People always ask me what led me to long term solo backpacking. The question is generally asked in different ways but always comes down to the same answer from me. It didn't start the way you may guess. It wasn't because of a breakup, it wasn't because I hated my job, nor was it because I was planning to travel full-time. It actually came from an extreme idea for detachment from my possessions.
Although I was living in Breckenridge, Colorado, I felt a disconnect with living here, as if this wasn't where I was meant to be long term. Something about that town just didn't feel right to me, despite all the incredible beauty. I think ultimately it was the cold weather which consumes more than half of the year that was the deal breaker for me. I loved the views but it felt too small here and limiting on opportunities to grow within my community. I've always wanted to experience life in a small mountain town and now I can say I accomplished that, but this wasn't home. I had been blessed with the amazing opportunity to live out a dream. I think if Summer lasted more than roughly 2 months then this town would of locked me in longer. This was just another stop along in my journey.
They say when one door closes, another one opens. Well I somehow found myself sliding out of a window instead, a different way. It came down to the simple fact that I wanted to move somewhere new but had no clue where. I decided I was going to visit a few other states and see how I liked them. This goal quickly led me down a very different journey than expected.
Looking at all my possessions started to make me think about the actual process of moving. I realized how expensive it would be to relocate everything. This led me to a deep thought on materialistic things and how so many of us stay in an environment or situation due to sheer inconvenience and the fear of starting over.
I had recently moved into an apartment with bigger plans to stay longer and filled every room with new furniture and decorations. Things changed and those plans were no longer something I wanted. I spent roughly a month fighting myself on whether it was the right choice for me to scrap my life to start over new elsewhere or not.
Somewhere along the way I ended up on a spontaneous trip to Hawaii when all my other travel plans fell through for my 4 day weekend. While I was there I realized that it had everything I wanted in a new home.
Beautiful mountains to hike, lush greenery, turquoise oceans to explore, new hobbies to try, like-minded communities, a peaceful atmosphere, and ideal weather conditions! While on the flight to this beautiful place, I had a dream from Aina (the spirit of the islands) that I would either be accepted or rejected from the islands. I didn't really think much of it at the time, except that it was an oddly vivid vision.
After the return from my short vacation, I had the weirdest things happen to me. It was as though the thought of living in Hawaii aligned me with the Universe and Mother Earth was sending me endless signs that Hawaii was inviting me to live there. This is when I started really playing with the idea of moving there.
My current job at the time was working in a ski town resort coordinating activities for our guests. I would ask the guests daily where they were visiting from, and never once can I recall anyone telling me they were from Hawaii, until I came back from my vacation. The first day back at work I kept meeting people who lived there for many years, call it what you want, but it wasn't a coincidence. This kept happening for two months straight. It was always coming up in conversations and I kept finding connections.
The idea of work trade got introduced to me. I had never heard of this before so I looked into it and very quickly was offered an opportunity to come work on a farm/retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii and run their social media accounts. I'll dive into work trade later but to give you a quick bit of insight, it's trading your time for sleeping accommodations and often food and activities are included. Typically you'll do permaculture, cleaning, cooking, painting, housekeeping, social media, or engineering as your work trade. This essentially allows you to travel and explore places all around the world while cutting down the costs immensely.
For me, this was all apart of the journey towards learning the art of detachment. I realized that I've always been attached to some sort of story I was telling myself, whether positive or negative. Those stories I told myself began with my thoughts. My thoughts became the words I spoke, my words became my beliefs, and then my beliefs transpired into my reality. I learned that if I wanted to change my reality that I needed to redirect and reprogram my thoughts.
The art of detachment, in my eyes, is a journey of letting go of certain beliefs, desires, past experiences, or expectations. Holding onto expectations opens us up to disappointment. When we are attached to the outcome of the future typically we fight to control the narrative. If we manipulate the people and circumstances within our stories then it's a force against us.
Swimming against the current of a river requires a lot strength, it's not impossible to swim upstream, but it's much easier to go with the flow and travel down a path with least resistance. However, we can sometimes find rare scenic views by taking unbeaten paths and climbing massive boulders to get there. There's no right or wrong way of doing things, there's just constant choices with infinite possibilities. I believe we have free will but obviously we can't control other people's decisions.
I think it's worth understanding how the Universal Law of Cause and Effect works so as individuals we can be more mindful of our actions, and strive to align our actions with positive outcomes. For every intentionally positive action there is a positive outcome, and for every intentionally negative action there is a negative consequence. Every action has a reaction. If you use this as an internal compass then things will work out for you. Things don't always happen in the sequence we wish for or don't happen the way we want them to. None of that means that good things aren't happening for you. When standing too close to a massive painting sometimes all that can be seen are the tiny details, but when we take a few steps backwards we can see the bigger picture.
The hard part is accepting that we can only control our actions and how we respond to the reactions of the world around us. Surrendering to the outcome can be both freeing yet daunting. Life is all about perspective. We have control over how we perceive people, places, experiences, memories, and so forth. If we can learn how to manipulate our perception of negative experiences we can transform them into opportunities for growth and resilience.
You may be wondering, how do we learn the art of detachment? Well, I think it really begins with discovering creative ways to spin life into something positive, living light by not holding onto things that weighs us down, and letting go of expectations. I know how easy it is to preach all the ways to do this because society manipulates us to feel, think, and perceive the world a certain way which makes detachment challenging.
The first step is understanding that there are just some things we can't force. When you can accept this then you're able to surrender to life's natural flow. It takes patience and time to reach this sense of mindset and being (I'm still working towards this daily mindset). You'll be challenged around each river bend with obstacles to overcome. By focusing everyday on what you're grateful for you shift your mind to an abundant and magnetic one. When you can find a balance within an abundant state of mind then you reduce your attachment to possessions and circumstances over time.
You can start with daily detachment check-ins. Before you go to bed every night, close your eyes and reflect on any attachments such as specific outcomes, desires, emotions, relationships, or material possessions. Consider any consistent tendencies you may have. Then ask yourself these questions:
What am I afraid of losing by holding onto this attachment?
How does this attachment impact my thoughts, emotions, and actions?
Is this attachment serving my highest good, or is it causing unnecessary suffering?
What would it feel like to let go of this attachment and experience true freedom? Imagine yourself sitting in front of a fire as you write on a piece of paper each of your attachments and then visualize yourself throwing each piece into the fire. As you let go of each attachment allow yourself to experience the sensations of each release. Feel the pressure, stress, and unhappiness leave your body as you surrender.
I find that the best results for myself happen when I journal. I often use my laptop to type everything out because my mind runs so quickly, but if you want to challenge yourself to process these thoughts slowly, then I highly suggest purchasing a journal you love to write in.
I have a handful of lined and guided journals published on Amazon https://amzn.to/3y9ykCK
Always focus your energy on what you gain rather than what you may be losing. Appreciate what is instead of what isn't. Recognizing that the world around us is subject to change helps with awareness of impermanence.
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