“1-way ticket to paradise, please”: New year. New me. New destination.

At this point, people in my life have pretty much adjusted to my on-the-go lifestyle. Since high school, I knew that I wanted to get out and explore the world beyond California lines. Honestly, I would have loved to take a gap year to just roam around and see what was out there before I started to establish myself as a full blown adult with actual responsibilities. It’s so beautiful to witness young people living without the stress and restrictions that are placed on us as adults. There’s a real charm about that youthful innocence that we have when we aren’t focusing so much on all the things that could go wrong…we just throw ourselves into situations with the belief that it will all play out exactly how we saw it in our heads-- unless you were just an anxious kid. But don’t you miss that sometimes??

Who says we can't go back to that place though? Societal norms, and people we know who've helped to reinforce these rules, sure. But in this day and age, we see where a lot of those old ideas and traditions leave us (that's another story for another day). And of course, I get the hesitation in some cases. I definitely still feel paralyzed by the fear of what could possibly go wrong in some situations, and like a sensible adult, I gauge the risks and consider my wellbeing. The blissful ignorance or naiveté during those childhood years led to embarrassment, heartaches, fractures, broken bones, scrapes to the white meat, and we want to avoid that now. After all, healing in our thirties and up just isn't the same.

But how often do we think about the other possibilities? The ones that don't leave us bruised and bloodied. The ones that give us butterflies and have us feeling high off life. How will you know? Are you willing to sacrifice all that potential joy and freedom? Well you definitely miss all of the shots you don't take, right?

This is the thought that leads me to wander. This led me to up and move to Ethiopia, Egypt, Qatar, and now to Colombia. To be a little more specific, a series of seemingly unfortunate events led to me deciding to leave Doha after a little over 3 years. To be honest, I was about ready to go, so it wasn't a difficult decision. I literally manifested this move, but I wasn't very specific so things played out in a [now] comical way (Haha...I hear you, Universe). It almost felt like when Uncle Phil would throw Jazz out of the mansion. (Don't worry, I wasn't kicked out of the country). But that was just further proof that we do get what we ask for-- I'm just working on fine tuning that power even more now!

So, why Colombia? Last year I decided to go on a retreat. But not just any retreat.* Again, I had already been craving major changes in my life because things were starting to feel stale and cramped. I wasn't satisfied. Maybe it was my airy Gemini self rejecting the cage, because this bird needs to fly freely. Either way, I was very attracted to the idea of a week of focused activities geared towards chakra healing. Your girl was feeling blocked and backed up, so this was an urgent need.

Now officially jobless and single, I was open to new possibilities. I planned to spend a week visiting a few different cities in Colombia before the retreat would start. Within the first few days, I had already fallen in love. This just felt like a place that I needed to spend a lot more time in. So on the 5th night as I was lying in my hotel bed, I was thinking to myself, "I feel it and I can't deny it. So why not?" and just like that, I went to search for flights and purchased a 1-way ticket that was due to return in about 5 weeks. That would give me enough time to go back to Qatar and pack up my apartment and head to Los Angeles where I would spend quality time with family and friends. Yeah, I move fast when I'm sure.

What I was to experience during the remainder of the trip and the retreat was more confirmation that I was headed in the right direction. I truly feel renewed and transformed. The Love Goddess is here, and she's in control, honey! By the way, I think everyone should go on some type of intentional healing journey, and that can come in many different forms. But trust me, it feels better in paradise with sun, sand, and water nearby!

**By the way, this is MY method and experience moving to different countries. Certain rules and restrictions apply, so do your own research.

I will be posting more info on what I know and have experienced in future posts and on my YouTube channel: michmosh world

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=michmosh+world