Celebrating My 31st Year With the Trees

I spent my birthday month on a road, vagabond style, moving from cities to towns, campsites to Airbnb’s and parks to forests. It’s been an incredible journey, everything I wished for and more.

This world has so much beauty and wonder for anyone looking. An abundance of it, truly. You’ll find it in the rugged roads, in the crumbling mountains, in the crashing waves, in the ancient forests and in the smiles of the locals; when you least expect it, it catches you off-guard and takes your breathe away.

Don’t go looking for wonder, simply be present to it and you will notice it everywhere. I feel so lucky, eternally grateful and humbled by each moment because it taught me so much about myself, about the world, about listening, about being still, about being alone, about not being afraid, about trusting myself and others, and most of, about accepting what is.

Living in big cities, we often become deaf to this rhythm of nature, it’s powerful energy and our own place in that conundrum. We lose a piece of our humanness (at least that was true for me) and become far detached. We always need MORE to make us feel joy and happiness. In nature, you need far less because you already have everything you need within you. And all other things are just things.

We left San Diego on April 15 and spent the last 21 days mostly camping and living on farms (by choice of course), while making our way up the West Coast. And you know what gave me the most euphoric joy during this adventure? A warm shower on a cold morning. That’s it! That literally felt like the ultimate happiness. I laugh even admitting this, but what a thought experiment and a shift in perspective. In the city, we take hot showers all the time, multiple times a day, and take them for granted. But in nature, they are a real treat, a blessing bestowed unexpectedly.

My point is, not much is needed at all to feel pure joy. Try it next time! Do more with less. 🙏🏻