Where do I Go?

Have you heard the story of the man who gave it all up to gain it all? I haven't either. Well, not until I started my nomadic journey. I was a teacher living in Los Angeles in the heart of Hollywood. I had the perfect relationship with my partner, the best of friends, and was building a name for myself as a podcast host in the city. What more could I ask for? That wasn't the question I needed to ask. The real question was, "What more is calling me? What am I being called to do?" All that I had didn't feel like enough. It felt as though there was some deeper meaning to life that I was seeking. So I let it all go. After 13 years, I decided to leave LA with my partner and become a nomad. Not knowing where this journey would take us, we packed up our necessities, got rid of what we didn't need, and said our goodbyes. We took a 2-month road trip to Vancouver, stopping everywhere in between from Sedona to Seattle. We saw it all. We didn't know this road trip would take us on a journey of self-discovery and a deeper connection with each other. The city that I once dreamed about now became a distant memory. My reality became living the dream. We made our way to Vancouver and back down to LA. Continuing our pursuit of freedom brought us to New York, a city I once feared to live in. I was afraid of the people, afraid of the pace, afraid of being there without my own space. But, I survived. I went to New York and learned even more about myself. I didn't know that I was a star. I put myself in uncomfortable spaces like open mics to share my art and felt in real-time who I was on stage. I moved around without a car, something I have had since I was 17. I didn't know I could adapt so quickly. New York showed me a version of myself that I had never seen. But, it also prepared me for a version that I had to be. I had to take a pause in my nomadic journey to go back to Houston, the place where my foundation as a person was built. I lived so many lives over the past few months that I didn't return as the same person I would routinely show up as to family functions. I was more free. My freedom felt caged in the beginning. But, in reflecting, I saw the many lives I lived to bring me to my current space. Houston has been so much of a mirror, showing me why I am the person I am, both positively and negatively. It has been a mirror and one that may not be the prettiest, but I am doing the work to clean up. I never knew how valuable stillness could be in my life until arriving in Houston. I also realized how valuable it is to stay in the dream to keep going. I haven't lived in Houston in almost 20 years. My return feels like an opportunity to nurture the young man that once lived here and wanted to get away. It has been a time of restoration and also an inspiration to where the journey will guide me next.

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