and back to point b again

hullo blog, it's been a good awhile...
during the semester, it felt a bit too crowded to write anything, and during travel, it felt a bit too crazy to write anything. but as i, fortunately and thankfully, am back in chinley hermitdom, it would be nice to unfurl the thoughts from last few weeks.

i left toronto, then scuttled through vancouver, japan, south korea, hong kong, macau, then finally to uk (for now). it's a nice point of pause. during those steps, i met my 40th birthday, and it was a rather a nice feeling- that it was good, and it will continue to be good, whatever 'it' may be.  i saw many things and it's almost too much to process as things went on.  perhaps the best way to do this is to start somewhere- and then it will go however as it needs to.

for minimalist-life-style-strivers, it would be a great practice to backpack for awhile, and stay at little rabbit-hutch hostels. with a big and small backpack (may be total of 35L?), i had enough stuff to last me 40+ days (much of it involved washing things in sink etc); and when i got to chinley, i had wealth of clothing (3 drawers almost full!).  since the camino, i realize that i probably have enough stuff to last me nicely into my 50s. i still have stuff from the pack that i never had to use, so that's interesting.

sometimes people say travelling widens your point of view, and that it WILL break your pre-disposition and biases.  interestingly, the more i travel, i feel that it tends to confirm my biases, rather than break them.  i dont really know what to make of it yet, but i am sure something will come of it.  this includes good, as well as crappy biases. 

this trip brings no. of countries ive been to 39. by end of the summer, with last trip planned (malta), i wouldve been at 40 countries by age 40. i feel very lucky to be able to have done that, and during my travel, especially in south korea, when reconnected with extended family, i was touched once again for the enormous sacrifices my parents made to get us to canada- i wouldve been (couldve been?) a completely different person if we stayed in s korea.  while i cannot say which is better, i am grateful that they took such enormous step. thanks momdadgranny.

also visiting with fam, gabe popped up a lot. A LOT.  many still missed him, and i guess growing old means collecting dead people in our lives. lol. but it's true. it's not terrible, it's just what it is.  and there's no way around it.

for now, it's taking daytime bath, washing everything i ever packed on this trip (im even tempted to wash my backpack. it was that sticky, humid and full-on, haha), and being slightly terrified- of the idea perhaps i missed out on 'life,' by not being in the thick of self-promotion, grabbing gigs, competing with the world, etc., but then if anything involves living, that is being okay with not being in the front line, and being okay with plain-old-myself. that it is fine, to not join the race (toi toi toi the ones who are striving in the race though!).

my potatoes are done.
see you tomorrow blog.  it's nice to be back.