bryanjazz

one week from today i'll be heading out. this will be my first extended stay outside of the country in 16 years. then, i was a college student studying abroad in France. i think it's safe to say that this trip will be a whole new level of experience. during my two month stay, not only will i be spending time in Accra, Ghana, but i will also be going to a remote village in Burkina Faso for a week. this will be a consciously spiritual journey, one in which i will be open to gaining new insights into myself and the world. i also hope that the offer of my spirit and positive energy, in whatever small way, will bring good things to those i encounter; a beneficial exchange for all that i will receive from the land and the people.

as i have shared plans of my journey with others over the last few weeks, i have received many, many words of encouragement and support. (much profound thanks and appreciation to all of you.) one of the things some have said to me in various phrasings is that i am being courageous. thank you. my own experience has not included thoughts of courage. (which is not to say i have not had a couple of moments - i think maybe 3 - of "oh my god, what am i doing?") i feel strongly supported in this world (thank you friends and family) and in the spirit world (thank you ancestors). i feel that i am being called to do what i am doing, that i am moving toward my higher self, closer towards who i truly am. is this courage? perhaps it is the element of the unknown involved that brings the concept of courage more into consciousness. but does it not take courage to act based upon the "known" and "secure"? sometimes people wake up and courageously go into the office to find out that they have been laid off. sometimes people courageously return home after a successful day at work only to find that their partner has left, or that a loved one has died. the current situation in southeast asia comes to mind. was it courageous to walk onto the beach that morning? or to go to the market that afternoon? i guess the way i think about it is not in relationship to courage, but, if a tsunami was to hit the east coast this afternoon, would i want to live my last few hours as my true self.

well, if my act of courage means anything, may it inspire those of you who read these words to act courageously yourself, listen to the wind, and follow your heart and spirit.