Well...where to begin - it has been a while to say the least, since my last entry. I'm also living in a different country since my last entry. Being back in Canada has been great, for all the right reasons: family, friends and comfort. Living in close proximity to my family has been like a giant hug...I have supper with my sister once a week, I see my parents and brother a couple times a month, and I've been able to reconnect - in person - with old friends. Since being back, I've been able to reflect on the important things in my life - time spent with friends and family. It's something that cannot be replaced and something that you can't get back.
I have been working at Patagonia - arguably the best company I've been lucky enough to work for. The culture, the beliefs, the people - it's all been amazing and brilliant to be apart of. I brought home the movie, "180 Degrees South" this weekend and watched it yesterday. It is basically about following in the steps of the epic journey to Patagonia, Chile made by Yvon Chouinard (founder of Patagonia) and Doug Tompkins (founder of The North Face and Esprit) in 1968. What I took away from the movie is that the world is ours to explore, in more ways than we even know. It is possible to travel, live and explore sustainably. Something else that was reconfirmed, was the importance of people and cultures and those you meet along the way. Without experiencing different cultures, I think we become naive and ignorant to how others live. I have met and made amazing connections with people from Colombia, Romania, India & England to name a few. There was a quote in the movie that completely struck a cord with me:
"The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning you didn't even think to ask"
I had the opportunity to go to the movie, "The Way". I took a friend of mine to go see it with me. Following the movie, (which she had texted the entire way through), she said to me "I bet you loved that, but I couldn't identify with it." I was thinking, who cannot relate to a movie of self exploration, determination and adventure?! I realized then, I am a traveling spirit. I don't feel that I am meant to be in 9-5 for 30 years of my life. I would much rather experience the world than the inside of a cubicle.
Yvon Chouinard and Jeff Johnson (creator and star of 180 Degrees South) are self declared "dirtbags". They love to live off the land, participate in sports that do not involve the use of a motor, a team - just nature.
Whatever my next adventure ends up being, I feel as though my encouragement and inspiration will have partly come from the YC and JJ.
Stay tuned...I'm feeling as though exciting things are heading my way.
