Somedays it seems like I am so disconnected from the world without Facebook or solid internet access. My feelings on that are quite ambivalent. It’s freeing but my global reach seems to be much harder to grasp, as if I’m suddenly without nerve endings in my skin: I know the outside world exists (politics, global economics, etc.), and I see it pop up from time to time, but if I get too caught up in my own tasks, I lose sense of what’s really out there. Even this blog seems to feel as ...

For those who don't know, when I was seven years old, I spent about three weeks in a children’s hospital after a gun accident incapacitated me. Seventeen years later, the hospital stay itself is but a distant memory—except one of the parts that I distinctly remember from that time is watching the Disney Pixar movie “A Bug’s Life” nearly every single day. The once-traumatizing “flashbulb memory” of the accident is psychologically associated with that movie. Recently, I came to...

The last 10 days have been pretty crazy. I started off 2017 by driving from Wisconsin (thanks for letting me couchsurf again Meredith and Dan!!!! <3 ) to South Carolina to pick up Paige and Isaac from South Carolina. I went from -20 degree weather to 75 degree weather in a matter of 24 hours. The drive to SC was brutal; being trapped in a metal box without being able to move around or look away from the road for 15 solid hours felt like a form of torture. Granted, I was able to listen to...

        I’m writing this from the home of my wonderful friends Alyssa and Dan, who have opened up their hearts and spare bedroom to let me stay here for a few days while I visit Fargo/Moorhead. Returning to South Dakota was emotional, but it wasn’t until I drove into Fargo, North Dakota that it really hit me. “THIS feels like home,” I said to myself as I was driving through the snow-covered highways of the city. I’ve visited with a lot more of my family, surprised my “Fargo f...

    I had the wonderful pleasure of crossing paths with my dear friend Jacob in Lincoln, Nebraska this week as I have been making my way “home” to my comfort zone in South Dakota/Minnesota. We discussed the recycling phase of coming home after a long journey and the conversations were exactly what I needed right at that moment, at the end of my adventure around the United States. The drive into South Dakota was long and I could feel the anticipation of seeing my friends and family build u...

Within the last 3 weeks our family has gained, and lost, a member. My sister married her partner, but soon after my mom’s sister lost hers to cancer. While I’m still processing the news of the latter, I’ll dedicate this post to my beloved family (and after all, my beloved global family).

My sister’s wedding was incredibly beautiful, almost as much as she was. One day afterwards while Amy was out running a couple errands, Joe and I had some time to bond. We had gotten along...

    Since June, every week is a new adventure for me. When I was attending college, there was a weekly routine; when I was working any job, despite the newish experiences in the environment, it was still close to a routine. This summer has been the opposite. Situations present themselves in such various shapes and sizes, even if they do resemble a past experience—it’s in a completely new environment, with unique characters. This week, I’ve been bashed with the choice between fear an...

I had the pleasure of starting off this new chapter in my journey by riding with Emilio (my tightrope walking counterpart) on my way to the next circus stop in Tennessee. We talked about our past and future, he taught me some Spanish, and he comforted my troubled heart after he mentioned the long-lived state of murderous affairs in Mexico. My time with him has been a series of reminiscing my angst-driven teen years, testing my moral compass, and feeling my heart melt into a puddle despite the...

Last weekend was a crazy one for me. I reevaluated my morals, immersed myself in the culture of a circus tribe, worked 28 very sweaty hours in four days, fell in love with a circus performer, changed (slightly) the way I look at myself and humanity, and have (slightly) changed my travel directions.

 Joining the Cirque Italia was a last minute opportunity. I completely ran out of money by the time I hit North Carolina (not to mention going negative from a $180 seatbelt fine…). After hour...