Watch this video.

[via That Girl]

I realized recently that I never shared my pictures from Gathering of the Vibes 2011! It was my first time there, and it totally blew my mind. I spent the weekend with amazing friends while we listened to Further, the Rhythm Devils with Keller Williams, Dark Star Orchestra, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Elvis Costello, the Levon Helm Band, moe., and a list of other bands I can't even recall. I love the atmosphere of a music festival. It's a great feeling to know you are surrounded by people who love the same things you love, respect the same things you respect. It was an amazing weekend and I'm so grateful for the experience. I'm not sure if I want to go to Vibes again next year or try another new festival because there are so many out there. It will definitely depend on lineups, and actually, it might depend on where in the world I am living :) See more pictures here.

Things I love this week:

11 Things to Live By

Everything I learned...

*Thanks Marisa, as always!

Camper Buses

Simple, but true.

Inspiration.

*Thanks Abby! PS. I didn't know you read my blog!

Your comment completely made my day, and now I'm stalking you online.

"Take me to the places on the earth that teach you how to dance,

the places where you can risk letting the world break your heart.
And I will take you to the places where the earth beneath my feet and the

stars overhead make my heart whole again and again. "

My kitchen table

Provincetown, MA

Boston from the ferry to Provincetown

Stacey & I on an unexpected Friday night boat cruise...

The other day I had the pleasure of having lunch with a student that I went to Ecuador with. He e-mailed me recently telling me that he got accepted into the Peace Corps, and he wanted to meet up before he left. In a month, he's off to Rwanda to teach English. I am so incredibly excited for him, and in a way I feel proud. As he shared his story with me and asked me questions about my experience teaching English, I had a rush of feelings come over me. We spent two hours (long lunch - oops!) talking about what it's like living in other countries, what he's looking forward to, what I miss. I suddenly remembered this other part of my life - a time when everything was new and exciting and I was facing my fears and being brave and seeing new horizons and living every day to the fullest, because when else would I be in this position again? He told me of his goals and I reminisced about a life past, and suddenly realized that it doesn't have to be a life past. I can do this again.

I love New York, I've applied to jobs there and I would, in theory, move there. But if everything is happening for a reason, then the no call backs are a sign of something else. Maybe I don't belong there right now. Maybe I should get back to what started all of this in the first place - traveling and doing service work all over the world. That afternoon, I sat down on google and searched international jobs, and I found a website that might be a life changer for me. Over the past few days I've really searched the website and talked to the people that know me best, and I'm going for it. This could put me in another country in only 6 short months, if I don't flee any sooner.

My wonderful roommate then sent me this article, an amazing letter of advice. Some of my favorite parts:

"Who we become is born of who we most primitively are; that we both know and cannot possibly know what it is we’ve yet to make manifest in our lives."

"Let whatever mysterious starlight that guided you this far, guide you onward into whatever crazy beauty awaits."

"You have to be kind. You have to give it all you got. You have to find people who love you truly and love them back with the same truth."

"Whatever happens to you belongs to you"

And then today, I read this, and everything seems to be falling into place.

I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
—
Maya Angelou

In august and everything after, I'm after everything.