learning to live

I have never been out of the United States prior to this trip, much less for two months. I am learning things that have completely blindsided me.  Before leaving my small hometown in Kentucky, my mother told me, “you aren’t going to be the same when you come back, you do know that this trip is going to change you?” Mom, I sense an evolution forming. Watching the way people across the world live, fighting off the fear of the unknown and setting myself free from the restrictions in my own mind. Being somewhere unfamiliar has made me kick in my survival mode and cancel out anything else unnecessary. Survival mode as in silencing the noise that makes it impossible for my mind, body and soul to fully live. 

Being away has forced me to not take a second for granted. While back home I unhealthily equated stress with productivity, but here I have the luxury to add in adventures and new faces. There is no reason to stress. I do not have an agenda, I don’t sleep with my iPhone, I don’t worry about anything other than the present. I don’t know whether to credit that to the South African style of timing or the beauty of getting away.

I have signed up to take yoga classes at a studio right by where we are staying. Not being able to work out has been extremely difficult, yet not to my surprise I have gotten used to it. I am an extremely solitary person. I work very well socially, but I prefer to be alone a lot. I am forced to do everything with somebody, which is hard too. Working out is usually my complete and exceptional moment of solitude, but being somewhere known for crime, you just can’t go too many places by yourself fresh off the plane.

I ventured today out to the Obs Holistic Lifestyle Fair that our neighborhood holds on the first Sunday of each month in the Winter. Today was one of those so-beautiful-its-heartbreaking kind of days, we all knew it was rare and would slip away, so therefore must be enjoyed to the fullest. The fair was graced with a 65 degree day full of sunshine and well-behaved winds. The fair had everything from tarot card readers to jewelry designers. I have always wanted to be one of the regulars to things like this back home, but somehow always seemed to busy myself up. Being away has allowed me to rethink what should be in my agenda. Most of all, being away has allowed me to take the time to learn how to live, and enjoy doing it.