Let Me Just Say... I Miss the Beach.

I do, I really, really do!

Who knew, that growing up in Australia I had become so spoilt. I had what can only be described as some of the best beaches around (if not, the WORLD'S BEST!) at my fingertips day after day, summer weekend after summer weekend.

And now, here I sit in a Canadian winter as the snow falls ever so softly onto the waiting grass below. Don't get me wrong, I just LOVE the four seasons. That's why I moved to the northern hemisphere. Call me crazy! I never missed a White Christmas until I experienced one and now the BBQ filled summer one's seemed lost on me. I never knew what it was like to see the leaves change colours to vibrantly daring red's, yellows and oranges. The leaves never made it to the ground in such a manner that they needed to be raked. I grew up with constant evergreens. If the trees were green in summer, they were green in winter.

But as winter is precisely halfway through it's season, I now see why so many Canadians and Americans relish their beloved 'Spring Break'. It's a chance to get away and enjoy some sunshine, some poolside drinks, some beachside lounging... some absolute nothingness!

I grew up with golden beaches, crashing ocean waves, beach cricket... and jellyfish stings (it's not all glamour folks!)... and man, do I miss it! I used to love summer as a kid, but then growing up in the city I lived in, summer was all we got. If we were lucky, sometimes we saw spring and got to experience TWO seasons. 'Winter' as I knew it was a cold 20 degree day - that's 70F for my American readers. Imagine California, just... Down Under! Now that I'm back on top, my winter days actually feel like winter. This past week alone I've experienced rain, snow, wind and mild flurries where the temperature has ranged from 5C to -19C then back to 3C (40F to 2F to 34F). Right now, it's currently a wonderful Canadian -14C (6F). It is quite the change from the tropical climate I knew as a child.

It is true what they say - 'You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone'.

Here's my beloved Noosa Beach on the Sunshine Coast...

But I digress. Back to my winter daydreaming...

As I sit here dreaming of my beloved golden beaches (one of the few things I miss about my native Australia), I find myself googling getaway packages to places like Cuba, Costa Rica, Jamaica and the Domenican Republic. Places I, a seasoned traveller, couldn't even point to on a map! But my, how I'd love to visit... even if it is for an all inclusive 7 days.

For a mere $1000 I can disappear for a week and sit by the kabana wasting my day away. I'd make my fingers go all prune like as I float in the pool. I'd work on my cancer inducing tan on the white sandy beaches. I'd have more time to read all the books I've got stacking up in my bedroom which I buy on self promises of 'I hope to read those soon' thoughts. I'd relax poolside ordering all inclusive drinks. Now, I don't drink a lot of alcohol - a beer here and there, a Pina Colada in Mexico - but even I'd take advantage of that! Oh, and not only do you get all of that pleasing R&R... they even have the audacity to throw in your Flight AND all three daily meals ontop of your accomodation. I mean, for not even $200 a day, why shouldn't I book?

Be honest, would you turn down a place that looked like this?....

As if to tease me and hit that 'purchase now' button, Zac Brown Band's song 'Toes' has come on the radio as I type this blog post... 'I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand. Life is good today... life is good today!'. Well, it sure is tempting. I just might bring his advice to life!

No wonder so many 'snow birds' fly south for the winter!

Let Me Just Say... Travelling Is Hard.

Especially when you're out there on your own.

A friend of mine that I got to know in the few months before I left Australia recently jetted out on her own journey in the hopes of seeing the big wide world - in particular, the Grand 'ol US of A - and is finding it a little more difficult than she had hoped.

I know she has the strength within her to make her dreams a reality and to stick with it, but it's not as easy as it seems. She's the same age as I was when I first left home to travel the world - the elusive 21. When anything you dare to dream could possibly happen, and if you're willing and able, it's very likely you might just see it all become a reality.

But then, once it does, is it what you hoped it'd be?

Travelling has changed me. This much I know. I'm quite glad I never settled down and married at 25 as some of my friends did. The person I was then compared to the one I am now, is very different. I used to plan things out - everything - down to a tee. My first trip overseas was planned to the day. To the DAY! If you asked me where I was going to be on a particular day in my 11 months overseas, I could've told you. I knew exactly what hostels, cities and sights I'd be taking in. That is the first and last trip I ever planned so completely.

I'm much more relaxed and easy going these days. I've opened my eyes, I've allowed people in, I've experienced new cultures. I've realised that the small stuff isn't really worth sweating. I've learnt that if you're walking around breathing, you're having a good day, so please, don't be complaining. Least of all to me. I've learnt that deep breaths help you see clearer. I've also learnt that no one leaves here alive, so there's no point in worrying about the things you cannot change nor have any control over.

My friend, she appears to be struggling. I don't speak with her as often as I'd like and I know I'm to blame for that one. How can I call someone a friend when little effort is made on my end - a reassuring sentence or two on a status update hardly seems to cut the mustard of true friendship, no? But yesterday, as I read her blog post, I took the time to write her the following reply.

It's not just for her, it's for all the travellers out there. All the one's who dared to dream and spread their wings in the hopes that they'd fly. It's for all the ones who are struggling and finding that sometimes life, it's just not really what you thought it'd be like.

You can read her blog post here - http://twentysomethingtwentyeverything.wordpress.com/author/twentysomethingtwentyeverything/ - and I hope you do because I find her reading very relatable and extremely interesting.

You can read my response here. I'm sure it resonates than just this one traveller friend of mine -

There is something so deep we learn about ourselves as we take that step into the great unknown. What we thought we knew, understood or even accepted as fact before, are quite quickly, proven different.

What we had come to accept as part of our beings - our strengths and our weaknesses - becoming merely a stepping stone and a learning experience. We are taught patience, understanding, acceptance. We are taught to open our eyes, appreciate new cultures and most importantly, we are taught to breathe deeply. All the while with an aching in our hearts as we know that what we thought we weren't going to miss and were ready to leave behind, suddenly come to the surface and we realise all too quickly, we may have gotten ourselves in for more than we bargained for.

Sometimes in life, the thing we had been hoping for and waiting for and dreaming of suddenly arrives... and we learn it's not at all like what we expected or wanted. It is then we truly appreciate what we had and silently promise to never take it for granted again.

'Careful what you wish for, you may regret it. Careful what you wish for... you just might get it'.

As the days pass, it gets easier. But travelling, being away from home, from loved ones, from common comforts - it's really not for everyone. You will learn more about yourself in your time alone, your time overseas, than you ever thought, imagined, or even hoped you could. I find that technology nowadays makes things so much easier. Skype for example, makes it seem like the person is only 12 blocks away, not 12000 kilometres. Granted, there is something about the human touch that makes the connection all that more special.

When the days are tough - and they will be, remember one thing. When the mountain is too steep to climb - and it will be, remember one thing. When the rain is falling and the fog is affecting your view - and it will, remember one thing. When your eyes are closed and your heart is aching - and it will, remember one thing... if it all comes to much too bare, home is only a plane ride away.

Until then, my advice to you is what it has been from the week before you left... 'A ship in a harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for'.

May you open your eyes, expand your heart, take that leap and be willing to learn more about yourself than you ever dreamed possible.

Deep breaths.