Now who am I?

 It's Thursday morning, I'm back in the States. Back to that routine I left behind. Work. Gym. Sleep. And of course, Greys Thursday's with a bottle of Chardonnay.  

Do I feel different? Is it weird to be back? Do you wish you were still gone? 

These are the questions I've been faced with from every familiar face who's followed my journey.

The truth is, yes...to all of it. 

It's not that I'm not the same Shayna, it's that I've seen things be a reality that we think are so far from even a possibility.

 I tapped into that fire that was always in me to grow, to travel, to see the world, to meet the people of the world, to hear the stories, to watch happiness on the face of people who didn't even have a roof on their house or fresh water they could drink. I've met people who ditched their lives and moved to an island off the coast of Ireland. I've met a business owner who decided to not use his law degree and opened up a hotel in Rome so that he could make people happy and meet faces from around the world all without leaving his home. I've met a sweet poet in England who decided she wanted to focus on her writing at the age of 60 so she made that her reality. I've met a woman who was the live version of Eat, Pray, Love...having left her relationship and took the year to travel at the age of 30. I could go on forever, I truly could.

How could I not feel different? How could I not have a different perspective on what reality is? I do. I see how I made my dream possible, and how so many people i met did the same thing. At home I'm the crazy girl who travelled the world alone. Out there, I was just like them. Living the same life they were. It was a whole new idea of what reality meant. 

How close minded I was to think the only "reality" was working your ass off to pay for that house you don't own or that car you have no equity in. To buy the things that you think you want. Do I want those shoes? Yes. Do I need them? No. Do I want to travel the world? Yes. Do I need to? Yes. Does everyone need to? Yes!

I want to be the living example that it's possible. We all let "money" be the excuse that's first to our tongue when we reason why it's not possible. Give up that Starbucks, pack your lunch, go without the latest iPhone, let your natural beauty be your face and not that $40 MAC concealer. 

I want to be an encouragement to each of you who followed me, to get out there, meet people, see things that make you uncomfortable, do things that you have to put more thought in than your auto-pilot life. I get it, we do have responsibilities and we can't all just up and leave them. However, when something is important enough to you, you WILL find a way to make it happen. Get a passport. I don't care if you never use it, get it. Take the baby step into doing something uncomfortable. Make that "dream" become a step closer to a mere possibility. 

10%. I repeat, 10% of Americans have a passport. That's absurd. How are we to be tolerant when we don't see life elsewhere? Sure, we have plenty of diversity and cultures within the States but we all live under the same Constitution. We all have the same President. We all have been taught "The American Dream." We all have only been a country for less than 300 years. Hell, I went to a PUB in Ireland that was 3 times as old our country. 

Don't you see? Nothing bad comes from traveling...sacrifices, sure. What good choice doesn't come with sacrifices? I want abs, I have to sacrifice that in-n-out cheeseburger. See?! 

But your heart, your happiness, your perspectives...it's all bigger. 

The truth is, my current reality is just a new challenge. Just as my reality of being on my own somewhere in the world.

I'm having to find new ways to make sure the peace I gained remains. To bring back that joy and perspective I gained and pour it over everyone I meet. My work days seem to be a lot less stressful because I make that choice to not let it be. My sleep becomes easier because I let it. I find myself, on my day off...in a coffee shop, like I spent most of my days out there in the world, writing my blog and hoping to inspire at least one person to be brave. To make their "dream" a reality...because the truth is, it's possible. 

Feel free to comment or write me with any questions about it. I'd love to know if I've inspired you to travel, to meet people you wouldn't have thought twice about starting a conversation with. 

Happy Thursday!