This is Not a Vacation

Beyond wanting to see the world and experience life through different cultures, this journey is deeply personal. I am taking a sabbatical from the hustle of surviving the American Dream. Over the last month, I have solidified the key aspects of my purpose for traveling abroad for the next six months.

• First, I want to decolonize my mind, reconnect with my roots, and bring visibility to Indigenous and ancient healing traditions. Most importantly, I want to call out the systems designed to suppress them. My occupation in this life is to be a global student, working as an ally to humanity.

• Secondly, I am prioritizing the care of my mind, body, and spirit. It is mandatory to heal my mind from mental disorder by sharpening my judgment. This means learning how to nurture my inner child, guide my inner teen, and befriend the person I am today. Stability, for me, is about conscious self-regulation and realigning my actions to fulfill my duty.

• Thirdly, I am practicing what I call a perfect life in a day. In America, we often ask, “If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do?” I believe my answer should not differ from any other day I am alive. I strive to live with gratitude for the present, to invest meaningful energy in the lives I encounter, and to go to sleep with peace, awaiting death, as if the reaper were simply a storyteller reading me the next chapter of reality. A story I will not fully grasp until I leave this physical world.

• Finally, I am here to help others who suffer as I have. If my life experience can serve as a crutch, a bandage, or a mirror for someone else, then my life matters. I want to help heal the family unit, model what conscious love looks like, and support others on their path toward enlightenment.

This is not a vacation. This is a coming-of-age testament. It is a celebration of how far I have come and a commitment to continue along my path, one perfect day at a time.