This time last year, I was stepping on a plane, bound for LA before catching my connection to Barcelona. Can you believe it’s already been one year? Me either! Little did I know all that was in store for me on my journey. Below, I share with you the three biggest lessons I learned from my time abroad that you can implement into your life starting now.

It’s good to be home. Home. Oklahoma. Man, it’s great to be here. To say that. However, for the longest time, I wanted to escape Oklahoma. Run away as far and fast as possible. Has anyone else ever felt this way?

You may have noticed I’ve been MIA lately. There’s a reason. I didn’t mean to fall in love. Honestly, I didn’t. While many thought it would happen, I knew that wasn’t what this journey was about for me. But you know what they say about making plans…

7 a.m., my driver suggested. 7 a.m. Doesn’t he know I’m still asleep! 8 a.m., I wrote back. After much back and forth, we agreed I can be second in line and leave at 8 a.m. He brought me an offering. Why hadn’t I thought of that? You put the money in the offering and hand it to the healer Ngurah, my driver, told me.

I’d just leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes when it happened. The sheer terror of it all lasted a mere 30 seconds or so (maybe longer…?). However, time passed so slowly it felt like minutes.

The other day, I went with some friends for an hour-and-a-half Thai massage. It was one of many I’ve received since arriving in Thailand. And to be completely honest, I was a little upset because I got an older woman who didn’t put much pressure into her motions. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought my niece was giving the massage. The gentler she was with me the more frustrated I became.

Can you believe I’ve already been gone 60 days? Some days it feels as though I just left and other days it feels like I’ve been gone a lifetime. I know I haven’t updated as much as I’d planned. I’m out exploring rather than writing. So below is the quick and dirty version of my travels and plus a fun list of 60 lessons/thoughts/rants/observations from my first 60 days. Enjoy!

Last Sunday evening, I went to mass at this beautiful cathedral in the heart of Barcelona. While I couldn’t understand a word of what was being said, it felt comfortable and familiar. As I kneeled to pray before the mass began, I cried. The previous week and all its changes had been overwhelming. While I’d been settling into my routine at the AirBNB, I was leaving the safety of what I’d found for a hostel the next morning. To say I was nervous is putting it mildly. So I did what I always do when my nerves get to me.

As you may have heard, I did this little thing last week. It was called quitting my job. Remember that? Well, everyone wants to know what’s next. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I’m happy to share my upcoming plans with you.