The scenery doesn’t matter. The temperature becomes obsolete. Every noise fades into the distance and the only sound I hear is the quickened thump of my heart and the rushing of the wind. The air envelopes me and thoughts become a thing of the past. There is no time to think if you are becoming … Continued
In my mid-20’s, my husband and I lived in a tiny townhouse, which was part of a small city at the epicenter of nowhere in a botched effort to be halfway to everywhere, namely college for him and work for me. We were tripping over our cat, Elryck, and boxes that never got unpacked. Then … Continued
I pound on the door, knuckles slamming against the hard wood. I wanted to call out for help, but other guests in the hotel were sleeping. Pressing my head to the door, I jiggled the handle and felt my heart fall as it jerked to a stop with a solid clunk –I was locked in. … Continued
Barefoot Freedom: Climbing Redwood Trees in Santa Cruz, California by Amberly Young The sun has just set and a soft blue glow radiates from the heart of the forest. My feet are bare and I feel the moist earth beneath my soles. These trees are hundreds of years old, I think to myself as I … Continued
Realizing Freedom in Thailand On my first ever trip overseas (other than ferries) I arrived in Bangkok alone, with only the advice of friends and travel books giving me and idea of what to expect. I would spend over a month in Thailand as my stepping stone into the countries of Southeast Asia. Perhaps because … Continued
Freedom: The Place I call Home I used to think that going for a music festival abroad with friends, heading to the countryside for the weekend or even skydiving was the ultimate meaning of being free, of being independent. To be honest, and now looking in retrospective, many things I did were merely brief moments … Continued
“It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.” The first time that I heard Brad Pitt’s quote in the movie Fight Club, I didn’t really put any thought into it but for some reason, the passage stuck with me in my mind. I was hiking in Colombia when this quote randomly … Continued
The scent of warm pine filling the air; dusty ground littered with browned needles that I scraped with sandal-clad toes as I rose and fell on the yellow painted metal see-saw; parents sat near-by with a jug of sangria as lizards skittered amongst the chairs. They say that smell is one of the stronger senses … Continued
North Korea and freedom. Do they belong in the same sentence? One would think not. Yet, the time I spent there could not have better illuminated what independence and freedom truly mean. In 2008 I had the good fortune to spend 48 hours in Pyongyang performing with the New York Philharmonic. As an American traveling … Continued
Turning 51 after flying over 11 states during the Air Race Classic under 4 days in a C182 R Skylane II Whilst learning to fly in California at 38, I realized that not only age didn’t matter when following one’s dreams, but also that availability of information and access to role models did matter and … Continued