Reflections on my summer

Lessons learned:

1. I really can travel alone, and maybe even prefer it! While I did have some lonely moments I learned to savor the freedom in being able to make your own decisions and to truly depend and trust myself. To listen to myself when I feel uncomfortable, to try my best to hold my tongue when my opinion is not needed, and to remember that it is okay to get grouchy but not to wallow. Part of it is accepting how you feel, your frustrations or disappointments and deciding what to do with that. Do I let it ruin my day? Hopefully not. Little reminders like reading the paper help to realize how few people have the opportunities that I am experiencing and how truly lucky I am.

2. I can do some serious hard work! I really surprised myself with how much I “dug in” to the farm work. I really fell in love with raising animals (albeit mine would have a cushy life) and growing your own vegetables. I am yearning for a garden patch back home. There is something to be found in caring for the earth, growing your food, and feeling a connection to it.

3. I can make friends wherever I go. I met some amazing people on this trip who all had something to teach me. From the two women traveling solo from Denmark & Holland who both preferred traveling solo to Sonny the farmer (yes I learned things from him!) to Alex from Germany who had such innocence and joyous love of life. I think of these people often and carry the memories of them with me. When you travel with someone you will meet a couple of people, but nowhere near the amount of people you meet traveling solo. I found much comfort in this.

4. Hostels are not horrible! This was my first hostel experience and overall it was fantastic! Yes I prefer to have my own space, but they are so affordable, you meet amazing people, and the kitchens cannot be beat.

5. In my younger years I always considered myself a city girl, but I think I am quite the opposite. I love the small towns, beautiful countryside, and beautiful outdoors activities way more than a bustling city.

6. I am tired of being single. Yes I said it. I would have preferred to share some of these experiences with a partner. No this does not make me a hypocrite, I really did love traveling alone, but I am looking for a man to shovel poop with, pull weeds with, and laugh with. A kind man who loves the environment, is comfortable in his own skin, is super liberal, and looks at life from a positive viewpoint. Know someone like that? Send him my way please.

7. I brought way too many clothes. I thought France was going to be like an oven so I schlepped warm weather clothes all around Ireland for over a month and wore ¼ of them while in France. I brought too many sandals and should have brought a pair of tennis shoes to go running with instead. I also brought too many farm pants. Hello if you have dirt on your clothes you can still wear the same pants the next day, you are on a farm after all! I also brought one too many bags that I thought would double as a purse but used it once for this purpose. Too much stuff!

8. I like to eat. Every 2 hours to be exact. I need to plan more for this in the future. Like right now. I am on a plane and starving.

9. I like Guinness but I am afraid to drink it in the States because I just don’t know if it will be as good.

10. I like Pastis, it kind of numbs your tongue. Wonder if it does this in the states. This warrants further investigation.

11. I really want to live in Ireland, but I really love my life in LA. Like more than I have loved my life in like ever. Yes I did just make a valley reference for those that missed it. I have fantastic friends, a great job, and belong to a fantastic church. Am I willing to give that up to move to Ireland? Would I like it as much if I lived there? All thoughts to be pondered.

I have had so many wonderful experiences over this summer that I feel so grateful for. I know it is easy to get caught up in the day to day activities of life, but I always want to be able to keep perspective, whether I am stuck in LA traffic or behind someone rude at the grocery store. I want to meet as many people as possible in this life, from all over the globe, and learn as much from them as I can. And maybe inspire one or two of them to pick up a wee bit o trash along the way.

Now time to start planning what I am doing next summer…..