I have so much to tell you...

"In that dream I'm as old as the mountains, still as starlight reflected in fountains... I will see you someday when I have woken, I'll be so happy just to have spoken. I'll have so much to tell you about it then."
-Fleet Foxes, Grown Ocean

I have been putting off this post for so long because I don't quite know how to put in words the inner awakening I feel I have experienced.  The thing is, I felt so alert, so alive and awake, but this feeling comes and goes as it is something one must work toward maintaining.

Enlightened.  Yes, I felt enlightened.  I was hesitant to use this word as I thought maybe I was putting myself on my own little high horse, but I know what I felt and it was real. 

After being in Hawaii, I spent a month with my sister who was a brand new momma to my nephew Cullen.  Oh what a wonderful feeling it is to hold new life in your harms.  Can you believe that helpless creature that can't even look you in the eye yet, you were once the same thing?  It's amazing to think someone had to do all that for you once.  Even more amazing is the thought that this little body you're holding in your arms has the potential to be so many things.  He's a clean slate, a blank canvass. Nothing can match that feeling.  When I have my own child to hold, I know it'll feel like that times ten because I'll be so relieved to get that darned thing out of my body!
My new momma sister makes me want to be a momma someday too!  I know I'll make a great mother someday- even today, for that matter, but I have so much to learn so I can share with them :) And a wild woman spirit I feel called to satisfy!

After being with my sister, I got to visit friend in Winnipeg for a couple days.  The ride there was a bit of a adventure... the greyhound was more comfortable than I might have thought, with Wifi and a few new friends to talk to along the way!
Being in Winnipeg felt like  a big rollercoaster of emotions, learning to let go of relationships how I knew them, letting go all together of the life I once had.  It was a big step in my growth, and I might have held on to some things had I not gone back on this trip.

Following this trip was another personal adventure westward! I ran out of money, so the bus wasn't a great option and rideshare, again, didn't work out like I had hoped, so I decided that it was my time to hitch hike.  My first ride happened to be a good friend of one of my closest friends!  I texted a few friends in Regina and next I knew I had 3 options of places to stay.  I was off to a good start. 
I really enjoyed hitch hiking alone.  Every part of it actually...

• waiting (I danced to my ipod, made a lot of people smile on the way.)
• talking (making conversations with total strangers made for some new subjects I hadn't yet considered and learning in a new way
• perspective (talking about things in a way I might not have seen otherwise)
• stopping in places I'd never think to go to - like a pine forest just to take pictures of ourselves doing yoga poses in a forest!
• not having to drive, but being a source of entertainment  for the driver
• experiencing how people care about one another, whether they are kin or not

My family and most people I know would consider hitch hiking to be incredibly dangerous, but with a good head on your shoulders, a knowledge of direction, being prepared for the good the bad and the not seemingly great, it's quiet possible to take the plunge.  Remember: be prepared for the worst, but  99% or more of people have good intentions and when you have good intentions and positive thoughts, the world will give you everything you need. (sometimes more.)

When I got to Calgary, a Couchsurfing host was waiting for me in their home!  (www.Couchsurfing.com is soooooo great...) A lovely couple, with so much to share about their travel in India and many other places.  They love doing active outdoor activities just like me too!
I also met a young man from the Couchsurfing website who is from Egypt.  A few days later , I met another fella from Israel and saw them at the same time.  It was so interesting to hear them speaking about the Israel-Palestinian conflict from both sides, each with so much passion but also curiosity.

Well, I spent a few days in Calgary with my new friends who all  really made me feel well cared for, to a point where I thought about living in Calgary because I liked how these friends lived so much...
Then I was off to a new adventure.  An adventure of inner awakening...