“Parte del camino alrededor del mundo es conocer personas, conectar, apegarse, desapegarse.”

Lu Correa

(Part of the journey around the world is meeting people, connecting, attaching, and detaching).

A new moon sits before me, a full lunar eclipse, blood moon, and retrograde behind me. My learning and growth during these celestial phenomena has been substantial.

I’ve struggled with speaking my voice, letting my true authentic self manifest for a handful of reasons. I’ve been labeled difficult, challenging, all the ‘b’ words, and more when I would speak my mind. I’ve been told to be more this more that and less that. So I listened less to my intuition, second guessing my true nature and feelings. That way of living was no longer working; I was frustrated in many aspects of my life, and not living passionately and joyfully. I was trying too hard to be something other than myself.

A set of circumstances created an opportunity for me to reset my soul, find my voice, and choose what mattered most to me.

I said a trepidatious ‘yes’ to the opportunities and bought a one-way ticket to Barcelona, Spain (with Unsettled), another ticket to take me from Barcelona to Split, Croatia (with BeHere), and yet one more to take me from Croatia to Athens, Greece for a total of nearly 90 days overseas.

My natural self is an introvert, so agreeing to have unknown roommates and spend thirty days with a group of people I’d never met was frightening. But, out of those first thirty days came two of the most important people on my soul searching journey. These two kindred spirits helped me dig deep, be honest, and return to my true self. They did not judge and because of them, I can write this post and feel more joy, freedom, and love. They journeyed with me to Croatia, after just meeting in Barcelona, we formed deep bonds over adventures and misadventures in language, love, and life. We met and connected, became deeply attached, and detached to move on our separate paths in Greece, Serbia, and Germany. 

I’ve met others along this journey, connected over a shared experience, drinks, and activities, formed attachments, and then detached to continue our individual trajectories. We parted with no concrete plans to meet again, simply knowing that we weren’t actually saying goodbye, but rather a ‘see you later’.

These people and encounters made me realize a few truths as I reflect on the last few months and look forward to the journey ahead:

• First, I truly believe that everything has a purpose;
• There are no accidental meetings or chance encounters;
• We have something to learn or receive from those we meet AND/OR we have something to teach or give to those we meet;
• We may not understand why people enter and exit our lives, but we need to be open to receive and let go;
• It’s essential to be our true, authentic selves, unapologetically and candidly, by finding and using our authentic voice;
• Love and other gifts are to be shared, even if for fleeting moments, as these things grow when we share with others;
• Finally, we need to let go of the outcome of our desires and intentions because what we receive may be different from what we imagined and will better serve us.

I’m in a magical place geographically and with that magic comes the responsibility to share what I’ve learned, use my authentic voice, and be open to what’s next in this great, grand adventure.