Friday, December 12, 2014

How Did I Get Here?!?

As 2014 is coming to a close, I can't help but think back on the last year in complete awe... A year ago I was married and planning my life with my husband in Seattle, where we were both born, raised, and wanting to settle down. I was starting my first nursing job and ready to focus on my career and marriage...
Then in February it happened.
My husband laid his hands on me in anger. Not for the first time. But for the last. Something in my mind snapped and I knew our relationship was over. I was through being abused. I was done being beaten up and belittled. I straightened up and walked out the door with nothing but the clothes I was wearing and never looked back.
I had nowhere to go, but I went anyways.

I had lost touch with most of my friends during my relationship with my husband, but I have some amazing friends. People I hadn't spoken with in a long time came out to help when I asked, and I always found a place to stay and a shoulder to cry on. It was my first time being really on my own. But I survived. And I more than survived. I realized that I was strong enough to leave an abusive relationship with the only person in my life who had genuinely supported me, and if I could do that I could do anything.
Bring it on, world.

So one day I was hanging out with an old friend, and she was telling me about her trip to Greece and Turkey the summer before. I thought that sounded really nice. I had always loved to travel, but hadn't since before I graduated high school, when I used to travel with my family quite often. I thought for a day or so, checked some airline prices, signed up as a Couch Surfer, and the rest is history. Two months later (3 months almost to the day after I left my husband), and I was at the airport checking in for my flight to Greece.

I had quit my job, given up my apartment and car, and was setting off on an adventure. I felt so strong and free!!!! I would figure out life here when I returned, after I had done some soul searching on my trip. I had a whole intense itinerary for my trip, and it did not go even remotely according to plan... which turned out to be just what I needed.
In the ten weeks I traveled, I had more life experiences than I could have imagined possible. I learned a new language, met amazing people, made a city across the globe my home, wasted tons of money on unused/extra tickets, fell in love, hitchhiked, slept alone on a beach, and grew in so many ways I couldn't possibly describe them all in this post. And all of this happened because I took that first step of setting out to travel on my own, and then the second step of letting my adventure take me where it would take me. I let go of all of my expectations and just soaked up the experiences as they happened.
I did what I wanted, when I wanted, with whomever I felt like spending time with. It opened a whole new world to me, and that Pandora's box will never close again.

Around week 8 or 9 of my trip, just as I was seriously considering not taking my flight back to Seattle, I got a call offering me my old job back. And my ex offered me the car in exchange for our gun. So I dragged myself back to the US. It took months for me to get back to feeling like myself again. I missed Greece so much, and missed the spirit of adventure I had found in myself there. I had decided before I left Greece that I was going to be working towards getting back to Europe, and transferring my nursing license to Sweden. Spring was my goal for getting there and starting work and a new life.

Buuuuut once again, adventure is calling. I have decided it is time to take my life into my own hands. I have spent my entire life living to become what society, my parents, etc expected of me, thinking that was what I expected of myself. Well, I am done with that. I don't have to have a career right now. We are all only given one life. I am going to use mine and experience everything I can. I am going to adventure and explore and see where my life takes me.

So this is a chronicling of my experiences, poetry, songs, and lessons I learn as I set out on this amazing adventure that is life. I don't know where my life will take me, but I am sure I will learn, grow, meet amazing people, and have some crazy adventures along the way. I am looking forward to reading your comments and sharing my stories with you.

Peace out and Adventure on!


Oh, and just for fun here are some pics from my old life...
Photos by Kinzie (I think, I'll double check) at Taylored Photo Memories

3 comments:

  1. RUN TARA RUN RUN RUN........LIKE THE FOREST GUMP STORY.........THE BEST FOR YOU......I WILL MOVE TO AUSTRALIA SEE THE HEROES OF SYDNEY.........IS A PLACE FOR ME AUS.........

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  2. NICE WORDS TARA......NICE PHOTOS......YOU A ARE REVOLUTION WOMAN....LOL

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  3. YOU DONT KNOW ME I AM A HIPPIE TOO.........

    ReplyDelete