Sushi on the Barbie

On this day last year I was on a plane…my life was kind of a hot mess. I was fresh out of a 5 year relationship and a job that both made me unhappy and desperately needed to end. I didn’t know what I wanted to do anymore with my career. And as much as I was hurting, I did know I was no longer in a relationship with the right person. So God sent me an incredible gift: The opportunity to vacate my life in LA and try something different.

On this day last year I was on a plane…I was flying over the Pacific Ocean to Japan. I never even dreamed of visiting Japan, let alone moving there for 3 months. But I did and wow. I got to be a part of a beautiful country that gave me so much peace and exactly the kind of quiet joy I needed to find. I got to spend time with my parents and had the opportunity for my love and respect and appreciation for them to grow exponentially. I also quickly learned how Japanese toilets worked! I got to rest and learned how to forget about the anxiety that had tied my stomach up in knots for at least the last 6 months I was in LA. I got to read at my leisure, visit beautiful shrines and temples, experience the lights and excitement that is Tokyo and simply BE. 

As if I weren’t lucky enough, my overseas trip extended to 3 months in Australia. After the peace and tranquility I regained from Japan, I was able to land in Melbourne with nothing but excitement and an open mind ready for adventure. In Melbourne I got to live, work and be an Aussie. I wasn’t a tourist for very long and got comfortable very quickly. I allowed myself to bring on joy and in turn I met amazing people and had fantastic experiences. I dated, I danced, I partied, I learned how to order a proper Aussie drink, I LIVED! I felt happy. I felt empowered. I felt like me to the nth degree.

After 6 months overseas, I was back on a plane again. A quick visit to my loved ones in LA and then a screeching halt in Norfolk, Virginia. I had a really fun summer catching up with my sister, whom I never get to see for more than holidays anymore. But the further away I was from Oz and Japan, the more my heart slowly sank again. What did I want? Wasn’t half a year enough? I was craving the buzz of a bustling city and the adrenaline from travel. I wanted more hidden laneways and sidewalk cafes. I wanted the scent of incense wafting through an ancient shrine. I wanted peace signs and neon wigs and house music! I wanted all of my experiences relived again.

Turning the page is such a hard thing when the chapter is so good. I still feel like I’m in transition even now having been back in the states for awhile and often crave to be overseas again. However, I have to remind myself that each experience is unique and even going back now wouldn’t give me exactly what I had before. I always remember “The present is a present” and I know I need to honor that gift. I’ve been blessed with so many lessons learned this year. I’ve had setbacks and success, but always a lesson to be learned. I’ve discovered a love for this thing we call blogging and a renewed sense of wanting to share inspiration with others. I’ve repeatedly seen the reasons for past disappointments and feel relief that God always knew what He was doing for me- thank goodness he didn’t always let me have my way!

So before I have to close the book that is 2011 I have to just give one final sigh, an exhaled prayer of thanks for an amazing year and invaluable lessons learned.

I had no idea how attached I’d become to Sushi on the Barbie, but after reviewing my posts from the last year it’s really been bittersweet. I know that 2012 will bring new and different adventures and who knows where I’ll end up. SOTB also prompted me to start a blog more focused on sharing joy and inspiration, after the amazing blessings I’ve had this year and the ability to find the good through the muck. I may not spend as much time on SOTB but if you’re so inclined, feel free to keep following me on A Quarterlife Comeback as I continue to navigate the the murky waters that can be our twenties. Thank you for being so fun to write to and share with this past year. Wishing you a wonderful 2012 to come.

- J