Postscript

While I originally had this as a postscript at the conclusion of my last blog post, I felt the sentiment deserved it's own space entirely. When I thought more about it, the message wasn't merely an afterthought, but truly a reflection of our military life thus far.  It is the entire essence and central theme that has unconsciously developed in this blog, documenting our journey and seeing every big-change and curveball that comes our way as an opportunity. Moving is said to be the 3rd most stressful life event, next to only death of a loved one and divorce. However, we have survived THRIVED through 6 moves in 3 years by living with an attitude of gratitude and choosing to seek joy in all of our surroundings. No, life isn't perfect, not even here in paradise! We have  definitely had our share of challenges at every location and with every move (did I mention the shipping company totaled the Audi this move and we are in the midst of a legal battle?), but as cheesy as it sounds, a positive attitude goes a long way.

Yesterday, Jordan and I went to the local farmer's market. Sitting amongst the tents was a man, his very impressive dreads (dread-locks), his guitar and a harmonica. His music was calmingly melodious (a combination of folk, blues and reggae styles) and his whole presence was very unassuming. He exuded peacefulness and contentment. After sitting down to listen for a good 30 minutes,  his contagious aura forming two smiles on both of our faces, we walked away with a couple of his CDs. In his words, "We have the choice to come with love and light in any situation! [...] No matter the chaos around us, we can look through the eyes of love and allow our hearts to sing with the timeless melody."

When I first started the blog, my intention was to keep our family and friends updated on our new life on the other side of the country and Jordan's training (since he was too utterly exhausted at the end of the work-week, or realistically at the end of every day, to even garner the strength to pick up the phone).  However, it has become more than that. It is a digital scrapbook of the last 3 years of our life, documenting both big and small events, allowing us to reflect on experiences and memories that would have otherwise been lost and forgotten. It is a reflection of our journey, and not just our geographical one, but also an evolution of growth of two individuals continuously shaped by our experiences. I'm so grateful we have these memories written down in order to reflect back on. I can see each post, or more accurately, each of the stories and experiences that inspired the post, as a building block, coming together to create and build the story of our life.  And so once again, here is my challenge to you...

Postscript

While I have already invested too much time as I tend to do [on my previous post From Sunrise to Moonrise], getting wrapped up with and humbly attempting to wax poetic in order to allow my black and white words in type to become more than just letters on a page, but to completely capture and recreate these most magical experiences and allow our story to visually unfold within your own mind;  I must now add just a few more words if I may...

Since we have moved to Hawaii and started sharing our new experiences here, so many lovely friends and family have expressed how happy they are for us in this next chapter in our life. We continue to hear how fortunate, how lucky, and how blessed we are, and I couldn't agree more. Everyday we live here is a true blessing, and I am constantly taken aback and surprised anew with the re-realization that we are LIVING in Hawaii.  It's usually as simple as the now-familiar backdrop as I am driving around our small little town, or the glistening waters and their unmatched beauty that have become a routine sight, which will randomly and unpredictably shock me back to "reality," I guess you would say. I am so thankful we were given this experience and I hope that I can combat the ever-present enemies of time and routine, that tend to immunize us to our surroundings and allow us to lose sight of just how spectacular our blessings are.

However, with that being said, I encourage each and every one of you to live with the same sense of adventure and exploration as we do. To recognize just how fortunate, how lucky, and how blessed you are. Every town, no matter how big or how small or how long you have lived there, has a beautiful history, a unique culture, and hidden gems just waiting to be explored by you. I mean if we can find fun and adventure in Corpus Christi, TX,  no one has any excuse not to as well! Our 6-month increments at each of our last 5 locations (California included), have encouraged us to see and explore as much as we possibly can in our short time there; to soak up every possible exciting experience while we have the opportunity and means to do so. Even returning back to California, the place where we were both born and raised for the first 25 years of our lives, held new possibilities and unexplored opportunities. We made a concerted effort to spend our time in our hometown as tourists, because we now live a life not knowing when or if we will have the opportunity to return to each place again. So I encourage anyone that is reading this to change their mindset too, and to live as a tourist in your own current surroundings: research a hike in your area, try out a new local restaurant, buy a groupon for a fun activity! I challenge each of you this weekend to go LIVE, EXPLORE, LEARN AND BREAK YOUR ROUTINE! There is a beautiful world surrounding you, just waiting to be discovered and ready to remind YOU just how fortunate, how lucky, and how blessed YOU ARE! 


So, with that being said (AGAIN)...

Carpe Diem! Memento Mori! And for those people better versed in pop-culture than Latin, #YOLO!