On•the•Move Musings: 1/31/20

Welcome to On•the•Move Musings: a weekly-update-series where I reflect on my time exploring the globe; a place to record all the little details from travel that, despite being so special, my pigeon brain could likely forget; a space to show gratitude for where life’s daydreams have taken me; a few moments to stop and write during the chaos of long term travel. I’ll be posting every Friday to share some good vibes and wanderlust before we head into the weekend!

Musings

I’m sure everyone’s heard the heartbreaking news about Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and the others on board the helicopter that crashed on Sunday–such a devastating and shocking accident that serves as a reminder of how fragile we all really are, how precious life is, and how time is never guaranteed.

Currently Reading

In wake of Kobe’s death, I remembered a book I’ve been wanting to read and figured there was no better time than now to start it: The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After by Julie Yip-Williams (published posthumously). Julie was diagnosed with colon cancer in her late thirties after an already challenging life as a legally blind immigrant. She begins to write her way through her feelings about her impending death, but this is also a book about the beauty of life and even has some musings on travel thrown in. I’ve only read a few chapters, but there have already been so many gems of wisdom.

Words

Here’s what Julie writes about solo travel, which I’ve come to relate to:

“Beyond the bliss that came from beholding the divine and breathtaking beauty of our planet’s terrain and wildlife as well as the man-made creations of the geniuses who have come before, traveling alone…represented a deeply personal journey that soothed and empowered my soul, quieting my anger and self-doubt and imbuing my spirit with a sense of unparalleled strength and independence in a way that no one and nothing else ever could.”

Challenges

Waking up before noon, eating vegetables, being frugal.

Currently Listening To

A friend of mine recommended a podcast called Girls Gotta Eat, so I’ve listened to a few of their episodes recently. It’s hosted by two girlfriends who basically talk about guys and sex and being single all while making a lot of jokes–I have been laughing out loud at some points! The episode from June 6, 2018, called F**K YOU, Carrie Bradshaw was particularly good and very compelling. If you’re a fan of Sex and the City I highly recommend listening. They basically talk about how messed up Carrie and Big’s relationship is and how it gets romanticized for 10 seasons and 2 movies.