How to live with your eyes wide open

View of Swiss Alps from Gstaad
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Once upon a time, I lived in a deep catatonic state of consciousness. Although I don’t know the exact moment when I snapped out of it, I do know the forceful jolt inspired a quest to reclaim the only holy grail that mattered: Me. There is a special kind of adrenaline rush that comes from moving beyond your comfort zone and becoming a world citizen.

Most people live in a perpetual time loop, and luckily, they are starting to realize how to live a better life. I know I am trying to live mine.

I’ve had my fair share of adventure, from attempting to surf San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua to chickening out on the toboggan of volcanic ash. I tried my hand at samurai sword fighting and discovered a love for the shimmy while performing burlesque. A lifelong dream of visiting India fulfilled when a friend invited me to their Bollywood-like wedding. Sadly, no livestock was in attendance.

In 2016 I traveled solo through Southeast Asia, visiting the great temples of Angkor Wat and Borobudur, experiencing a spiritual awakening with a shamanic healer and learning how to mermaid. Two years later, while on a yoga retreat in Bhutan, I hiked the elusive Tiger’s Nest, and meditated at many a monastery.

This summer, I spent two weeks in Paris immersing myself in everyday life. One of my favorite moments was a picnic by the Seine, watching the late-night sunset over Ile de St Louis. A train ride into the Swiss Alps brought with it a hike in its nature reserve and confirmed the Japanese phenomenon of Shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest bathing,’ is real.

When I embarked on this journey to find myself—yes, I know it’s so cliché, but it’s true!—I had no idea the benefits it would reap. I’ve learned how to extend my limits as if a multiverse lived inside me, engaging and interacting with the world’s citizens.

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