Be Fucking Brave

I'll be honest. I'm scared a lot. In my minimal preparation for this road trip west, I noticed often that my mind would be consumed by a whole swarm of fears that, in reality, would most likely never happen. Like, being stranded with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere Nebraska. Possible, but just not likely. This mind madness happens to me all the time. And, if I were to listen to those fears intently, nodding my head in agreement that, yes, I absolutely could get mugged by an unruly band of highway pirates while filling my tank at a lonely gas station, there is no way I would have packed up my car and began the 14+ hour drive west to Colorado. No freaking way. But, thankfully, I've learned how to train my body and my brain to quiet those chilling thoughts, take a deep breath and go, “Hey Fear – you are simply not serving me in this moment. Hush now. Let's be on our way.”

And so, I went.

As one who pretty much despises the idea of paying for a hotel, I had rigged up the passenger side of my little red 1998 VW Beetle into a flat, albeit slightly cramped, sleeping area. Perfect for power naps along the way too, as needed. I stopped at Target to buy a GPS (a MUST for any road tripper) and plugged in Boulder, CO. 14 hours and 38 minutes of drive time until I arrived at my final destination. Another must for road tripping? An audio book. That morning, I had downloaded “The Memory Keeper's Daughter,” a novel I had had on my bookshelf for years but hadn't yet read. Within the first half hour, the story had me hooked, and I barely seemed to notice my surroundings as I rocketed (at a very normal, safe and legal speed...) down the seemingly endless stretch of highway. It was only at sunset, while I was catching up with a friend on the phone, that my eyes took time to drink in the beauty of the Iowa landscape. Rolling green hills, giant wind energy turbines circling steadily clockwise, and the clouds in the sky lighting up like a fiery orange, fluffy flame as though set fire by the receding sun.

I made it all the way to Omaha, NE. My friend hooked me up with her sister last minute, so I actually had a bed to sleep in before I set off again, refreshed, the following morning. I drove a couple hours before stopping at a rest stop to stretch and use the facilities. It was a beautiful morning, still a little cool from the night, but warming up quickly. I pulled my yoga mat from my back seat and found a grassy spot to do a short yoga flow. I had been severely neglecting my yoga practice in the last month, and my muscles felt tight and pinched. Within minutes, I felt better; loose and more open. I still had about seven hours to go; my audio book still had me completely captivated.

I reached Boulder, CO around 6:30PM. Just in time to meet up with a friend for dinner. It had been since November of 2013 when I was last in Boulder, and I found comfort in the hustle and bustle of the Pearl St Mall on this unusually cool Thursday evening. I had arrived. Safe and without incident.

I shudder to think of all the missed experiences I would have if I chose to play captive to my irrational fears. It's not always easy to live courageously, but for me, it's totally worth it. I don't always have my next step planned out. I often live with much of my life and my future unknown. But, I know I am guided in my steps. I trust in the Flow of my life and that I am led to certain places and introduced to certain people for a reason. The power is in the choices that we make each day and the way in which we choose to live our life. And, I choose to live through the fear.

Be fucking brave, my friends. Be fucking brave.