reappeared today is that of ‘interconnection’. No matter how we look at it, we are all an element of an incredibly interconnected masterpiece. I realize this again and again when I meander through the musing of others and find myself exclaiming, “No way, I was thinking the same thing! Or, even when I am made aware of the incredible acts of charity happening throughout the world, people giving and caring for one another as though they were family.

Without detracting from the beautiful individuality that colours our world, we are all essentially beings trying to survive, trying to find love, trying to find a space of comfort and security. When you understand the interconnection, you suddenly start to realize how much we inevitably affect everything around us, how a simple action or word can have massive repercussions on the lives of others. This can seem terrifying, when you start to care, how easy it is to unknowingly make or break somebody else. Some say ‘do unto others as you would have done unto you” others will call it karma or even cause and effect, at the end of the day the message is unanimous~ when you look into the eyes of someone else… it is impossible not to see a slightly distorted reflection of your self looking back, I’m reminded to take the time to actually see that self.

Home sweet home

Home is where the heart is… I am home.

After 26 days, traveling 9026km (give or take) to and around Mexico and back again… I am finally back in Japan. Not that I could really ever refer to Japan as technically being home, it was where I left a significant piece of my heart and so it is very special to be reunited.

The thing is however; a large part of my ‘coming home’ happened way before I left the sunny shores of Baja, it happened without going anywhere except into my heart. Coming home has for me, essentially become about realizing that, we are always home when we are living true to ourselves or at least attempting to.

I have been studying, trying, pushing, examining, etc for ages in order to become better acquainted with places and spaces in my heart that make up the essential me, and then, when I finally let myself just become something I wanted to be (a yoga teacher, a friend, an adored wife), suddenly there I was. A little more of me.

In order to recount what happened during my travels I would probably have to divide it into 2 segments… the external journey and the internal journey. I feel at this stage, both could be epics and so much integration and consolidation is required before I start spewing out random recollections. So, I am going to let my story emerge slowly, with purpose in its own sweet time, perhaps here, perhaps in conversation, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is, here I am, almost home on so many levels.

My happy place

Here are some pretty tree pictures... again I apologise for not having their links... they have been stored in a folder for some months, please feel free to claim them if they are yours.

My last 3 posts have been about my trivial tribulations ... my sincere apologies. Today has been a beautiful and reflective day, I have done my yoga practice, made our meals with intention (not breaking any dietary guidelines), fine tuned a few more of the details regarding my trip and grounded. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I am a blessed soul who lives in abundance in many forms... so today I just want to express a little gratitude.

I have 2 beautiful families, I have found my true love, I have my health, I have opportunities and potential, I have dreams and accomplishments, I have memories and stories to tell, I am grateful.

Today over lunch, The wondering wanderer pondered over the ridiculous human tendency to take things for granted. I am pretty sure we all do this to some degree, maybe some more then others. Do we take what we have for granted because we are constantly desiring more, do we no longer see what it right before us because we always have our eye on the next prize? I don't think it is wrong, especially in our youth to have goals and dreams, but I do think we do ourselves a disfavor by not appreciating what we have already and what we have already done.

Sitting inside with the best husband in the world, eating our hot veggie soup, while a freezing, Siberian wind howled and rattled around our house, I felt quite comforted that there wasn't anything else I wanted right then. So here (for me) is a list of things I am grateful for, in no particular order...

family, the best husband in the world, trees, trees, summer, avocados, juicy~ dribble down your face fruit, red wine, yoga, sunsets, sleep ins, candle light, harmonica music, acoustic guitars, marmite, good books, pretty pictures, hot baths, chai tea, paper cups, bunting, butterscotch flavors, men with beards, old cars, surfer boys,trees, charity stores, Winnie the poo, henna paintings, sun dappled patches of earth, cheesecake, twilight, incense, the colour green, organic clothes, traveling, trees, photographs, soup, ugg boots, old jeans, cuddling, tear jerkers, picnics, braais (bbq's), fresh air, open space, the beach, little hands and feet (obviously not me... I appreciate them on little people), laughing, smiling, tickles, kites, sail boats, fairy lights, snowmen, origami cranes, flowers, bicycles, vanilla, long walks, smiles on strangers, holding hands.

That's today's list.

Inspiration

My favorite word is ... inspire, I love how it sounds and what it means. As a teacher and a student, inspiration is a tool that resonates deep within my soul, it is the epitome of living by example, not directing, expecting or telling others what to do, but instead doing something so beautifully that a motivation, desire or yearning is ignited within them to manifest something new or better for themselves. I love how inspiration leaks into all the corners of living, I love how a great loser can be more inspiring than a winner. I love that one doesn't need any specific talents to be an inspiration, that we can inspire others just by how we choose to live our lives or engage with the world. Inspiration is beautiful in that the more you aspire to inspire, the more you improve your self. I love that when we inspire others we give them something of immeasurable value and yet it costs nothing. Inspiration to me in so many ways is the key to happiness and contentment, by finding inspiration and being an inspiration we are endlessly enriched. On my thirtieth birthday I sent a simple message to the handful of people who have been and inspiration to me, it read:

"To my inspirers,

Albert Schweitzer

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

Today I turned 30 and for the first time since I can remember I am thrilled about my birthday (which is strange as most of my peers are wincing about this life-mark).The reason however, is because I feel as though I finally have an inkling of who I am~ I am content with this ‘me’ (although it is and will continue to be a work in progress). I realize now that all the ups and downs, accomplishments and failures are all a part of our journey. I realize too that we should take the time to acknowledge our blessings when we can~ and today YOU are mine. You (some unknowingly) have given me something i value tremendously… inspiration. Most importantly, you have given me the will to hopefully do the same… inspire. So here is my little list of whys, just skip to your name if you find it tedious or syrupy…. Thank you, for helping me to be the best me I can be!"

The responses I received were heart warming to say the least.

This is a quote from No Impact Man ,also an inspiration... (you can find the whole article here) "I love the word "inspire." It has the same route as to respire, to breathe. To be inspired means to have the breath within in us. The breath of what? Some might say God. Some might say something else. But the breath is within us. The compassion and wisdom is there. We are allinspired, filled with the breath."

Today I urge you to seek inspiration, to be an inspiration and thank those who have inspired you.