Lisa Niver's Blog: We Said Go Travel, page 314

Ft. Lauderdale, Big Building -Bigger Boat

Port Everglades, Ft. Lauderdale

Big Building – Bigger Boat

     Ft. Lauderdale has beautiful beaches with fabulous hotels, and to vacation here is like staying in paradise. Waking up in the morning and looking out the window to see sandy white beaches dotted with palm trees leading out to a turquoise ocean that is just steps away, is certainly a great way to begin the day. But there is so much more to Ft Lauderdale, and we truly enjoyed a completely different type of vacation by staying on the Intercoastal Waterway.

     On a recent trip, my husband and I stayed for one week at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six in Ft. Lauderdale, and were fortunate enough to get a room on the fifteenth floor in the Landmark Tower with a fantastic view of Port Everglades and the Intercoastal Waterway. The city is second only to Miami as the “cruise capital of the world”, with many large cruise companies operating from here. It is the home base for two of Royal Caribbean’s mega ships: the Oasis of the Seas, and the Allure of the Seas. It is also a busy port used by many shipping companies.

     Our room had sliding glass doors almost the entire length of one wall. We always left the drapes open, day and night so we wouldn’t miss any of the action. Every day we would look out to see that different cargo boats had come into port to replace others that had left, such as the Chiquita Banana ship, the Cap Isabel cargo ship, etc. and different cruise ships of different cruise lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc., coming into port or leaving. On one of the days, we heard a cruise ship blow the horn to signal they were leaving port, and we ran out to the balcony to watch. It took awhile to move out away from its dock, turn and move slowly to the waterway that would take it out to sea. We were able to capture this picture of a huge cruise boat, with its happy passengers waving goodbye. It passed through the channel so incredibly close to a hotel, it looked a little scary. At that moment, I would not want to be on either the ship, or in that hotel. It may have been just an optical illusion from our vantage point, but it looked too close for comfort.

     There are many wonders in this world both natural and man-made. The natural wonders are amazing, the magnitude of creation is something that is beyond my comprehension, and so I just look and enjoy the beauty. However, the creativity and ability of mankind is something that is within my reach to understand, but that too, astounds me, and I truly appreciate other people’s ability to achieve greatness.

     Through creativity, planning, modern technology, shared knowledge and manual labor, people can achieve great things. A group of people participated in the design and construction of that large hotel that stands along the channel. In addition, another group of people also designed and built that magnificent cruise ship, a floating palace. On the ship are a Captain and crew that have the necessary skills and training to navigate the ship through the channel and the journey out at sea along with other cruise staff such as food and beverage, , entertainment, housekeeping,  shore excursion, retail staff, etc. trained to make the passenger’s trip memorable.

     On the day I took this photo, I was merely a spectator enjoying a view from my balcony. This image of the cruise boat passing the hotel has left in indelible imprint in my memory because it scared me at first. I thought that something awful was about to happen. I was afraid for the people on the cruise boat, and the people in the hotel, because I thought if the boat listed to one side; it would have been a disaster.

     I have learned through this experience that things are not necessarily always as bad as they appear to be.  It can simply be just a matter of perception. It is good to have faith in other people; that they have used their knowledge and skills to build the best ship they could build. It is good to have faith in the Captain, that he will lead the way. Most important is to have faith in myself to follow my own dreams.

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.

The post Ft. Lauderdale, Big Building -Bigger Boat appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Helping Nepal: Earthquake Devastation in Rasuwa

It has been just over a month since the magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the poverty stricken country of Nepal.  In the time since, people still have not received help as the rugged landscape and lack of infrastructure has made it nearly impossible for rescue crews to get to the most remote villages.  In most cases, the only way these villages can be accessed is by walking; often for many days.  Now that the earthquake damaged the trails, it has made these villages nearly inaccessible.

One of our friends in Nepal recently contacted us asking us for help.  They are from a group of villages in the Briddim and Rasuwa district, near the Tibet border, due north of Kathmandu.  The village and surrounding area was located near the epicenter of the devastating earthquake.  We received this message from our friends that describe the destruction that occurred.

“Now all my family are very sad how to rebuild house again and we have big problem this time earthquake in Briddim and all Rasuwa district.  hope you can kind help me again you can fundraising donation and send to me. Now we have big problem no house and landslide way also so few days ago no internet and not light so now I would like to easy to contact you now I am at  internet place today I will be Kathmandu then write you more information and you rally need to help our village Pelko ,Lingling,Bridim and Thulo Syabru etc..now we family are very sad for my wife sister is not life and also my sister Pema father also not life and all total Langtang village have 186 people are not life now etc..you can possible to fund collect to help our family and region www.helprasuwanepal.org.np“

Here are a few photos they sent us of the village now:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The walking path up to the now destroyed village

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Destroyed houses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More destruction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their makeshift tents to stay in.

Obviously, there is total destruction in the area around the epicenter.  These people need all the help they can get and the We Said Go Travel family is here to help.  If you would like any information on how you can help, please contact us or visit their website.

 

The post Helping Nepal: Earthquake Devastation in Rasuwa appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Losing Goodwill in Beijing, Finding it in Chengdu

I take a “leaf in the wind” approach to traveling, relying less on planning and more on just doing whatever looks fun and interesting.  With that attitude I arrived in Beijing looking forward to ten days of adventure and discovery.  On my very first day I met a pair of nice young women who spoke English.  They invited me to have tea with them at a traditional Chinese tea shop, followed by drinks and karaoke at a nearby bar.  At first I was filled with the kind of joy that came from smug self-satisfaction.  I was seeing the real China, not the one manufactured by organized tours and guidebooks!  Well it wouldn’t have hurt to crack open a guidebook before I arrived in Beijing, because then I would have been aware of a scam where tourists are taken to overpriced bars and tea shops and bilked out of large sums of cash.  By the end of the evening those nice young women had taken me for nearly $300.  

Needless to say I was very upset once I realized I had been scammed.  Not just because of the money, but because once again I had reached out my hand in friendship only to have it slapped down.  I had struggled to make friends my whole life with little success.  Sometimes I tried too hard and sometimes I didn’t try hard enough, but either way I spent most of my time alone.  On the one hand it allowed me the independence to travel anywhere I wanted on my own terms, but on the other it fostered a deep sense of loneliness that made me fair game to any con artist with a smile and a few kind words.

I decided to get out of the city and visit Chengde.  The town is best known for Mountain Resort, an imperial palace and garden that served as the summer residence of China’s last emperors.  I went there with no intentions other than to look around, eat, and go back to the hotel.  The grounds were enormous and took all day to explore.  I was awed by the beauty of both the terrain and the buildings, some of which were older than the United States.  While walking through a field I thought I heard someone yell out “hello!”  I ignored it at first, but then I heard it again.  I turned around and saw a small group of people sitting underneath a tree, inadvertently making eye contact with the woman who had been calling out to me.  “Hello!” She shouted one more time as she gestured me to come over.  I suddenly found myself walking in her direction, reasoning that it wouldn’t cost me anything just to say hello.

The woman smiled and introduced herself as Lin, and then she introduced me to her two children, her sister, and her sister’s two children.  We sat and chatted until the sun began to set, and then she invited me to have dinner with them.  Despite the huge red flag being waved in my face, I said yes.  We ventured into town to a very nice restaurant, where we met up with Lin’s husband, brother-in-law, and parents.  Dinner was a meal fit for an emperor.  We enjoyed traditional Chinese dishes such as crispy peking duck, savory pork dumplings and tender steamed vegetables.  Only Lin spoke English well enough to carry a conversation, but the rest of the family was very friendly and tried to make me feel welcome.

Unfortunately due to my previous experience with friendly people I was unable to relax completely, fearing that I would be stuck paying for everything again.  Why did I agree to this?  Why was I such a sucker?  Why was I constantly setting myself up for crushing disappointment?  My questions were answered when the bill arrived.  Lin picked up the tab, expressed how happy she and her family were to meet me, and hoped I would enjoy the rest of my time in their country.  And I did.  I saw many amazing places and met many nice people, none of whom tried to rip me off.

The world isn’t always such a great place.  There are some people who will try to take advantage of you, and that doesn’t change just because you go on vacation.  Every time you put yourself out there you run the risk of getting burned, and sometimes you will.  But if that’s the price to pay for a lifetime of wonderful memories, then I’ll bring some burn cream when I set off on my next adventure.

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.

The post Losing Goodwill in Beijing, Finding it in Chengdu appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Little Place of Brave in Canada

“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”

These words, penned by world-famous Canadian author, Stephen King, perfectly sum up my feelings about my ‘place of brave’.

Brave is not a big, confident creature. Not a swashbuckling hero of ‘get-er-done’.

More often than not, brave is a tiny voice inside you, quietly waiting for the right time to declare, “Yes, you can.”

I found my own voice of brave when I first came to B.C. Canada.

We arrived in September, a splendid time of year. The leaves are tumbling, change is in the air and the breeze pinches your cheeks with a pleasant, rosy glow.

Yet as I wandered the streets of my new city, excitement and fear rumbled in my belly.

It was the fear that kept me awake at night.

“What have you done?  What will you do? You must be mad!”

My inner critics, wretched goblins who squatted in my brain, grew larger, feasting on the worries that accompanied this bold, new adventure.

Then, on an impulse, my boyfriend and I decided to take a road-trip to Whistler.

Often, as travellers, we focus on the destination. We grumble at the bus journey, the plane ride, or hours wasted in the back seat of a car. But for me, the best part has always been the ride. That zing of exhilaration from being in transit, allows me the space for a quiet calm to settle. It is in this space between ‘here’ and ‘there’ that I realize anything is possible. I am reminded that just by upping and moving, you can change your destiny. That you are in charge.

It was on this magnificent stretch of highway that joins Whistler to Vancouver, that I had my epiphany.  It was here that I finally listened to the small voice in my head that had been trying to speak since I was a girl. Up close with the mountains, bald eagles soar overhead, there are teal glacial waters all around. If you’re lucky, the radio will play music in sync with your mood. It was on this stretch of highway that my ‘little voice of brave’ finally spoke up: “You can do it! Look at the mountains… they are not afraid. They are who they are. Be you.”

Since I was a child, I had dreamed of writing. Any kind of writing, I didn’t care. Quite honestly, the simple act of writing; a story, a letter, a shopping list, filled me with light. But even though I had written for more years than I could remember, when anyone asked me “What do you do?” I still felt like a fake. A phoney. A charlatan. Writers publish books and write daily newspapers columns. I wrote on napkins and scraps of paper and then hid my words away.  I was an imposter. But on this journey into the B.C. mountains, my little ‘voice of brave’ gained courage.  The beautiful surroundings filled my soul with inspiration, until the faint whisper grew into a chant: “Yes you can. Yes you can. Yes you can.”

What is so glorious about the sea to sky highway, is that after such a breathtaking road trip, the destination is also world-class.  Whistler. A place where millions of travelers descend each year. But Whistler has no inflated ego due to its reputation. It’s famous, yet humble. Fancy, but down-to-earth.  I truly believe that every place has a unique vibration and Whistler’s pulse is totally in sync with nature.

Gone is the hurly burly rush of the slick city.  Here, locals live on ‘mountain time’.  People don’t dress-down, but dress right. Part-hippy, part ski-bum, part awesome.

Since that first trip, I’ve visited Whistler in all seasons, but it’s still fall that is my favourite. The maple trees in the village are vibrant hues of scarlet and crimson. The atmosphere is relaxed, as though the village is exhaling, taking a breath from all the visitors. Summer, with its mountain bikers plowing through the village on expensive bikes, is now just a faint memory. Winter, where snow enthusiasts will invade, is just around the corner. But for now it’s calm; it’s just locals and the occasional group of tourists who enjoy the space between busy seasons.

Today, some 15 years after that first ‘epiphany-tastic’ road trip where I found the courage to declare that I was a ‘real’ writer, Whistler is still my place of brave.

And I can honestly say, that even when those wretched goblins of self-doubt come to dine, I do not regret listening to the little voice that quietly persisted, “Yes, you can.”

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.

The post Little Place of Brave in Canada appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Restore Yourself at the Remedy Spa, Los Angeles

Searching for serenity in Los Angeles? Stop at Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel for sumptuous suites, marvelous meals, a pool with a view of the Getty Center and renew at the Remedy Spa. Grab a girlfriend and go after carpool, find peace on the private patio and get hooked on a massage by Steve Oskard, the founder of The Remedy brand, who is currently the massage therapist for The LA Philharmonic, The Los Angeles Ballet, the LA Contemporary Dance Company and Ate9 Dance Company, which earned him the reputation of “The Performers Therapist.”

I loved my afternoon there so much I went again this weekend! Want to feel relaxed and restored like you had a great holiday? Rush to the Remedy Spa to reward yourself and start your summer right.

Being pampered with a massage and a facial detox is a great way to release built-up tension that can have you feeling stressed out.  This spa offers a variety of massages from a sports massage to a Swedish massage and even offers pregnancy massages as well as hot stone massage.

Pamper yourself poolside before Remedy spa @luxesunsetblvdhotel with wine

Belgium: A journey to bravery

Last fall i was an exchange student in Belgium.

Before I left people told me I was very brave to do this. I didn’t listen to them because i knew it was so scary to me to move to a new country with a new culture where you don’t know anyone.  When I came back to my home country I felt really brave to have accomplished this, and this experience left me with a little taste of how brave one person can be. If you really are brave there are no limits to what you can, and are willing to do, right?

But what is being brave? To me it is to be willing to do anything and never giving up. If you never take any chances or risks, you are wasting your dreams, and wasting your dreams is the opposite of being courageous. Bravery can be the smallest things like trying out a new cereal for breakfast or changing your hair, something casual. Both these things can bring you closer to your dreams.

Any place or situation that challenges me turns on a switch inside of me and makes me feel brave and inspires me to overcome the challenge. As a former exchange student I can say that every day you spend abroad is a challenge that you have to overcome, and your heart and brain grow bigger with every day.

For example you have to learn how to train system works, in most cases when you move abroad you have to learn a new language, appreciate new kinds of food, learn how the locals act and think and become a part of it. If you are successful and manage to adapt to the culture you will feel so good about yourself and automatically you will feel brave. It starts of as a little fire that spreads out with each day and each challenge and becomes a huge fire.

The place that makes me feel the most brave is the Grand Place in Brussels. The Grande Place is a square in Brussels, and old, beautiful houses surround the square. The houses are decorated with real gold and in daylight you can just look and admire them for hours and in the night, the houses are still gorgeus, but more mysterious.

Me and my exchange friends from all over the world, used to sit there on friday and saturday nights and chat about everything, and sing and dance together. I met a lot of new people there and got to know a lot of amazing people which all influenced me in some way or another and every single one of them helped me on my journey to bravery.

When you start following your heart and trusting that it will lead you the right path, and letting go off worries and living your life exactly how you want to live it, the magic starts to happen and you will discover a whole new side of you, bravery there included. Don’t miss any wonderful opportunities and always be open for new adventures and experiences.

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.

The post Belgium: A journey to bravery appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Mt. Bromo, Indonesia Sunrise

Mt. Bromo Sunrise

“Mom,” my youngest daughter said, “if you fly out of LA on February 13th you’ll arrive in Melbourne on the 15th, it would be like February 14th never existed.”

Perfect. On my flight from LA to Melbourne, somewhere over the Pacific, what would have been my twenty-eighth anniversary disappeared. Just like my life had.

At the beginning of my trip I figured I’d just disappear too—somewhere in the world. It was an idea that gave me great comfort. What disappearing would look like, I wasn’t sure. One thing was clear, I needed to end the pain. A pain I nicknamed the black hole. A pain that had nearly consumed me when I boarded the Quantas flight. Before disappearing, I’d spend all my money on a journey to make one life-long dream come true.

I remember how scared I was when I said goodbye to my friend Dee in Melbourne. Her family had been so gracious during my stay. From that flight on, I’d travel alone. The idea fascinated and terrified me. In reality though, I traveled alone in life for a very long time, and hadn’t even known it. Perfect strangers I’d meet taught me more about compassion, love and friendship than I’d ever known. An ocean away from the trauma, I met myself in the world.

My life-long dream to do research for my screenplay took me to the island of Java, the island where my dad grew up. The trip would inform the setting of the true World War II story about how and why my dad, a Dutch colonial boy, had been taken prisoner by the Japanese. I interviewed Dad off and on for over ten years when my plane touched down in Jakarta. Together, we unearthed dates, places and situations long murky in his mind. Our talks brought us closer in ways difficult to describe. I still had so many questions. About Dad’s experience. About my own. Destiny would take me to the island where my father fought for his survival as I was having to fight for mine.

When we first separated, my now ex-husband came to me every night in my dreams. Not in a creepy way, just in the way a great love would when love falls apart. A sad sort of comfort. We’d known each other for thirty years. Grown up together. Because we’d had them so young, we grew up with our children too. There wasn’t one place, thing, song, phrase that didn’t recall tragically happy memories. I needed something of my own.

My roommate Hannah and I sleepwalked into our clothes. Together with our traveling companions, we piled in five jeeps to take the dizzying, nighttime drive to summit Mt. Bromo. I sat in the far back seat of one of the jeeps. Every twist and turn sent mystery metal digging into my hip or thigh. My friends and I had braved many adventures on our tour together. This one was the earliest. After a short hike to the summit we waited, having no idea what beauty we’d witness. What wonders sat in the darkness below.

I saw The Southern Cross for the first time. My friends and I sung the Crosby, Stills and Nash song of the same name. As I sang, I understood why I came to Java— the truth I ‘d been running from was so strong, it was as big as the promise of the coming day.

In the pink and purple smoke of many shrouded volcano peaks, at the summit of Mt. Bromo, the sun rose. Illuminating beauty out of the darkness. It was my sunrise. All mine. A new beginning. An invitation to do the very same thing within my own life. To illuminate the darkness. I am the sunrise. In that moment, I decided I’d always go big. This big trip, this big sunrise called me to trust my big dreams. I’d no longer need to doubt or be frightened by them any longer. I’d bravely keep on dreaming. Keep on living, to discover myself and my passions in the face of catastrophe.

 

There were a million reasons not to summit Mt. Bromo at dawn and stay stuck in fear. To pull back, especially in the face of so much pain and uncertainty. Going big will always be my North Star. I believe love is like volcano smoke. Sometimes it’s thick. Sometimes it’s thin. It takes different shapes and isn’t always what you’d expect. Love can surprise and overwhelm and thrill. It can survive and even transform, becoming more beautiful in destruction.

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.

The post Mt. Bromo, Indonesia Sunrise appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Two Miles Above Sea Level in Colorado

12,126 feet above sea level, I reached a dream. One boot planted on the watershed flowing to the Atlantic. My other planted on it’s opposite that flowed to the Pacific. I was straddling the Great Continental Divide almost two thousand miles from my home. And there was a moment of certainty. That all my private worries, uncertainties and problems were worth overcoming just to stand there.

 

Only a few months before, I was busy trying to restore my new home, an old airstream trailer. Additionally, I was working 40 hours a week. Driving an hour each way. Just married. So when my wife asked me if we would be able to fly out to Colorado like we’d dreamed of, I nearly said no outright. Too many things already begged for attention and finances were tight.

 

But that idea festered in my mind. I loved Colorado and had always wanted to visit the state, ever since I was a child. The Rocky Mountains especially captivated my imagination in ways that few other places could. Honestly, I wanted to go, but I was afraid of the cost, emotionally and financially.

 

Still, I took time off work. My wife and I bought tickets. We told her friends in Colorado, who I barely knew, when we would be there. Digitally rented a truck. Got our half-done home in a semblance of order. Then we endured the skeptical queries of others who thought we should have said no. Other’s perceived opinions weigh on me in a ways that most don’t notice. But, we both pushed on.

 

Getting to Colorado was stressful and difficult. And, when we stepped off the plane, our problems didn’t magically end. Our first adventuring steps took us to the car rental who didn’t have our reserved truck. They offered, laughably, a mini-van to accommodate all our gear. Worries and other’s skepticism threatened my mind again, striking doubt. But my wife pushed forward, finding another rental company and getting us the best truck we could.

 

Finally, we got to our destination and after several days, our friends helped us carve an ambitious drive through the Cottonwood Pass from the Denver area. We set out on a two day drive in the early morning, without even a place to sleep that night.

 

As we drove, my wife began to feel sick. Fifty miles later, she felt worse. One hundred miles and two tissue boxes later she didn’t feel any better. As we entered the pass, I realized she wasn’t going to feel better that day and I told her we would return to Boulder. Just over fifty miles from the divide. But she insisted we keep going and I love her for it.

 

Still threatened by skeptic thoughts, plagued by difficulties and obstacles, I nearly gave up my joy to experience the Rocky Mountains up close. But then, things began to change. Overwhelming yellows sprouted from white Aspen trunks, a cascade of vibrant color in the late fall. Driving higher, past lakes, sheer rock jutted from the earth and a forest grew as far as I could see. Crisp air heralded the snow that appeared in patches. Streams grew quieter, freezing the higher we drove. Then, finally, after hours of driving and doubting, I opened my door to stand in front of an old wooden sign announcing the Continental Divide. It might as well have said, “Bravo!” and offered me a toast.

 

An expansive vista of snow capped mountains extended around me. A moose ranged down by a lake a few hundred yards away. Slopes of snow gracefully slanted down the mountain in brisk powder. Sudden gusts of wind would send it twirling in the sunlight. My boots slid slightly on the uneven ice. And for miles and miles, I could see. Really see. A beautiful creation that stretched and called to me, “Isn’t it worth it?”

 

“Yes,” I murmured back.

 

And then it all rushed to me. My worries were something that I would always have. Uncertainties were something I needed to overcome to grasp my certainty that I was right where I needed to be. Problems were bumps in the road that tried to keep my wife and I from finding this incredible place.

 

Staying home was safe. But braving the unknown was success.

 

It was accomplishing a dream for me. To physically bear witness to the vastness of our planet that still exists. It was worth braving all those troubles to live out my dream. Nothing else compared to that sight the rest of our trip.

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.

The post Two Miles Above Sea Level in Colorado appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Seeing Me at The American Visionary Arts Museum

The Hope We Seek

Seeing Me at The American Visionary Arts Museum

 “You’ve got to use whatever past you came from as part of the origin story that shapes the hero you will become.” – Chris Brogan

Traveling is an opportunity for inspiration, enlightenment and renewed hope. When The American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore, Maryland advertised their current exhibit, “The Hope We Seek,” I was curious.  A need to reward my soul after a professional accomplishment was all the excuse I needed to head to Baltimore.

Known as a place to display the work of intuitive, self-taught artists, I didn’t understand the depths of my first visit to this museum until three-fourths of the way through the gallery.  Before the visit, I thought I was going to treat myself.  During the visit, I believed I was drawn there to view these artists and discover my legacy.  I found myself delightfully amused, entertained, visually stimulated and inspired by the range of colors, textures, poems, sculptures and quotes abounding in this artistic space.

Having lived in Baltimore before, I never travelled behind Inner Harbor to see the city’s vast hidden treasures.  My excitement and inner amusement turned to a spiritually paralyzing moment of epiphany as I traveled down one particular hallway.

Terrence Howard’s imaginative work was on display with a carefully crafted written bio expressing his vivid, personal dream life.  When he is awake, he creates visually inspiring pieces which reveal his artistic and technical abilities.  His gift is so powerful that he tapped into the scientific theories of another expert who died six years before his birth.  Howard has created sculptures that illustrate his own theories of physics and they mimic a famed, scientific predecessor, author and sculptor known as Walter Russell.

My soul resonated with the facts:  Howard had a vivid dream life – I did too.  Howard is a self-taught artist (not just an actor), unknown to the larger world – I was too.  Howard is a man guided by a divine force.  I am too.

Next to his exhibit was that of an African-American Southern visionary artist known as Minnie Evans.  She used colored pencil on paper to create captivating drawings as revealed through her dream life.  Her work spoke to my hidden fears and doubts about my own drawing capabilities.  Evans, like all the other artists in the museum, was self-taught.  This fact spoke to me and said, “If they can do it, you can too.”  I felt a spark of hope ignite in my belly.

Also, many of the artists came from dysfunctional family backgrounds that revealed histories filled with mental health issues and substance abuse.  During their childhood, their parents encouraged them to stifle their natural talents and gifts and steered them toward careers for which they had no interest.  This was my story too.

However, these individuals rebounded to honor and follow an inner force to create beauty, embrace their uniqueness, which, in turn, allowed their creativity to leave a legacy of courage, inspiration and hope.

There were many artists who had done self-portraits.  I had threatened to do my own about six months prior, but had never started.  In fact, I had ditched the idea.  It was then I changed my mind.  It was my turn to be my own hero.  My turn to show up in my own life and create whatever speaks from within my soul.

Howard, Evans, Jimi Hendrix, Ted Gordon and Robert R. Hieronimus, Ph.D., also graced the walls of this same passageway.  Walking this hallway was me literally being physically ushered through a spiritual transformation that birthed me into a new phase of self-awareness.  I was transforming, yet again, towards the butterfly I am and always knew I could be:  a creative writer, artist, editor, poet, painter…and who knows what else.  A winged woman of many colors.

Then, in this same hallway, I saw the word that I use to describe myself – mystic.  I was in the hallway with other mystics.  It was then, I cried.  I’m not crazy.  There are others like me.

I can face myself.  In creating what my soul speaks, I am responding to a strong inner desire to be my own hero.  This museum revealed to me it was okay to be me.  The experience also allowed me to embrace my unique self and realize, even my life is in divine order.  A renewed sense of hope about who I am and what I can be was discovered at The American Visionary Arts Museum.

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.

The post Seeing Me at The American Visionary Arts Museum appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Cappadocia, Turkey I salute thee

Blue skies. That’s what I think of when I think of Turkey. Blue skies for miles – the sweetest blue, the kind you can taste in the air. I imagine skimming my fingers against the fabric of the sky; I bet it would be softer than rose petals, smoother than a Queen’s silks. I remember a wisp of cloud spun around a jagged mountain top like cotton candy, so thick and real that I could reach out and sink my fingers into it, wrap it around my shoulders like a heavy, damp cloak. Cappadocia.

There aren’t movies made about the romance of Cappadocia; no great men have walked its streets as in Athens or Rome. It is small, but it feels like home and starry nights with nothing but air and the weight of the world keeping you from swimming among the constellations. It feels like whispered stories and blood-streaked rocks, scarlet-scarred mountain faces, caves that wander too deeply into the warm Earth for us to follow.

It is there that I can feel myself melting away; I am no longer a shy girl from the suburbs of Houston. I am invincible, I am the stars, I am the earth. I am staring Atlas in the face, seeing the place where the heavens kiss the humble feet of men. I see the meeting place of the universe, opening my hands to the sky, to opportunity. It makes me feel brave. If the Earth can kiss the stars and be unafraid of being burned, I think, so can I. If the heavens can still embrace the Earth even as it pulls and scrapes against her sweet blue, I think, then maybe I can embrace myself. I can stop worrying about the future and the past, and accept the present.

I have the courage to be who I want to be, do what I want to do. I can topple kingdoms with my words, sharpen my axe on the ignorance of humankind. When the sun reaches its apex in the sky, my shadow stretches out below me, confirmation that light has traveled for 93 million years to touch the ground beneath my feet only to be obstructed by my presence.

In Cappadocia I feel brave. I feel like I can be more. The Earth and its beauty reminds me of my insignificance, but instead of feeling scared and alone, I just feel stronger.  I am reminded that no matter what I do, the Earth will keep on turning, the sun will still rise. No matter what failures I stumble through, the Earth will survive and so will I. The sky reminds me of the incredible odds of my existence, and how I defied them just by being born. A million things had to fall perfectly into place so that I could walk the Earth, and a million things did.

 

Cappadocia is the place in the world where I am reminded of this, of who I am. I am reminded to be proud to be who I am. Atlas may hold up the sky, but I’m the one who holds myself up – and that’s a great feat in and of itself.

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Gratitude Travel Writing competition and tell your story.

The post Cappadocia, Turkey I salute thee appeared first on We Said Go Travel.