balisunshine's VirtualTourist Home Page

On the Plane-Paris bound

Dreams with patience,
time and strong desire
can all come true.

With the power of the mind,
and with glimpsing
into that crystal ball
the seed of my deepest dreams,
has finally bursted through the soil.
And it now stretches
towards the sun.

Yes it took a while.
But in life,
all things come
to those who wait.

And so it is,
I sold my home,
my car, the television set,
let go of my job,
and gave away many, many material things.

A month of chaos
is what it took,
to uproot my life,
so to clean the weeds
out of my path,
to finally let go
and face the unknown.

A great challenge it will be.

Many lessons to be learned.

And a few asked
in their own version of words,
"Do you not fear of
what you are about to do?"

"No", I would reply.

Finally,
I have faith in my inner voice
and feel free of the opinions
of what others have to say
that should be done.

So, by reducing my belongings
to a suitcase, a lap top, a credit card,
and my naked soul,
I sit on this jumbo jet,
heading towards my first stop.
Paris
a place I used to call home.

Letting go of the old,
and greeting the new experiences
which await me,
because I have made the choice.

Bye bye Miami,
Hello inner-world.

I soak myself in the salty sea
entering into Samadhi
the state of a still mind,
listening and becoming aware
of my emotions while
the waves ebb and flow.

This energy surrounds me
as the sun slowly sets.

I focus on myself and how
I relate with the universe.

There,
an insight blossoms from the soul;
like a flower coming into bloom
after a long period of incubation.

Frustrations and conflicts
are messages from the universe
to be read.

Nothing happens by chance.
It is not an accident or coincidence.

Our difficulties are sign posts waiting to be read.

Winter is slowly approaching
on this European continent
while I remain
waiting for an outside reply
and being distracted
and confused by outside forces
which steer me off my path
onto a different direction
not foreseen.

Sometime we can miss
where the compass points
to tell us where to go.

So I read the clouds and stars
that decorate my sky,
and realize it is time to go on
to take a step forward,
towards the real purpose
of this path.

Wisdom has nothing to do with knowledge,
it has to do with freedom.

When you are wise,
you are free to use your own mind
and run your own life.

A soul becomes great
through acting on its dreams.
Life is a dream and
it is time to realize it.

Love and peace to you all,
Off to Bali I go!

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare;
it is because we do not dare that they are difficult." -Seneca

I was beginning to feel weighed down
by the European pressure,
from the stress,
the change of seasons,
and the high cost of living.

The trains were jammed
of people with vacant eyes,
following the dictates of society,
their inner spirit weak and starved,
as if they had given up the fight
and their souls had been sucked
from their bodies.

So I decided to take a step forward
to what this journey is really about.

I have traveled to a land
that awakens memories
and reactions stored
deep within the psyche.

The inexplicable connection
that has developed
between myself and
my environment
has tuned me in.

Calmed by the
gentle lapping of the waves,
cleansing my energy in the sea.
I becoming more vibrant,
with my body pulsated
at an even finer frequency.

I tap into hidden reservoirs
deep in myself
and identify a place
of inner power.

There is a genuine lightness of being,
a flagrant disregard for time,
when living in the Now.

And with those
internal demons yet to grapple,
I have made a secret vow
to face my inner foes
and do battle.

For there can be no real beginning
without end.

So I chose to walk along
my own unique path,
back to the spiritual place
of my soul.

Namaste

-Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still. -- Chinese proverb

After establishing my temporary abode,
while listening to the wind chimes
that sing with the passing breeze,
I have felt settled, relaxed and
have drifted with the tides.

With playful kittens in the garden
that I have grown to love,
the time for change has come to be.

Venturing off to other parts of Asia
I will journey,
before returning back
to this mystical land
where I have learned to feel
its calm and beauty, within me.

I would like to consider that
I have planted a seed
that will blossom and grow
in this island of endless sunsets
and beautiful skies.

But in reality,
it is Bali that has planted a seed
of growth in my persona,
awakening my heart.

Bali is a place of healing
and transformation
if you allow it to penetrate
your heart and soul.
It's just a matter of opening up
and allowing it to enter.

So, until I return to my mystical Bali,
I leave you with emotions of sorrow
and saddened heart.

And by turning my thoughts
into positive ones
I greet change and new ventures......
and off I will go.

Namaste

At this moment
in the present,
I question this sudden outbreak
of feelings of fear and confusion
because of thoughts of a near future.

Definitely, not living in the Now.

Travel money is soon
to come to an end.

What to do next
becomes a question mark over my head.
Getting larger and bolder
with each day that passes by.

The minutes ticks closer
to that moment of choice.

Ideas, images, thoughts, scenes,
they all pass through my mind.

Time will eventually unfold,
revealing the truth
of what is meant to be.

One should identify ones emotions,
honor them,
and let them go.

And so here I lie
in my hammock,
observing the many stars
that illuminate my night,
loosing myself
in a tunnel of thought.

It's all good!
I still have faith!

With funds reserved for this
Sabbatical Journey coming to an end,
comes the moment of meditation and evaluation
of the many lessons that I have learned
during these past 14 months.

By feeling frustration
in my attempts to serve
within humanitarian organizations,
I realized that one needs not just to help large groups,
but that one can share and extend great compassion
to individuals that one meets, day to day.

Creating boundaries with awareness
and consciously choosing the
energies that surround me;
has taught me to forgive by releasing
disappointment, resentment, pain,
by not expecting.

After all,
we do, all see the world
through different eyes.

When Letting Go,
one needs not just to focus on
detachment of situations or materialism;
but apply it to emotions, judgments and thoughts
while flowing with the currents of life.

Facing the unknown,
has taught me to have faith
in my inner voice, the universe
and what is destine to come.

Learning and growing has been
the most rewarding part of this journey,
teaching my restless spirit,
that happiness is an inside job.
and allowing my inner-core
to grow stronger each day.

As a result with this
Sabbatical Journey coming to an end,
and with the moment to face
what the world calls 'reality'
I scan new horizons and know that
there is so much more to learn,
with new opportunities to come.

So I steer my life into a new direction,
abandoning the option to settle back in Miami,
what for me would be a comfort zone,
giving me the alternative
for Bali to embrace me,
calling it my new home.

Nothing is permanent.

And in knowing this,
I start a new chapter in my life with
new experiences and projects in the making.

I hope that some of you,
will take the courage and the time to
visit me and share some of the pages
in this new chapter of my life.

It's about helping each other grow.

For now,
the time of sharing
these Travel Diaries
with you all,
has come to:

The End.

It's all good!

Lots of Love and Peace to you all,

Namaste

When one travels abroad
the one language
that is spoken everywhere,
is the...smile.

Just bringing a smile to your day!

For some Zen tips on traveling the world,
click below:

Zen Tips

Zen Tips Part 2