Normalcy... Or lack there of.

How do you develop a new normal when there is no regularity in your life?

Finding a new normal is always hard. I know that I struggled to find a new normal in all the changes of my life so far. Starting college, starting graduate school, moving to Myrtle Beach... these things took adjustment. They took work to really love and appreciate them. So how do I appreciate my life in each of the places I travel with a ticking clock of 13 weeks?

I have done a lot of soul searching on this adventure and I believe that I have found some truths.

1. Experience Nature. 
I have found in the places I have lived and the places I have visited I have remembered the natural beauty more than the man made. Don't get me wrong the man made is beautiful. I will never forget seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time and just thinking about the Duomo just makes my heart yearn for Florence. But I remember: the mountains in Switzerland, the countryside in Ireland, the colors of the Grand Canyon, the sunrises over the beach in Myrtle more than the physical. Here in Western Mass it is the beautiful mountains, waterfalls and sunsets I have gotten to experience. God's power in his natural creations is incomparable.

2. Make Yourself Proud!  
Looking back on the adventures I have had, the things that I remember most are the things that made me proud of myself. And these experiences usually stretched my comfort zone. I know that "pride goeth before the fall" but lets be honest there are some things that I am really proud of myself for. I am proud that I traveled to Africa out of my comfort zone, I am proud that I moved by myself to live at the beach, I am proud that I live independently, and right now I am proud that I decided to be a traveling therapist!

3. Find Your Routine. 
You know, sometimes you just have to lie to yourself and convince yourself that you are living a life of normalcy. Ha! We all do it, right? It seems that every where I go I develop a pattern of normalcy. I find one thing that I do on a regular basis that make me feel like I belong, and makes me feel comfort. I honestly didn't realize it at the time, but now looking back it is true. In college my normal was work. I worked, worked, worked and that provided me some mental stability. In graduate school my normal was getting sushi from the Sushi Cafe... A LOT. Like every week. Sometimes more. In Myrtle Beach my normal was going to the dog park. I am not sure what my new normal will be with travel but I hope to find some routine that I can do wherever I go that brings me happiness, fulfillment and just a little bit of normalcy.

4. Don't be afraid to do the things that you are afraid of
This is a big one for me. And probably the top one that I am still working on. (We are all works in progress). How can you live your life to the fullest if you are afraid to do those things that make life full? This is a constant battle with me and anxiety and sometimes I win and sometimes anxiety wins, but you know what? I won't stop trying. I will continue to do things that make me uncomfortable. I will continue to do things that make my palms sweat. And I will not regret it.

5. Make a checklist
Uh... For those of you who know me, how could you not expect this one? Hehe! You know that the first thing I did when I knew I was going to Boston was make a list of everything that I wanted to see/do. And when Boston fell through (wah.. wah...) and I moved to Western Mass I (of course) made a new list of all the places I wanted to see and the things I wanted to do. I am slowly going through the list and I have no regrets!

"Refuse normalcy. Beauty is everywhere, love is endless, and joy bleeds from our everyday existence. Embrace it... The only thing I can ask of you I stop stay free of materialism. Remember that everyday contains a universe of potential; exhaust it. Live and love so immensely that when death comes there is nothing left for him to take."

-Dominic Owen Mallary