Two Months
"You don't grow on a secure path. All of us should conquer something in life, and it needs a lot of work, and it needs a lot of risk." - Francis Mallmann
I am in disbelief. I've already been here for two months? As a general rule I don't like to tell people how to live their lives. I'm going to break that rule right now. If you don't feel happy/fulfilled/stoked out of your mind on life and want to do something else, than my god go do it*. This is easily the most rewarding experience I have ever found myself in, and, at the end of the day, I was the only one holding myself back from experiencing it before.
When I landed I knew zero people and didn't have a clue what I was in for. I was pooping my pants and scared of just about everything I was going to experience. Out of 25 years of life I had slept in a tent for about three days total. I hadn't spent longer than a couple weeks away from people I knew well. I was about to fly five thousand miles from home, halfway across an ocean, straight into the unknown. Within a day I knew about twenty super cool people and slept in the sand on a remote beach under the stars. Within a week I had set up my tent, worked on the farm, and was very intimidated by my living situation. A month in and I was cruising around Oahu on a moped, exploring a tropical wonderland, meeting even more cool people, surfing, diving, hiking and still tripping out that I was living in a tent. Now, two months in, I am still freaking out every night I climb into my tent and every morning I wake up loving it. The experiences I have had here, the people I meet and the things I've learned are all invaluable. I usually wake up laughing at how small my "house" is. I rarely woke up laughing in my big comfortable bed under a fan in air conditioning. I am surrounded by great people who, in normal daily life, I would have never even have stopped to talk to. I would like to challenge everyone to push themselves in the last half of this year. I've never felt happier or more alive than I do now. Is it easy to get up and go toss yourself into some crazy situation? Nope. I miss my family, my dog, my friends and dryer sheets every day. It's so rewarding though its ridiculous. I feel like I am twice the person I was before I left. It's not all fun and games either. I've crashed my moped and battled with super fun stomach problems, but I wouldn't trade this for anything. I've just had one of the best summers of my life.
*Disclaimer: This doesn't have to mean you go move to a tropical island and live in a tent. It could be pursuing a hobby you've never made the time for. Just do things that matter to you and have a good time with it.
