Everything in its right place

“.. almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”  - Steve Jobs

Deep breath out. Smile.

The last month and a half have been such a whirlwind for me - Burning Man, wrapping up my job at DaVita, going away party and dinners, packing up my apartment and putting everything into storage, and best man duties at my little brother's wedding. I've actually had very little time to process the fact that I'm leaving the United States for the first time tomorrow and it likely won't hit me until I land in Vietnam in a few days.

I'm fortunate that I got to spend quality time with my beautiful family at my brother's wedding. It's always so much fun when we get everyone together and I am constantly reminded that I am surrounded by love. Eternally grateful, they have taught me so many lessons, primarily the importance of family.

Billy with his new wife, Trisha, and our extended family.

So the trip to Southeast Asia is really centered around the yoga teacher training program, which takes place from November 5th through December 3rd on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand. The training is Ashtanga based and is led by Paul Dallaghan, one of the last few to be certified by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois prior to his death. Needless to say, I'm so excited and cannot wait to immerse myself in yoga and a healthy lifestyle for an entire month. Lets push the boundary, see what I'm really made of.

I have 3 weeks of travel prior to getting to Thailand -- 2 weeks in Vietnam (~10 days with one of my best friends, Jeff) and about a week in Cambodia. After yoga teacher training, I have two weeks to travel across Thailand and will be joined by Cloud, another great friend. 

For me, Vietnam is significant because at the end of the day, this is who I am in this lifetime, Vietnamese. Much of who I am today has been molded by my family, our culture. I'm blessed, but those who came before me led much tougher lives - I've never had to worry about when or where my next meal would come from. I'm sure Asia will be a pretty eye opening experience. Looking forward to seeing where my family came from, and eating some really good food along the way.

Old school. Grandma and grandpa with 4 of their children. My mother is third from the left - I see a lot of myself in her.

I'll try to update this blog as much as possible, my goal is at least once a week, with pictures and stories from the road. I'm finding that writing is very therapeutic for me, and helps me reflect, process, and learn.

Before I sign off, I just wanted to say thank you to all my family and friends that are making this trip possible (you know who you are). So grateful.