Backpacks and Barbells

May 23rd is fast approaching. I'll be headed across the world in a mere 23 days. Twenty-three days. It's starting to really sink in that I'm closing one chapter of my life and beginning a new one; that everything I've known as routine and comfort is about to be shaken. I'm strangely calm about it most days, excited about the opportunity and the change. Then I have the days where I think "what the hell am I doing?".  I have small panic attacks about the details of the trip. Is this worth the money I'm about to spend? How am I going to handle being alone for that long? What if I get lost? Is "Taken" a true story? Is it going to stress me out when the one pair of Nanos I'm bringing doesn't match my Lulu shorts? (just kidding....kinda :) It's so easy to become overwhelmed by the uncertainties, and I very often have to remind myself to remember the big picture and the reasons I've decided to take this leap. Becoming. It's abo...

“There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming.” –Shauna Niequist Becoming. That is this stage of my life. If 24 was the year of recovery, 25 and 26 have definitely been the years of self-discovery. I’ve continued to beat the disease I once deemed unbeatable. I’ve had success in crossfit and my career. I’ve built friendships deeper than I’ve ever known. I’ve loved. I’ve been hurt. I’ve healed. I’ve made mistakes; some more than once. I’ve played hard and worked harder. I’ve contemplated the direction of my life. What’s my purpose here?  Who am I and what makes me happy? I’ve started to break through the layers of figuring out what is truly important to me versus what society says should be important to me. Constantly struggling with the fear of becoming complacent and the fear of stepping out of my comfort zone. Back and forth between the ease of living the status quo and the thrill of living and learning ...