Building The Foundation
After some more brainstorming, I settled on the trade of Massage Therapy. I imagined that between resorts, cruises, health and wellness retreats, independent companies, "chain" companies, and freelancing - I'd always be able to find work. Also, the simplicity of it enticed me. Just my hands, a table, some soft music and boom-ba-da-boom, I could work. More or less, complete autonomy. There was only one snag in my plan. I had no training and absolutely zero experience in Massage Therapy. This is the moment where I started to realize that my grandiose dreams were going to take a grandiose amount of work to make them happen. I needed to sculpt myself into the necessary piece that this life puzzle was asking of me. I needed to build my foundation. As I came to these realizations, I began to understand that my short stent in Hawaii was coming to its end (Despite having successfully acquired a job much faster then I anticipated). I had discovered what I needed to discover. I had some building to do.
Like a dog with its tail between its legs, I called my parents. I couldn't afford to fly home, thus I needed their help. I gave them my word that as soon as I returned, I'd get a job and pay them back. As you can imagine, they were pretty thrilled that I decided to stop illegally squatting on a beach and was going to return home. Looking back, from their point of view, I was probably pretty difficult to deal with. "Hey mom and dad, I'm going to go and make myself suffer while being homeless on the beaches of Hawaii in the hopes of discovering who I am and what I want...but don't worry I'm taking two giant bags of Cheerios and some chocolate bars that will last a few days. After that I should be fine. Hopefully this existential crisis passes..." Yeah, that was a difficult conversation. But I'll give it to them. Despite having different visions and ideals for how we live life, they've always been there for me.
I boarded a plane a few days later to Nebraska, where my parents lived. I knew that I'd have to stay put for the time being. I applied and was accepted into the "Myotherapy Institute of Massage Therapy" located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Here I spent the next year studying full time as a Massage Therapist. My classes included: Anatomy, ethics, basic psychology, various treatment methods (Deep Tissue, Swedish, Myofacial Release, etc.), and more. It was immensely interesting to me. Apart from book knowledge and passing exams, we were also required to practice 500 hours on the paying public. I was finding it hard to be back in a system of schooling, but I was able to remain patient because I knew that this was a necessary step for the visions that I had. I remember that all of my classmates had various ideas of what they would do after obtaining their license and degree. When I was asked what I'd do, my eyes would light up and I'd say, "I'm going to travel the world!". I don't think they realized how serious I was.
This building phase lasted about 2 years. In this time I studied and obtained my Massage Therapy degree and license (I'd soon discover that a "license" isn't required in most of the world - ha!) all the while working various jobs. I was a waiter (I loved to finish leftovers), juice cafe barista, fence builder, cleaner, pizza delivery guy, and was even selling my plasma to a local medical office 2-3 times per week. I was determined to have some treasure stashed away. Furthermore, when I wasn't working or studying, I was beginning to practice and become heavily involved in Yoga. Specifically, Ashtanga Yoga. The more I practiced, the more I understood that this system and the philosophy that comes with it would be of extreme value for me. Not to mention that, just as massage therapy - I could eventually become a certified asana teacher and use the physical practice of Yoga as another tool for traveling. It was clear that this was another piece to my puzzle. Like all things that I enjoy, for better or worse - I jumped in and went full power.
I began practicing the various aspects of Yoga daily. Various breathing patterns, meditation, fasting, reading different texts, all in all just trying to take in as much as I could about this new found "thing" in my life. I was particularly grabbed by the demanding physical aspects and its relation to the breath. Though I grew up using my body to play sports, I had never connected with it (my body) in such an intimate way. It's a strange feeling to articulate but I'd have to say that I was relearning how to see. I mean this in a very technical way. I was literally using my senses and body in ways that I had never experienced before, thus giving me new and novel sensations (Emotionally/Physically/Psychologically). It was both exciting and extremely addicting. I began practicing the primary series of the Astanga Yoga system about 4-5 times per week, sometimes multiple times in a day. Eventually, in my process of learning and following my curiosity, I took a teacher training course and became a certified teacher - specializing in the Ashtanga method/ system.
And so this was my life during this "Building" phase. Practice Yoga many hours a day (all the aspects), study, give massages, eat, work one of my many jobs, and to keep the fire of inspiration alive - I was always reading travel novels before bed. I was in some sort of monk mode. Looking back, I was so hyper focused on my visions, not allowing room for anything else, that I probably missed some opportunities to connect with those around me. How ironic. In my efforts to live a nomadic and spontaneous life, I was becoming rigid and overtly regimented. My relationship with balance has always been love and hate. I probably could have allowed myself a bit more play during this period, but I can't say I have any regrets about how it all played out. The grand puzzle that I was crafting would beautifully come together in ways that I couldn't have imagined.
The "Building" phase is different for everyone. It's not as flashy and exciting as the other phases, but it's essential. I couldn't leave this part out because the events and happenings that lead up to an adventure help to give everything its context. Also, because that's a fact of reality. Good things take time and patience. Although there is no exact amount of time or hours that will properly prepare us for our visions. There is no exact amount of money that one needs before taking sail, before taking a jump into a journey such as this. But for certain, their will be plenty of work to do. It may take thousands of hours that bleed into years. It will take a full commitment of the self. Maybe on the way you discover some character adjustments that are needed to properly take off. Maybe you will discover some sacrifices that need to be made, some people that need to be let go of, some people that need to be held closer. Most likely it won't be easy or comfortable. As many others have said before me, "The obstacle is the way". The "Building" phase will unveil how serious you are about your dreams. Will they (your dreams) remain in the realm of ideas? Or will you do the proper ground work that your dreams are asking of you? This phase is like some sort of preliminary test before the real event, which I call the "Blast off!" phase.
Finally, we can arrive at the part of this story where things start to get wild. If you've been staying tuned and reading up until this point, hold on. Things are about to get funky. The real story is about to began. Blast off! Up, up, and away.
- Corey
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