Home…

By now it feels hard to say, but I think I’ve been in Thailand for a month now…maybe. I vaguely know what day it is, I almost never know what time it is (except for when I’m wanting to connect with people in other parts of the word, in which case I’m holding two time zones in my mind at the same time), and now that I’ve just checked out of my sixth hotel, I have no idea where I’m going next. What I do know is that I’m here, now. In this moment, sitting in the Full Moon Cafe in the Si Lom neighborhood of Bangkok, I know that my heart is full of Love, Joy, Peace and the Spirit of Inspiration and Creativity. How is that possible when I don’t have a place to call home and when I am currently using my finite resources without replenishing them? In truth, I’ve NEVER had a true sense of Home until now.

As a kid, I was what is commonly called an “Army Brat” – which is to say I moved…a lot. In fact, that’s how I’ve lived my whole life. Even as an adult I’ve constantly been on the move, and each place I go I’ve gotten faster and faster at setting up shop if you will. Ask me where home is? Where I’m from? … I haven’t ever had an answer for that. Mostly I would try on different answers: I’m from Montana (I was born there at least, and had a number of “major life mile-markers” there), I’m from Cali (I spent nearly nine years of my childhood there and in recent years have made a commitment to myself to move to L.A.), I’m from New York (kind of…I mean I did just spend the last 7 years there, but love NY as I might – and I do – I’m not a NYer any more than I am anything else). In general, I’ve answered the question of home by telling people where most of my stuff is…which is usually, though not always, where I lay my head down at night.

So why am I sharing all of this? Because when I woke up this morning I had the strongest sense ever of Home that I have ever experienced in my life, and it felt like this…my Home is this planet: Earth. The whole thing. Being here, I’ve realized that I feel as at home in Thailand as I do in the states and that I’m no more American than I am Thai. Why should I be? Because I happened to be born there? What I am is a Human Being and I am proudly and fiercely In Love with all Beings – human and otherwise. For me cultures, nations, countries, communities, families are all beautiful, and the differences amongst them are incredibly precious for the infinite number of opportunities they provide us to celebrate diversity to experience what it is to be a human being. 

Speaking of embracing diversity, how about we all acknowledge that we can ALL experience Heaven here on Earth…NOW! Why wait to get to some other place, whether real or imagined, when we have an opportunity to create Heaven right Now? AND how about we acknowledge that there are as many versions or experiences of Heaven as there are people on this planet and that that’s what makes heaven so magical! Everyone gets what they want. That’s what I see possible…today…for everyone, but it starts with us acknowledging that We Are All One. Whether you take that to mean we are all One consciousness expressed in an Infinite number of forms or just simply that as human beings we all  share a common ancestry (regardless of whether that’s Noah or the Ice Man) and as such we are ALL part of One Big Beautiful Family. We Are One.

In my version of Heaven people are encouraged to move freely about the planet, to mingle, share ideas and to choose where they feel most at home and in alignment with those around them. Gone are the days of border patrols and visa restrictions. Everyone has freedom of motion and the freedom to create anywhere they want and with whomever they want. Everyone has equal access to resources and we all see to it that everyone on the planet at least has a place to live, food to eat and clothing to wear – if they so choose 🙂 Will we all be living in mansions?  No, probably not, but for everyone who wants to they’ll have that opportunity. Either way everyone wil have a place they can call Home. Also, in my version of Heaven, no one will have to work…unless they want to, and even then they’ll be doing what they Love to do so it won’t even occur to them to be work. Instead it will occur to them as the creative expression of their heart’s passion. Sounds appealing? Awesome! Come meet me here…not in Bangkok, but rather in life doing what you love, in the place you love to be and with the people you love. And when you notice that someone is “different” from you, celebrate them for providing you with another option of how you can also live life, if you so choose. So choose. How do you want your life to be. Stop fighting “the system,” it’s perfect as it is and so are you. Now choose. How do you want to be now?

So, if you’re asking me where I’m from, here’s my answer: I am from Heaven, and I live with a beautiful family of beings called Humans, and I Love my family – each and every member – collectively we are Stewards of the each other and of our home: Earth.

Where are you from?

I Love You,

Chelsea

 

Notes From The Road…

If there is one thing I have learned in the last year, it’s the value of being curiously engaged in life unfolding around you. But what does that mean? What does it look like to be “curiously engaged”? It’s the way we viewed the world as children and for me what that looks like is not making anything wrong and not taking anything for granted.

Since I was little, I loved to look at the old run-down farms and buildings scattered along the highways of Eastern Montana. Some will see these building and think “somebody should take those eyesores down”, “don’t those buildings look depressing” or perhaps “well, that’s the state of small farms in America for you, what a shame” and still many others, accustomed to this sight, take no notice at all. Yet those thoughts are built on a premise that something is wrong or shouldn’t be the way it is, and not to notice at all is akin to saying “nothing interesting there” or “well, that’s just the way the world is.” For me, looking at these buildings is like turning on my own silent film projector: I imagine who lived there and when and what they looked like and why they left and where they went – and let me tell you, when you’re driving 200+ miles, being curious and having an active imagination makes a big difference in the enjoyability of the drive.

I mention all this because I believe life is the same way. Being curious about the world around us, without passing judgement, may not alter the length of our lives and it may do little to change our immediate circumstances but I find it keeps life interesting and it has the potential for opening our eyes to new territory. Food for thought. Observe something, or someone, you’ve previously taken for granted: a homeless person on the street, your neighborhood, even your own loved ones – notice something new. Also take note of your thoughts (especially thoughts that carry a judgement). What new things can you discover about this person or thing that you are sure you already know very well?