On Moving Forward
"Inherit the Wind" has this amazing quote, "All motion is relative. Perhaps it was you who moved away- by standing still." I have found that life is a narrative. We live in chapters. We flourish in one, strive to flourish, in another, quietly accept defeat. My New Zealand Chapter is coming to an end and I'm not sure what to make of it. It wasn't like the online photos. Not like the books that hold other worlds in them- worlds with trees and mountains and lakes that are larger than life, Shakespearean. But Shakespeare never came to New Zealand. It would be impossible for his words to describe what I've seen and what I've felt. There were moments of defeat. Money wasted on a car that will earn us $100 in a bidding war. A car worth peanuts now and accruing parking tickets. There were moments when I wanted to see the sun rise and fall on the most beautiful land I would live to see. Beauty is relative, too. Early on I found myself aching for the Roman Forum, Rievaulx Abbey, and the many structures that stood through time.
But I worked at a vineyard, saving vines by day and driving on a beach covered in seashells and clams. I've dug for my dinner. I saw a shooting star in the most silent night I have ever been a part of, in a sky full of the universe and promise. I sat by the shore of a turquoise bay with sight-seeing helicopters overhead and bagpipes playing behind me, the hot New Zealand sun warming me through my layers. I've taken a tea break while nurturing blueberry bushes, befriending bees, and reading to my heart's content. I cycled the Marlborough region while sipping delicious wine, and stayed at the most comfortable B&B that ever existed. I jumped from a plane at 15,000 feet and soared toward the earth at incredible speeds until a parachute pulled me to safety and showed me how content the earth was from above. Everyday a palm tree sat happily in my backyard, swaying in the Wellington breeze while downtown bustled below. I struggled through a bushwalk and rode a pig and peed in a compost bin for days just so I could work on a house made of recycled materials.
And now I head south in 2 weeks to see a glacier and the fiordlands before I go to my childhood dreamworld, Australia. And then I'll laze on the beaches of Phuket and see the historical sites of Bangkok.
I have found contentment because I've realized how very lucky I am. How very blessed. And, if it weren't enough already, my adventures are accompanied by my very best friend and soulmate. And I get to finish off my journey in San Francisco where I'll see old friends and in Boston, where my family waits. And my extended family, all those who have taken care of my heart and my soul and my dreams. And then I get this gift of education. Emerson College will teach me how to teach and maybe I can help others to see their luck in life. Maybe I can help others pursue their dreams and open their hearts.
Excuse me, please, as I've had a couple glasses of a fantastic white wine from Blenheim- Toru, a blend of gewurtztraminer, riesling and pinot gris. But I hope to count my blessings as often as I can and to live in and for the moments of their existence. In short, I am in love with life and all of its extraordinary turns.
But I worked at a vineyard, saving vines by day and driving on a beach covered in seashells and clams. I've dug for my dinner. I saw a shooting star in the most silent night I have ever been a part of, in a sky full of the universe and promise. I sat by the shore of a turquoise bay with sight-seeing helicopters overhead and bagpipes playing behind me, the hot New Zealand sun warming me through my layers. I've taken a tea break while nurturing blueberry bushes, befriending bees, and reading to my heart's content. I cycled the Marlborough region while sipping delicious wine, and stayed at the most comfortable B&B that ever existed. I jumped from a plane at 15,000 feet and soared toward the earth at incredible speeds until a parachute pulled me to safety and showed me how content the earth was from above. Everyday a palm tree sat happily in my backyard, swaying in the Wellington breeze while downtown bustled below. I struggled through a bushwalk and rode a pig and peed in a compost bin for days just so I could work on a house made of recycled materials.
And now I head south in 2 weeks to see a glacier and the fiordlands before I go to my childhood dreamworld, Australia. And then I'll laze on the beaches of Phuket and see the historical sites of Bangkok.
I have found contentment because I've realized how very lucky I am. How very blessed. And, if it weren't enough already, my adventures are accompanied by my very best friend and soulmate. And I get to finish off my journey in San Francisco where I'll see old friends and in Boston, where my family waits. And my extended family, all those who have taken care of my heart and my soul and my dreams. And then I get this gift of education. Emerson College will teach me how to teach and maybe I can help others to see their luck in life. Maybe I can help others pursue their dreams and open their hearts.
Excuse me, please, as I've had a couple glasses of a fantastic white wine from Blenheim- Toru, a blend of gewurtztraminer, riesling and pinot gris. But I hope to count my blessings as often as I can and to live in and for the moments of their existence. In short, I am in love with life and all of its extraordinary turns.