It’s been several months since I’ve felt inspired to write. It’s not that I haven’t had things to say. I think I got stuck in a loop of, “nobody reads this, so why bother writing?” That’s one of the stories I think I started telling myself. But at the same time, a beautiful woman recently pointed out to me, that since I never shared this link publicly, it’s hard to expect it to get much traction. So here we go! New beginning number one-hundred and fuck it, I’ve lost count. If there’s one thing I’ve become exceptionally good at, it’s new beginnings. The “starting over” counter doesn’t matter. The “how many days its been since I last ______” doesn’t matter. I can press pause, play, stop or reset on my life as many times as I want and so can you! So without further delay, allow me to update you on the last year of my life.

– The sand on Israeli beaches is super soft, powdery and fine. It feels like the sand that goes inside of an hourglass or one of those “zen garden’s” that you buy at a home goods store and use a little rake to carve patterns in.

– Hummus is a food group and some of my favorite foods I’ve ever eaten in my entire life came from Israel. If I’m being totally honest, they came from the kitchen of my ex-girlfriend (or her mom’s kitchen). I’m still dreaming about her Israeli salads, rice, stuffed grape leaves, babaganoush and hummus. The memory of the vegan sushi in Tel Aviv will probably always make me drool.

– Floating in the Dead Sea made me feel like a slippery seal. It was difficult to stay upright because I was so buoyant that the water kept displacing me to my side or stomach and the mineral rich content of the waters left my skin feeling slippery in a way I’ve never experienced.

– The animals in Petra, Jordan, are horrifically abused. I will never condone humans riding the camels or donkeys.

– Staying in a Bedouin Camp in Petra was one of the highlights of my life. It felt like I’d been transported back in time hundreds of years. Sipping tea by the fire while the local hosts played traditional music is something I’ll never forget.

– I’ve never felt as small and insignificant as I did when I was standing in the middle of Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan. It’s expansive. It’s majestic. It’s otherworldly.

– Dubai isn’t a place I love but I enjoyed the phenomenal infrastructure (you can order ANY kind of food and have it to your door in 20 minutes or less) and I also felt safe everywhere I went. I felt proud of myself for going to Dubai as a solo female traveler, and silly when I got there, for ever thinking it would be uncomfortable.

– The skyline of Dubai looks like it’s out of a futuristic Marvel superhero movie. Big props to the Emirati for building such incredibly funky, artsy, cool and swanky buildings.

– Bali became the new place where my heart felt at home. I settled in Ubud for the better part of two months where I practiced yoga daily, ate the cleanest vegan food, sang Sanskrit mantras, danced, laughed, and cried. Ubud comes from the Indonesian word, “ubad” which means medicine and it’s definitely a fitting name for this magical city.

– Visiting my father and step mother in the North of Thailand (near Burma) showed me that my vegan hippie ass hasn’t fully gotten over my fear of spiders (despite my ego thinking I had). Spending time with my father is always easy and fun. We smoked countless joints together and ate like Royalty with my stepmother’s phenomenal cooking. I love hearing his wild stories of his colorful life.

– Deepening my friendships in Phuket, Thailand meant I spent Christmas with my Thai family and expat friends living in Phuket. The hotel I live at hosted a Drag Queen show and huge Christmas dinner feast.

– Explored new parts of Cambodia with a dear friend from Israel. Discovered Koh Rong island, while a little complicated to arrive to, is not Rong at all. It should be named, Koh Right. It might take the prize for the most stunning beaches I’ve ever seen. On the Gulf of Thailand, the beaches boast bright white sand and vibrant turquoise waters. They are clean and deserted.

– The Bays that I live in on Koh Phangan welcomed me back with open arms. I discovered that DANCE, is the answer. Sweaty days and nights at exclusive jungle beach parties with some of the most incredible DJ’s in the entire world kept me busy for two months. Strengthened old friendships and nurtured new ones. Explored all the letters and discovered MDMA isn’t for me but LSD is. 😉

– Met a woman who stole my heart. An American living in Phuket. So naturally, I left Koh Phangan early to go back to Phuket so she and I could dive into the deep end and explore our connection. Discovered again, that LOVE isn’t always enough but that just because something isn’t perfect doesn’t mean it needs to be rejected completely. Learned that despite my being a Communication Major in college, I still have room to grow when it comes to how I show up in relationships.

ANOTHER POST I NEVER FINISHED BUT DECIDED TO PUBLISH ANYWAY