I Love You, Trent Reznor

I've revisited With Teeth by NIN and was struck by "Right Where It Belongs" as it relates to the quarter life crisis precisely (as does "Everyday Is Exactly The Same"):
See the animal in his cage that you built,
Are you sure what side you're on?
Better not look him too closely in the eye,
Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?
See the safety of the life you have built
Everything where it belongs
Feel the hollowness inside of your heart
And it's all, right where it belongs
What if all the worlds inside of your head,
Just creations of your own?
Your devils and your Gods, all the living and the dead
And you're really all alone?
You could live in this illusion
You can choose to believe
You keep looking but you can't find the woods
While you're hiding in the trees
What if everything around you,
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you think you know,
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection,
Is that all you want to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks,
Would you find yourself, find yourself afraid to see?


I am seeking knowledge, not only for myself but for the sake of the world. I confess that I don't know everything and that I am flawed. There is much for me to learn. I want to expand and challenge myself, in hopes of finding truth. I am finding escape, I am freeing myself from the cliches of what society expects of us. I am trusting my inner self, and my dreams to guide me the rest of the way. I am seeing the world from a new perspective and I want this to share with the world.
Peace be the journey.

Home Again.

"Here I am, safely returned over those peaks from a journey far more beautiful and strange than anything I had hope for or imagined. How is it that this safe return brings such regret?"
- Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard

Leaving Costa Rica and returning to home has been very difficult. It feels strange to be back. Returning from the sunny paradise of Costa Rica, to the cloudy, cold, fast-paced dreariness of DC. I'm not ready to be back home and talking about my trip makes me long for the sunny adventures on the beach, in the forests, in my personal 'garden of eden' even more.

I wish I could ease back into my old world at my own pace, extend my time to reflect on my trip and all that i've learned, rethink my commitments and priorities but old habits and routines have already kicked in too soon. I feel reverse homesickness... missing being on the road, missing the people i've met along the way.

Taking this trip alone, facing new challenges and new experiences, meeting new people, and navigating safely back home, I am liberated and empowered. I return with greater confidence, new perspectives and knowledge. My spirit is revitalized. But the new challenge is bringing to my everyday life the energy and spirit of adventure I felt while I was away. I must continue to seek the unknown, to take chances, to stretch my mind and my body, and I must reject the ruts and the trap of the comfort zone.

I've been looking up travel packages and airfare since I got back. I've already begun planning my next adventure...

I will blog all about my travels soon once I get some free time. I kept a journal and took many photos during my trip and I look forward to sharing them with you soon...

Peace & love