LOTUS finally wrap it up.

Reading Time: 9 minutes

A year in review.

I am not even sure where to start. When I think back at how much I have done in the past 12 months I am shocked. How did I do all that? How did I not burn out? How is a year over already? How will I go back to real life? It felt like I put life on hold to do things people dream of. I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to do this. I know many people are not in the same position to do what I did. My life did not turn out how I would have liked or hoped, but maybe even BETTER. My freedom is something I used to take for granted. Now I have learned to embrace it and celebrate it.

One thing Amazon engrained in me is data. Data is king. Here is my year in numbers.

• I went to 25 countries across 6 continents.
• I took 40 flights, hundreds of buses (I didn’t even try to track this), and countless taxis.
• I stayed in over 100 hostels, hotels and/or tents in 90 unique cities.
• I swam in 10 unique bodies of water, saw 5 types of sharks, climbed more than 12 volcanoes/mountains, lost 3 toenails in the process, drove several boats of different sizes, and rode in 1 hot air balloon.
• I ate countless tacos and pad Thai, drank A LOT of local beer, and got a travel sickness 5 times.
• I had 7 visitors from home, made countless new friends, and got my heart broken more than once.
• I replaced 1 phone and took over 20,000 photos/videos.
• I read 29 books, filled an entire journal with experiences and thoughts, and listened to 35,000 minutes of songs on Spotify (24 days’ worth of listening).
• I wrote 32 blog posts filled with more memories than I can store.
• I spent a lot of money (more than I budgeted) and regret absolutely nothing…I had the best year of my life!!

If I had to pick.

Throughout the trip, people continuously asked what country was my favorite. I always had an immediate answer – Ecuador and Vietnam. Ecuador has so much biodiversity from the Galapagos Islands to the lush rainforests of the Amazon to the volcanoes surrounding Quito. Vietnam, words cannot explain. From the emerald waters and thousands of towering limestone islands in Ha Long Bay to the mountains and terraced fields in the vast valleys of Sapa. I know I will return to both in this lifetime.

A few times I was asked what country was my least favorite. That was a question I had to think about a bit longer. Every country and city I went to meant something to me, even if it wasn’t my favorite. BUT If I had to answer the question it would be Malaysia and specifically Borneo. Not because it isn’t a beautiful country, but because it isn’t necessarily my cup of tea. Spending hours and hours waiting for animals to appear in the trees and rivers is…frustrating. And expensive. For me, I need more action and people around me. Maybe one reason I don’t love fishing.

Regardless of my favorite and least favorite countries, the experiences I had were all incredible. I have great memories like celebrating Day of the Dead in Mexico, I have not so great memories like crashing a motorbike into a tree in Thailand, and I have laughable memories like breaking a sink in Vietnam. Thank goodness my experiences and memories are documented in this blog that because I have A LOT of really good ones.  

Memorable quotes.

Throughout my journey, I took a lot of notes so I didn’t forget things I read or heard. The below quotes had an impact on me in some way or another. I am sharing them with you in case they also strike a chord with you.

• “Stop wrapping your head around something and start wrapping your arms around it.” – Book: All That You Leave Behind by David Carr
  • What this means to me – Turn your dreams into a reality, just make it happen.
• “It is the way of the warrior to find peace; you pave the way; happiness is the ultimate discipline.” – Book: Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
  • What this means to me – Happiness is a choice and peace is the mission.
• “Traveling is a fool’s paradise.” – Ralph Emerson
  • What this means to me – Now that I have traveled, I never want to stop…
• “You are not the dancer; you are the DANCE!” – Ecstatic dance host in Koh Tao, Thailand
  • What this means to me – Choreograph the life you want.
• “All this time I was finding myself, and I didn’t know I was lost.” – Wake Me Up lyrics by Avicii
  • What this means to me – This song is still going strong around the world and reminds me that this life is full of discovery even when you are not looking for something.
• “We are the sum of all our moments, and we are just anticipating our next moment.” – Jennifer from my Yoga Teacher Training
  • What this means to me – Live a life you are proud of, stay present, and plan for a future that excites you.
• “Self-reflection is the best teacher of all.” – Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
  • What this means to me – It starts from within you. If you love yourself first, everything else falls into place.
• “Can you die from drinking your own pee?” – Ryan Peterson/Jewel Rose
  • What this means to me – Jewel and Ryan are two of my favorite people and started my adventure last January in Patagonia. We always have the best conversations during our travels, most of which are questions to ask google when we have wifi again., so I write them down. This is one highlight from this trip. Turns out the answer is a bit more complicated, but short answer…it is not good for you.

Lessons learned.

While I have been unemployed this past year, I have learned so much. The world was both my teacher and my employer. I had to solve many unique problems, plan and organize things well in advance, utilize my math skills with currency conversions and budgeting, and think on my feet to make quick decisions. I thought about tying all these skills to an Amazon leadership principle…but then I came to my senses.

Life is a series of lessons. What we do with those lessons determines how much we grow. I grew so much in 2023. A lot of that growth is hard to put into words, but I have a few nuggets of wisdom to share with you. Some of these may seem silly or quite obvious but have the potential for something greater.

• I do not brush my teeth long enough.
• Everything you need to survive can be packed in a 35 pound backpack, everything else is clutter.
• The best memories of my trip are more about the connections I made than the experiences I had.
• Everyone has a story worth telling, you just need to ask them about it.
• Smile more and say hello to strangers.
• Discover joy in the unknown instead of trying to change it or figure it out.
• I am most comfortable in the uncomfortable.
• Coconut shakes and fresh spring rolls make the world go round.
• Yoga has the power to change lives and it has definitely changed mine.
• Driving in Asia is terribly scary and should be avoided at all costs.
• Be present – that is the only time that is guaranteed.
• The beauty of the world can only be seen by experience and complete immersion.
• I want to live outside of the US and on an ocean.
• Life without risk is not worth living – take the risk!

Gracias, תודה, merci, ขอบคุณ, cảm ơn, ありがとう, grazzi, ευχαριστώ, សូមអរគុណ, THANK YOU.

To all my people out there who read my blogs over the last year, who commented on my social media posts, who showed an interest in my life abroad, who reached out to check in, who were there when I needed someone to talk to, who were inspired by my adventurous spirit, who met me along the way, who shared so many amazing memories with me, who encouraged me to follow my dream, and who supported me every step of the way….THANK YOU! I would thank each one of you by name, but that might take a while and you know who you are. I am so grateful for all the amazing people in my life. No matter where I am in the world, I feel the constant love and support. So thank you.

Closing a chapter.

Sadly, this is my final blog post of 2023 and my last blog post for a while. I am back home with my beautiful family in Michigan for the holiday season and enjoying every minute with them. A year is the the longest I have ever gone without seeing them (facetime helped). My mom learned how to cut the grass, my dad and his partner traveled to new locations, my brother defended his dissertation, my sister and her husband celebrated their 9th wedding anniversary, and my adorable nephews became small adults and can now count to 100! They welcomed me home with a sign on the front door (see below) and the best bear hugs ever. I missed my family so much and it is great to be back with them now. It also feels good to not plan my next move and sleep in a dorm with 12 strangers. For now, I am putting a pause on my world adventures. I say pause, because once a wanderer, always a wanderer.

One significant lesson this past year has taught me, corporate America is not for me. At least not right now. The last 13 years working in Human Resources were great, but also stressful and exhausting. I moved across the country twice for promotions and a new job. I was given opportunities to travel for work and met bright and talented people. Most importantly, I changed the lives of thousands of people by finding them a new job with a reputable company. But when I look back, I wasn’t exactly happy. I was doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing. I didn’t always have time for things I wanted to do because my job came first. It is time to close that chapter and try something else. Now, at age 36, I am going to put myself first and embark on a new journey.

I am selling my things, packing everything I own in a few suitcases, storing my valuables in my mother’s basement and planning my next exploration. I don’t have it all figured out, but I know it involves travel and yoga…two things I love very much. Why not figure out a way to do them both and make a living that way? I have a lot to learn and a lot to discover. But what I have learned is I find joy in the unknown. I owe it to myself to be happy.

The jen essentials for the world.

1. Comfortable sandals (I wore my Chacos to the ground – make sure they have support and straps for easy wearing)
2. Currency converter app (quick, simple and no internet needed)
3. Excel spreadsheet for organization (mine has 15 tabs which isn’t necessary for someone who isn’t a planner, but I cannot tell you how much I referred back to this spreadsheet)
4. Wifi (I didn’t buy a single SIM card because I wanted to be a bit disconnected, but I am grateful how far wifi has come over the years)
5. Instagram (an amazing way to stay in touch with people you meet around the world)
6. PATIENCE (boy is this required in all aspects of travel)
7. Low expectations (if you keep your expectations low, you won’t be as disappointed)
8. Journal and/or phone notes (there is no way I would have been able to write these blog posts without thorough documentation)
9. Earplugs and eye mask (sleep is valuable – protect it in any way you can)
10. Courage (when I look back at what I accomplished, I am extremely proud)

The final wrap up.

Yoga is a universal language. Over the last year, I took yoga classes in French, Hebrew, Spanish, and English in over 20 countries. While I was far from home, I was always at home on my mat. It is my happy place. The calm to my chaos, the comfort to my pain, the hot sauce to my taco.

I cannot wait to teach yoga. In the week I have been back, I have taught my three nephews a five-minute flow (that is the maximum their attention allows for) and my mother a gentle flow using a chair. I have a long road ahead of me, but I gotta start somewhere, right? I am starting my career over and this is my “internship” year. I am not sure what 2024 looks like right now, but it will include more meditation (New Years’ Resolution!!), travel, and lots of yoga. To some of you that may sound crazy, but to me it sounds exciting!

The LOTUS flower is a resilient and fascinating flower. Lotuses root themselves in the mud and every single day they bloom petal by petal with the warmth of the sun. The flower emerges clean thanks to a protective outer coating that repels dirt and water. The lotus represents purity, rebirth, and strength. In yoga there is a hand gesture or mudra dedicated to the lotus flower (pictured above). The lotus mudra (padma in Sanskrit) opens the heart (anahata in Sanskrit) chakra. By activating the heart chakra, this mudra opens the yogi to joy, love, and compassion. I love this mudra. It hits home. They say “home is where the heart is” and my heart is doing yoga. The lotus also represents a new beginning for me. One that might be murky at times, but always emerges beautiful. “Like a lotus, we too can start fresh, grow, and bloom a new each day.” – unknown. So LOTUS finally wrap it up and get ready for the new!

Life is short, take a risk. Do something that makes you uncomfortable. And most importantly, BE THE LOTUS!

Up next: unknown.  

Signing off for now,

Jennifer