Becoming Kel.Leigh.ly- Part 1

Awakening occurs when you are reconnected with your purpose in life and allow it to move you forward on your path.

When I think of how I would like my blog interpreted, the first thing that comes to mind is authentically, unapologetically me. But who is that? Well, it has been a messy process figuring that out, to say the least. Like many, this is a journey that I have been on my entire life, whether we are aware or not. The further back in my memory I venture, the hazier the recollections tend to become, yet… there they are, still. I have witnessed and believe that people can grow as they experience and are shaped by life; however, I also believe that the very core or essence of our being, remains the same. In reconnecting to my own core, I have embarked on the path of awakening my spirit from a dormant state brought on by the daily grind over the last decade. A few things about myself I know for certain: First, the idea of anything permanent completely makes me nervous. No thank you, I’m good. Second, let’s just say that growing up, my barbies were free spirits and that playing house was not my favorite game. I wanted to be outside, running as fast as my little legs could carry me. Finally, there is something romantic in the notion of having a greater purpose and being connected to your destiny. I’ve always said that I am not interested in mediocre.

“Bohemian”, according to good, old Webster’s dictionary:

1. a native or inhabitant of Bohemia, b. the group of Czech dialects used in Bohemia.

2. Vagabond, Wanderer, especially: Gypsy, b. a person (such as a writer or an artist) living unconventional life usually in a colony with others. 

While some girls were dreaming of wedding dresses and white picket fences… I was searching for adventure around every corner and letting my imagination run wild. My father likes to joke that I would play until I passed out, parenting win for them! All jokes aside, I am the same girl I was back then…only with a lot more knowledge and life experiences under my belt. Is my age showing, yet? I was never really successful at hushing my screaming intuition while attempting to make a life for myself by following the conventional pathways. “Adulting”, you know the drill (in no specific order)…go to college, get a good job, buy a home, settle down, make babies, and on and on and on. Ugh, just typing it all out makes my chest begin to tighten. And hey look, if that’s your jam…Joan Cleaver style or the Millennial Mom, do you boo! There is no one that has ever graced this planet for whom I adored and looked up to more than my grandmother; amongst her greatest accomplishments were raising an incredible family while managing her home flawlessly. She was a phenomenal woman, and though my path ahead is wildly different, I also know she is both proud and with me every step of the way. Her spirit lives on in my family and I can sense her encouragement in a variety of subtle and sometimes not so subtle signs. Once I accepted myself, my dreams, and unapologetically decided what I wanted in my life…the smoke cleared and these recollections became more vivid. You see, I have always been a gypsy soul…a lover of the arts…obsessed with books, movies, music, romance, history, culture….LIFE!

 

LIFE…I’ve spent MY life wavering between conventional adult goals and this intense desire to run free for as far and as fast as I can go.  Feeling trapped has caused a great deal of anxiety and at times, depression, trying to conform and survive, while hushing the very essence of my spirit. Do I love to travel? Yea! Who doesn’t, right? But it’s deeper… I long for faraway places; I dream of the locations I have plans to visit and think of them every…single…day. Then, I plot these trips by studying the locations, reading up on tips from other travelers, and creating notes of everything I can find that interests me about a place. Suffice it to say, I am obsessed with this world. My greatest fear? Dying without getting a chance to trek all over this planet! I mean, what are we here for!?!?! God (or who/whatever you believe in) did NOT put me on this planet so I couldn’t see it! And what about all the people and creatures that have been inhabiting it? Tell me everything you can about them…what were they, how did they live, where did they go? And MY family?! What have we been doing since the dawn of time, someone please tell me? Where have we been scattered throughout this thing called history? Ok, I can accept that I most likely wasn’t Cleopatra in another life nor am I a long lost royal family member, but my gut tells me that it’s worth finding out. Let the journey begin!

From my journey to yours,