Monday, July 22, 2019
Monday, March 3, 2014
I Have Begun Ordering Gear!
So, 3 days ago I ordered 8 pieces for my trip that I have started to plan for possibly 2 years from now around my 25th birthday. It may be sooner and it may take longer. I haven't had much time to make another post lately because I am getting things ready to start my new job. I also had a birthday party to go to this week, I had to get rid of my dog because I'm possibly going to be working 50+ hours a week. I was going to learn Japanese Kanji and decided that I don't wish to right now because it would take up much of my free time that I want to have for social time.
There are a couple of items that I ordered that will not be major pieces for my trip, mainly security and safety items. Waterproof matches and a first aid kit and a whistle are those. I say they aren't major pieces solely because I hope to not need them at all on my trip. Who wants to need a first aid kit? Nobody. I know it's necessary though, so I got one that will hopefully do well towards any injuries that I may have. I know that if I end up in a torrential downpour and my gear gets wet, I may need the waterproof matches to start a fire to dry my gear. I could be freezing and have nowhere to go that is indoors. In which case I may also need to start a fire. I may get into trouble and need someone to rescue me if I cannot move. I'm getting those things because they are a necessity. I'm not going around the world with no safety precautions. There will be more precautions that I take and I'll add them to my list when I purchase them.
I ordered all of these things off of REI's website because they back all of their items. If something isn't to my liking and isn't up to par of where I feel like it should be, I can return them within a year or get them replaced if there is anything damaged on the way here. They also have a membership program that costs an initial $20 dollars and with that, I can get an annual refund on all things that I purchase from them! Talk about excellence! Who doesn't want a refund in their pocket if they purchase something for more gear at the end of the year?!
My first item that I purchased was a backpack! I chose the Osprey Volt 60. It's 60 liter pack (obviously, hence the 60 in the name). It comes with everything that I believe I'm going to need for a trip and if I find it unworthy to hold all of my gear, I may upgrade. I don't think that I'll honestly need another though because I want to go lightweight without missing the gear that I think will be necessary. I know many of you don't believe a huge pack would be completely necessary and you're probably right. I am going to be on the road for many years though and who knows what kinds of things I'll be getting into. I needed something sturdy, lightweight and that would hold anything that I may want to carry with me. This pack comes with more than adequate space as 60 liters is all I'm going to need. I may not even use the entire thing! I may need a bigger pack but I genuinely think this will be more than enough. It comes with compression straps on the sides for cinching it down if I don't have enough to fill it out so it will fit better on my back and things aren't rolling around. The pack also weighs in at only a hair over 3 and a half pounds which will be very nice as I'm trying to keep my overall weight down to around 35 to 40 pounds. I'd rather not be lugging around 50 pounds of weight and with keeping my pack size smaller, I think that will go a long way towards not over-packing.
My first item that I'm going to talk about is the Kelty Salida 2 tent. It's a 2 person tent and has one of the highest ratings on REI's website from customers. Why in the heck would I buy a 2 person tent if it's just going to be myself? Well I don't think that I'm going to need all of that room most of the time. I do, however need space for my pack as well as for the possibility of having someone else sleeping in the tent if it happens. You never know when you're going to find someone else doing the same thing as I am and it just makes sense to carry a single tent instead of multiple. Another reason I picked this tent is because of it's lightweight design. It weighs a grand total of 4 and a half pounds with the packaging and such! No, it's not the lightest tent I can buy but were I to find another somewhere that is lighter, odds are it would cost much more. I am trying to make this trip as affordable as possible and I can't do that if I spend more than what I am! I also want comfort and that's something that this tent provides quite well considering it's a 3 season tent! I've read the stakes are not up to par and, after testing it, I'll decide whether to buy some sturdier, heavyweight stakes. As of right now, before testing it, I believe I made an excellent choice in the middle ground of lightweight for a good price! More information when it gets here!
My next item is an Osprey Hydro Reservoir. It's a 2 liter water bladder that I'll be using every single day over my trip I'm sure. That's a lot of water to hold and this may be one of the weightiest things in my pack when it's filled. It will weigh almost 5 pounds all told when filled and just 10 ounces when empty. It is made with an antimicrobial formula that will stop any bacteria from growing inside the reservoir. This is definitely the one for me as it's not gigantic and it's not too small at the same time so I don't have to worry about running out of water. My pack comes with a built-in pocket for the bladder as well just in case this does break, it won't drench all of my gear/clothes in water.
My next piece that I purchased was an REI Polar Pod Sleeping Bag. Another lightweight but not ultra-lightweight piece that should have no problems keeping me warm in any weather I plan on being in. It's rated only down to 31 degrees Fahrenheit though I don't have any plans to go places incredibly cold. If it gets colder than I expected, I'll have layers of clothing along with me so I can pack them on while I'm sleeping. I got this bag on sale for $45 dollars as the deal of the day on REI's website while it's originally double that and I think that I won't have any problems with this bag. It also has an inside pocket for storing anything small that I may want as well as a pocket for a small travel pillow if I decide to buy one, or something else soft if I don't have one!
The last thing on my list that I bought a few days ago was a Black Diamond Headlamp. This thing is a beast and looks awesome too! Okay it won't look that great when I'm actually wearing it, but hey, you can't look good all the time right? This thing really does everything though! It changes the lighting it gives off with a simple touch of your finger, has a great locking feature with a button on the top and can even tell you when your batteries are getting low! Don't forget, it also has a red light for night walking just in-case you are walking/hiking at night, if you turn it off, you won't lose your night vision. I can't wait to try out this thing!
I can't wait to try out all of this gear to be honest! These are the things that I plan on using for a backpacking trip around the world and I'm going to learn them inside and out before I go so that I don't have any problems with any of it. I'm really excited! Thanks for reading this if you got this far and if you have any questions/ suggestions let me know in the comment section! Don't forget to follow me!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
The Convincing Time!
So, ever since I decided to backpack across the world, my parents have been telling me that they didn't think it was that great of an idea. They support me in anything I do, yet the worry will always be there. That's how parents work, they worry about you and love you because they don't want to lose you. If you can't appreciate that, you've got some re-thinking to do in my book. :) If you are adamant about doing something potentially dangerous, though, you need to find some way for middle ground. They are your parents after all, they have raised you since you came out of the womb. That's not something that can ever be changed and shouldn't be changed. I love my parents (And stepparents!) and want to make them at least a little bit more okay with me traveling. The premier reason that they are scared is because there are so many unknowns out there that could be either good or bad. It's not like you can anticipate every little thing that will happen on your trip. There are ways to make them feel more at ease though, and you should do anything (reasonably) possible to help. That's one reason why I'm doing a blog, and why I'm going to make a skype account to help communicate with the people that care for me. I know for a fact that every step of the way, there are going to be people worried about me. I am not going to let that get in the way of my dreams though. I'm going to make them a reality and it's going to be marvelous! (I love that word!)
So, to help, I'm going to make some decisions to help go a long way to make them feel better about my travels. First and foremost, I'm going to outline an action plan as to where I am going step-by-step. That, however, will come later. It will make it much easier so they aren't freaking out without any idea where I'm going to be for that one month or that one week I can't respond to them because there isn't any internet service where I'm at. There may be quite a few of those times and it's difficult to judge because I'm not going to plan exactly where I'll be every single day or every single week, though I can possibly give a general time frame. I'm going to have to decide where I'm going, how long I'll be gone, how long I'll be in a certain area etc. I won't always stick to that time frame, I know that. There is always something you didn't expect, something that you hadn't heard of before and that you know you want to see before you leave. There may be unexpected problems along the way (yes, I said problems dad :P). Things don't go according to a plan out there in the world all of the time.
The next thing I'm going to do is get travelers insurance! Yeah buddy, get some insurance to help with all of those unforeseen problems that you didn't expect. My plan is to get a $100,000 plan that should cover any problems that arise. No, I don't expect to get hurt or sick or anything of that nature, but things happen. Life happens, in fact. I don't know whether I'll need more or less but I do know, that if I end up needing $100,000 worth of insurance, I'll definitely be heading home. Fingers crossed, there isn't anything that will happen. I'm not stupid, and I'm not too terribly clumsy (except when it comes to snow sometimes). I'll be doing my best to stay out of any life-threatening trouble and should be fine.
Thirdly, I'm going to be generating an income while I'm on the road as much as I can. I won't get stranded in a foreign country with no way to get back and I know that will help their peace of mind. Money isn't but at the same time it is a big deal. There are always ways to make money. There is always something you can do to support yourself, no matter if it's teaching English to Thai people or if it's cleaning dishes at a restaurant! My primary way of income (I'm hoping) will be a travel blog. There are so many others who have done this same thing and I'm going to be one who succeeds. I'm going to do my best soon to get my own website up and generating income as soon as I can. That way when I leave, I won't be worried about it not getting enough viewers, or not getting advertised enough. There are going to be ups and downs, as life always has, but hopefully, I can do what I want to do instead of stooping to cleaning toilets. That's not to say I won't have a starting amount of currency that I can use because I will. I plan to save (at least) 25 to 30,000 before I leave. That way I have enough of a head start that anything that doesn't go according to plan, I'll have something to fall back on.
Another thing that I think will help is the fact that traveling isn't a bad thing. No one ever gets worried if you go on vacation to the Bahamas for a week or 2. Okay, bad example seeing as this will possibly be a multi-year trip. Traveling like this won't be something I'll regret. Ever. It's something that will help my own confidence immensely and that will help build a portfolio for jobs in the future! How would that look on a resume? "I traveled on my own two feet around the world with a pack on my back." It's got so many benefits it's unreal. It shows that I can plan ahead. It shows that I have organizational skills that any job will look for. It shows that I'm not a quitter and that I'm not someone that can't handle a big load dumped on them because I've traveled the world and nothing I've ever done before comes close to it. It will be an incredible educational experience, learning new languages, history about cultures and countries! Most people study new languages in a classroom, while I'll be on the front lines learning from the source! I'll get so many more social skills than I have right now, seeing as I'll be meeting new people left and right and everyone I meet will make an impact on my own confidence with people!
The world isn't a bad place. 99% of the people in the world are good people, they aren't all out to get me. The world is safer than it's probably ever been with the advances in technology that have been made even in the last decade! I know for a fact that my parents did some crazy stuff in their youth that they would scold me for doing and this is something I've got to do. The only thing I'm asking of you guys, mom and dad, is that you support me and my dreams and wish for the best. It's going to be a great time and I know it will be 10 times better with you guys behind me. I love you, hopefully you understand why I have to do this.
So, to help, I'm going to make some decisions to help go a long way to make them feel better about my travels. First and foremost, I'm going to outline an action plan as to where I am going step-by-step. That, however, will come later. It will make it much easier so they aren't freaking out without any idea where I'm going to be for that one month or that one week I can't respond to them because there isn't any internet service where I'm at. There may be quite a few of those times and it's difficult to judge because I'm not going to plan exactly where I'll be every single day or every single week, though I can possibly give a general time frame. I'm going to have to decide where I'm going, how long I'll be gone, how long I'll be in a certain area etc. I won't always stick to that time frame, I know that. There is always something you didn't expect, something that you hadn't heard of before and that you know you want to see before you leave. There may be unexpected problems along the way (yes, I said problems dad :P). Things don't go according to a plan out there in the world all of the time.
The next thing I'm going to do is get travelers insurance! Yeah buddy, get some insurance to help with all of those unforeseen problems that you didn't expect. My plan is to get a $100,000 plan that should cover any problems that arise. No, I don't expect to get hurt or sick or anything of that nature, but things happen. Life happens, in fact. I don't know whether I'll need more or less but I do know, that if I end up needing $100,000 worth of insurance, I'll definitely be heading home. Fingers crossed, there isn't anything that will happen. I'm not stupid, and I'm not too terribly clumsy (except when it comes to snow sometimes). I'll be doing my best to stay out of any life-threatening trouble and should be fine.
Thirdly, I'm going to be generating an income while I'm on the road as much as I can. I won't get stranded in a foreign country with no way to get back and I know that will help their peace of mind. Money isn't but at the same time it is a big deal. There are always ways to make money. There is always something you can do to support yourself, no matter if it's teaching English to Thai people or if it's cleaning dishes at a restaurant! My primary way of income (I'm hoping) will be a travel blog. There are so many others who have done this same thing and I'm going to be one who succeeds. I'm going to do my best soon to get my own website up and generating income as soon as I can. That way when I leave, I won't be worried about it not getting enough viewers, or not getting advertised enough. There are going to be ups and downs, as life always has, but hopefully, I can do what I want to do instead of stooping to cleaning toilets. That's not to say I won't have a starting amount of currency that I can use because I will. I plan to save (at least) 25 to 30,000 before I leave. That way I have enough of a head start that anything that doesn't go according to plan, I'll have something to fall back on.
Another thing that I think will help is the fact that traveling isn't a bad thing. No one ever gets worried if you go on vacation to the Bahamas for a week or 2. Okay, bad example seeing as this will possibly be a multi-year trip. Traveling like this won't be something I'll regret. Ever. It's something that will help my own confidence immensely and that will help build a portfolio for jobs in the future! How would that look on a resume? "I traveled on my own two feet around the world with a pack on my back." It's got so many benefits it's unreal. It shows that I can plan ahead. It shows that I have organizational skills that any job will look for. It shows that I'm not a quitter and that I'm not someone that can't handle a big load dumped on them because I've traveled the world and nothing I've ever done before comes close to it. It will be an incredible educational experience, learning new languages, history about cultures and countries! Most people study new languages in a classroom, while I'll be on the front lines learning from the source! I'll get so many more social skills than I have right now, seeing as I'll be meeting new people left and right and everyone I meet will make an impact on my own confidence with people!
The world isn't a bad place. 99% of the people in the world are good people, they aren't all out to get me. The world is safer than it's probably ever been with the advances in technology that have been made even in the last decade! I know for a fact that my parents did some crazy stuff in their youth that they would scold me for doing and this is something I've got to do. The only thing I'm asking of you guys, mom and dad, is that you support me and my dreams and wish for the best. It's going to be a great time and I know it will be 10 times better with you guys behind me. I love you, hopefully you understand why I have to do this.
Monday, February 17, 2014
I Know I've Posted About Him Before!
Alright guys, I know I've posted about this guy before. Multiple times. I know you probably don't want to keep hearing about the same thing but man, this guy is inspiring! Remember Ryan Newburn? The guy who's walking across Japan, then the world? He's going with a bang and it's splattered on the front page of the Living Section of the Omaha World Herald! It's a big deal, getting an article smack dab on the front page of a newspaper. Any newspaper! Around these parts, though, the OWH is a really big deal! He's actually doing it! In 14 days, this guy is going on a 5 year trip around the world and nothing can stop him now! He used to be a whopping 320 pounds in High School. Now, 6 years later, he's down to 205 and in excellent shape! You can see that from the pictures in the article on their website or his own even! Make sure to follow him you guys, he's going places and I plan to follow in his footsteps hopefully in a year or 2. What an inspiration!
I'm sorry, but I can't get enough of telling you guys how awesome that feels. The feeling that there are other people in this world that have the same dreams that I do and that they are actually shooting for them! Don't wait on your dreams people! Go out there right this moment and go on that walk or run you've been telling yourself to go on since 2010! Go, get the job that you never thought you could get because you "aren't good enough". Life is not going to wait for you, you're not going to get handed anything you want because you ask for it. You have to assert yourself and make everything you want to happen a reality! Don't be afraid to shine because people tell you you can't do something. Tell yourself you can and everyone will start to tell you the same. There will always be people telling you that it's impossible, but it just takes you telling yourself it can be done to make a change. It's worth it. You will never get a better opportunity than you have right now and if you don't take that step, you'll never know if you could.
Head on over to the Omaha World Herald and check out that article! It's an inspiring tale that will keep going I know, until the end of time. Once again, also don't forget to follow his blog and mine as well if you want to keep reading some excellent stories! Mine you can follow by just putting your e-mail into the slot on the right and click submit! Thank you all and have an awesome day!
http://www.omaha.com/article/20140217/LIVEWELL02/140219064/1696
http://strawhatbackpacker.com/
I'm sorry, but I can't get enough of telling you guys how awesome that feels. The feeling that there are other people in this world that have the same dreams that I do and that they are actually shooting for them! Don't wait on your dreams people! Go out there right this moment and go on that walk or run you've been telling yourself to go on since 2010! Go, get the job that you never thought you could get because you "aren't good enough". Life is not going to wait for you, you're not going to get handed anything you want because you ask for it. You have to assert yourself and make everything you want to happen a reality! Don't be afraid to shine because people tell you you can't do something. Tell yourself you can and everyone will start to tell you the same. There will always be people telling you that it's impossible, but it just takes you telling yourself it can be done to make a change. It's worth it. You will never get a better opportunity than you have right now and if you don't take that step, you'll never know if you could.
Head on over to the Omaha World Herald and check out that article! It's an inspiring tale that will keep going I know, until the end of time. Once again, also don't forget to follow his blog and mine as well if you want to keep reading some excellent stories! Mine you can follow by just putting your e-mail into the slot on the right and click submit! Thank you all and have an awesome day!
http://www.omaha.com/article/20140217/LIVEWELL02/140219064/1696
http://strawhatbackpacker.com/
Thursday, February 13, 2014
A Bit of Inspiration
Want to give a shout out to a cool guy that loves helping others! He's helping one of my best friends get some funds to go on a backpacking trip around the world! Right now he's taking donations for the trip and giving out "I Believe I Can" bracelets. If you've got a dream that you're trying to make a reality, send him a message and tell him your dream. Maybe he can share it on his blog and help make it come true.
The only person holding yourself back is you. The only person who can actually make it come true is yourself but a little help along the way never hurt anyone. Take the leap. Don't hold back because you think someone else would think it's a bad idea or because you don't have enough money. Start saving right now if you don't have enough money. Make an argument for why it would be an amazing idea if you're afraid of rejection! Life is hard, it's not going to give your dream to you because you want it. You won't get what you want unless you try the hardest you've ever tried before and do everything you ever wanted to do without giving up. Nothing in this world is worth giving up on your dreams for. Go for it today. Not tomorrow.
Check this awesome guy's blog out. His name is Ryan Spicer and his blog is at
http://becomethemoment.wordpress.com/
The only person holding yourself back is you. The only person who can actually make it come true is yourself but a little help along the way never hurt anyone. Take the leap. Don't hold back because you think someone else would think it's a bad idea or because you don't have enough money. Start saving right now if you don't have enough money. Make an argument for why it would be an amazing idea if you're afraid of rejection! Life is hard, it's not going to give your dream to you because you want it. You won't get what you want unless you try the hardest you've ever tried before and do everything you ever wanted to do without giving up. Nothing in this world is worth giving up on your dreams for. Go for it today. Not tomorrow.
Check this awesome guy's blog out. His name is Ryan Spicer and his blog is at
http://becomethemoment.wordpress.com/
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Alopecia Areata
First off, I'd like to say I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while. I'm also sorry that I won't be writing that gear post right now but maybe sometime soon I will. I've been busy but I have no excuses for not posting anything honestly. I just haven't wanted to lately. On to a happier topic though, one which I have possibly brought up before but not something that I've discussed in detail.
I've got Alopecia. The technical term is Alopecia Areata. What is that, you're probably asking. Well, I'll tell you. It's a hair loss diagnosis which in layman's terms, is basically where the white blood cells (your immune system) mistakenly attack your hair follicles and make your hair fall out. It's most common in people under the age of 20 and there's no cure.
Alopecia is a type of hair loss that affects many different aspects of your body but mostly, it's your hair on the top of your head. Myself, it resulted in hair loss all over my body or the absence of hair almost anywhere. What little hair I do have on my head, I shave because it looks better. I have spots of missing hair on my legs, very little on my arms and none on my chest. I've got almost no eyebrows or eyelashes. It used to be a problem in school because I have had it since I was born more or less. I did have a full, dark, curly head of hair when I was born and up until I was 11 or so I think. It's not life threatening, yet it can be deadly as well. I'm talking about bullying here. I was depressed from a young age because my entire life, except for the select few who honestly didn't care that for some reason I had huge clumps of my hair fall out which resulted in random bald spots. It didn't help that everywhere I went in school, many kids would pick on me, or avoid me like I had the plague. I hated it, I couldn't stand to be around anyone for fear of being made fun of, and that made me turn in on myself and avoid people. I became socially inept and didn't know how to react in social situations so I just didn't. I never went out for sports and never wanted to go outside and do anything. What did I do? I just sat inside either playing video games or reading books because they don't judge. You can see where this can become a deadly diagnosis. Think about it, were a teenage girl made fun of because her hair was falling out, and there was nothing she could do about it except possibly wear a wig. Same thing with a guy. It could drive someone over the edge into possible suicide and that's never, ever something that should be tolerated. I want to see a world where people don't judge you on your looks. Once judging starts, depression soon follows and it's a downward spiral. There are creams and shots that you can have injected into your scalp (who wants to do that?!) but aside from that, there isn't much anyone can do except wear a wig. Definitely not something I want to do, especially as a teenager or child.
The way I've dealt with this? I have a few friends who have made all the difference in the world for me. I've had my family help me through the tough times and give encouraging words when I felt down. I have had people talk to me about it and in general decided in my own mind that it's not something to be ashamed of. You shouldn't be gauged on how you look or how much hair you've got (or don't have). I tell people about Alopecia now instead of shying away from talking at all and with that in mind. Anyone else who has Alopecia, I encourage you to get out there and live life like you want to. Don't worry about what people think because I guarantee you, if you explain what it is, they won't bother you again about it and you just might make a few new friends in the process! That's something I never did. I wish I had but I didn't. Make new friends and educate the world to make it a better place for everyone! That's what I'm trying to do.
I want to travel the world, as I've said before, but I want to have a cause to do it. My cause will be Alopecia Areata and bullying. Alopecia itself isn't life threatening but it shouldn't be taken with a grain of salt because it affects the individual's personality sometimes especially when bullying is added into the mix. You feel unattractive and ugly and there's nothing you can do about it. I challenge you, if you ever meet someone with Alopecia and they seem down in the dumps (Anyone with hair loss in general in fact!), let them know it's okay to be different. Don't talk quietly about it so they won't hear you, just go up and act like it's nothing. Chances are, it's a child who has it, so encourage your children to as well! This is one step from bullying that I wasn't able to get because people didn't quite understand it. Share this post, tell people about it and get educated before judging. You never know, you might save a life today!
I've got Alopecia. The technical term is Alopecia Areata. What is that, you're probably asking. Well, I'll tell you. It's a hair loss diagnosis which in layman's terms, is basically where the white blood cells (your immune system) mistakenly attack your hair follicles and make your hair fall out. It's most common in people under the age of 20 and there's no cure.
Alopecia is a type of hair loss that affects many different aspects of your body but mostly, it's your hair on the top of your head. Myself, it resulted in hair loss all over my body or the absence of hair almost anywhere. What little hair I do have on my head, I shave because it looks better. I have spots of missing hair on my legs, very little on my arms and none on my chest. I've got almost no eyebrows or eyelashes. It used to be a problem in school because I have had it since I was born more or less. I did have a full, dark, curly head of hair when I was born and up until I was 11 or so I think. It's not life threatening, yet it can be deadly as well. I'm talking about bullying here. I was depressed from a young age because my entire life, except for the select few who honestly didn't care that for some reason I had huge clumps of my hair fall out which resulted in random bald spots. It didn't help that everywhere I went in school, many kids would pick on me, or avoid me like I had the plague. I hated it, I couldn't stand to be around anyone for fear of being made fun of, and that made me turn in on myself and avoid people. I became socially inept and didn't know how to react in social situations so I just didn't. I never went out for sports and never wanted to go outside and do anything. What did I do? I just sat inside either playing video games or reading books because they don't judge. You can see where this can become a deadly diagnosis. Think about it, were a teenage girl made fun of because her hair was falling out, and there was nothing she could do about it except possibly wear a wig. Same thing with a guy. It could drive someone over the edge into possible suicide and that's never, ever something that should be tolerated. I want to see a world where people don't judge you on your looks. Once judging starts, depression soon follows and it's a downward spiral. There are creams and shots that you can have injected into your scalp (who wants to do that?!) but aside from that, there isn't much anyone can do except wear a wig. Definitely not something I want to do, especially as a teenager or child.
The way I've dealt with this? I have a few friends who have made all the difference in the world for me. I've had my family help me through the tough times and give encouraging words when I felt down. I have had people talk to me about it and in general decided in my own mind that it's not something to be ashamed of. You shouldn't be gauged on how you look or how much hair you've got (or don't have). I tell people about Alopecia now instead of shying away from talking at all and with that in mind. Anyone else who has Alopecia, I encourage you to get out there and live life like you want to. Don't worry about what people think because I guarantee you, if you explain what it is, they won't bother you again about it and you just might make a few new friends in the process! That's something I never did. I wish I had but I didn't. Make new friends and educate the world to make it a better place for everyone! That's what I'm trying to do.
I want to travel the world, as I've said before, but I want to have a cause to do it. My cause will be Alopecia Areata and bullying. Alopecia itself isn't life threatening but it shouldn't be taken with a grain of salt because it affects the individual's personality sometimes especially when bullying is added into the mix. You feel unattractive and ugly and there's nothing you can do about it. I challenge you, if you ever meet someone with Alopecia and they seem down in the dumps (Anyone with hair loss in general in fact!), let them know it's okay to be different. Don't talk quietly about it so they won't hear you, just go up and act like it's nothing. Chances are, it's a child who has it, so encourage your children to as well! This is one step from bullying that I wasn't able to get because people didn't quite understand it. Share this post, tell people about it and get educated before judging. You never know, you might save a life today!
Thursday, December 5, 2013
New Beginnings?
So, I have been thinking about starting to review items that I buy for my trip/trips. What does everyone think of this idea? If I do it, will it be a good way to get more people to like this page? I am starting to look at items again for the trip, and want to find some excellent lightweight, durable things for it. If anyone at all has any ideas, I'm more than open to suggestions.
I've seen a few really interesting pieces on my friend Ryan's page and it got me thinking more about backpacking than riding a bike the entire trip around the U.S.A. Honestly, it sounds like an excellent adventure! I mean come on, possibly hitchhiking/walking across the country. Meeting hundreds of people that could become lifelong friends along the whole way. There's that slight hint of danger at the same time of being out there roughing it that excites me too of course. I'd be lying if I said there was no danger involved. The challenge to myself of doing it though is just as great as if I were to bike around the country. Yes, it may be slightly less/more expensive backpacking compared to biking. I'll have to get some more information on that but I honestly think that backpacking might in general be much cheaper depending on how quickly I travel. I think that might be the next item on my list. Backpacking Vs. Bicycling. Show of hands, who wants something like that? I think it's unanimous! It will happen. It may be a little bit until I'm done writing it but it'll happen.
So, I've got a confession to make... I've had a substance abuse problem lately. I'm not going to say what substance I was abusing but suffice it to say, I'm trying to slow down on it or possibly stop altogether. I don't see myself stopping altogether right now but I have seen the problems it makes for me and I'm not a fan. I hope all of you can help me to continue in the path I've chosen and I wish you all the best! Thank you all for everything so far! *Raises water glass* Here's to you guys and to new beginnings!
Update: I've stopped using the "substance" and there's nothing stopping me from achieving my dream of traveling across the world! It was difficult to make myself stop and it's still difficult to say no. Now I'm on the right track though and the world is ahead! If you've got a substance abuse problem, no matter what it is, too much food, alcohol, or any other substance, make a life goal for yourself. Tell yourself that you want to do something that you've never done before. Something you've always wanted to do but never could. It's the best motivator in the world and there's nothing stopping you from saying no except yourself! You don't need it as much as you might think and once you slow down, you can stop altogether like I did and feel better about yourself! This, in turn will encourage you to make more changes in your life and I hope you make them! Good luck everyone! I know you can do it!
I've seen a few really interesting pieces on my friend Ryan's page and it got me thinking more about backpacking than riding a bike the entire trip around the U.S.A. Honestly, it sounds like an excellent adventure! I mean come on, possibly hitchhiking/walking across the country. Meeting hundreds of people that could become lifelong friends along the whole way. There's that slight hint of danger at the same time of being out there roughing it that excites me too of course. I'd be lying if I said there was no danger involved. The challenge to myself of doing it though is just as great as if I were to bike around the country. Yes, it may be slightly less/more expensive backpacking compared to biking. I'll have to get some more information on that but I honestly think that backpacking might in general be much cheaper depending on how quickly I travel. I think that might be the next item on my list. Backpacking Vs. Bicycling. Show of hands, who wants something like that? I think it's unanimous! It will happen. It may be a little bit until I'm done writing it but it'll happen.
So, I've got a confession to make... I've had a substance abuse problem lately. I'm not going to say what substance I was abusing but suffice it to say, I'm trying to slow down on it or possibly stop altogether. I don't see myself stopping altogether right now but I have seen the problems it makes for me and I'm not a fan. I hope all of you can help me to continue in the path I've chosen and I wish you all the best! Thank you all for everything so far! *Raises water glass* Here's to you guys and to new beginnings!
Update: I've stopped using the "substance" and there's nothing stopping me from achieving my dream of traveling across the world! It was difficult to make myself stop and it's still difficult to say no. Now I'm on the right track though and the world is ahead! If you've got a substance abuse problem, no matter what it is, too much food, alcohol, or any other substance, make a life goal for yourself. Tell yourself that you want to do something that you've never done before. Something you've always wanted to do but never could. It's the best motivator in the world and there's nothing stopping you from saying no except yourself! You don't need it as much as you might think and once you slow down, you can stop altogether like I did and feel better about yourself! This, in turn will encourage you to make more changes in your life and I hope you make them! Good luck everyone! I know you can do it!
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