Friday, May 22, 2009

things i am learning

learning spanish is not easy

but when you find yourself talking to a beautiful spanish girl

it's much more easy

traveling can be scary

listen to your body

just relax

i like hitchhiking more than hiking

i prefer villages to camping

i'm ready to live in a city

i spend too much time in front of the computer

being a photographer is unfortunately not all about making pictures

i like the beach more than i thought

i can sit on the beach fully clothed and be perfectly content 

horses are beautiful

knowing a horse is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life

i love cats

i'm still allergic to them

i am more open than i used to be

i am not open as i want to be

i need to smile more

and now i actually remind myself of this

the days preceding a large travel, i still get nervous

and i feel stupid for saying that

it's okay to be dirty

you don't have to wash your hair for six weeks if you don't want

but it's important to be in the sun 

you can cut your own hair

it's super fun

i don't know what it feels like to photograph in black and white

carrying a computer around the world is stupid

i would trade it for a leica in a heartbeat

4 comments:

katie said...

you're making me smile with your intelligent words...

Unknown said...

I'm still overwhelmed with fear before a big trip, too. I think this is why...

Every time I take my first step toward a large journey, I know that I am opening myself to the world. I recognize that I will abandon all that I know in order to have the world recreate me. My current understanding will be shattered, and then it will be rebuilt. My current self will be torn open, and then I will be rebuilt.

It's nerve-wracking to step forth into the unknown. To accept that you will be changed by what you cannot yet see.

It's nerve-wracking, and it's beautiful, and I wouldn't live life any other way.

Kudos to you on recognizing the fear without letting it control you.

Safe sojourns,
Rachel

Unknown said...

I just spent a week working with my hands and in the elements trying to rebuild my grandmother's house that was destroyed by a tornado in Arkansas.

Somethings I came to realize were:

Physical labor is hard but makes one more connected with the Earth and with one's own body in a way that nothing else can. Working in the elements gives you a sense of the sublime, being soaked in rain, or sweat, and dirt... you can't escape to some a/c or shower and you give up to the greater force of nature (these things you've realized months ago I'm sure.)

Then your sleep is deep and water is more refreshing than ever before.

John Henry said...

Rachel, absolutely. It's vulnerability and it's scary. But we are stronger having faced it. Thanks.

Michelle, glad you are getting connected to the Earth in another manner. Rebuilding your grandmother's house? How trying. I hope all went well.