It’s here! I’ve officially launched my new blog, Small Talk! I would love to see you all over there.
From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you enough for following this little blog of mine for the last four and a half years. Perhaps I’ll be back to revive it in the months to come, but for now, my focus will be on Small Talk.
Namaste, lovely followers 🙂
Rachel
Posted in Living the Life | Tags: adventure, blog, Freelancing, fresh start, london, travel, writing
Hi all!
I’ve been quiet for a while, but something’s in the works. Next week I’ll be launching my new blog. It’s a little more fresh, a little more fun, a little more me and my travels.
Stay tuned!
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
Posted in Living the Life | Tags: adventure, Freelancing, london, travelling, writing
I learned on one of my favourite blogs that today is National Poetry Day here in the UK, so I thought I’d get into the spirit of it. Here’s a short poem I wrote the other morning. I still can’t believe my eyes when I look out the window in the morning and realize I’m in London.
“Before the House Awakes”
Flight headlights punctuate the pink and blue,
barely perceptible in the still-night sky.
Birds announce the morning’s arrival,
but it takes its sweet time now,
as Autumn is its own Master.
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
She had nothing to which she could listen except her own heart, and that’s more than okay for now, she decided.
So here I am in London. While my mind remains consumed with the surreality of it all, my feet are firmly grounded. I’m “home” for the time being, content in my decision to be in this space at this time.
My new neighbourhood, Putney, is like “the Mission of London” (thanks, Mom), full of coffee shops, pubs, restaurants, markets, and stores of all kinds. You Calgarians will know what I mean. Putney is everything I could have hoped my new home to be – charming, old yet modern, and vibrant, with Tube stations and the Thames no less. The interior of my flat is shockingly modern looking, especially in contrast to the building’s old brick exterior, and comes complete with a loft, in which I’ve set up a perfect work space for editing and writing.
Living with three Aussies, I’m sure to pick up some interesting Brit-Aussie hybrid phrases, and am already being mercilessly teased for my very Canadian accent. We really do say “eh” more than we realize . . .
I’m looking forward to a weekend of getting out past Putney and exploring more of this seemingly never-ending city.
Until next time,
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
Posted in Living the Life | Tags: adventure, editing, Freelancing, inspiration, london, travelling, writing
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ― Albert Camus
“September”
Kelowna’s sun sets on chapter’s end;
September, with all its anticipation dawns
tomorrow comes
Nine years, nine months in the making;
September is a dream realized,
shape yet unknown.
My favourite month has arrived ― the month of fresh starts, renewed energy. And this year, it’s the month I move to London. I’ve been toying with some ideas for a new look for Freelancing to Freedom as I begin sharing my adventures from across the pond. Stay tuned!
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
Posted in Inspiration, Poetry | Tags: adventure, autumn, blogging, fall, Freelancing, fresh start, inspiration, london, travel, writing
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” – Rosa Parks
Ten weeks and counting until moving day. [Insert appropriate “time flies” expression here.] Until this point, nothing has really sunk in. Of course I’ve been getting excited, and I’ve had the occasional “holy crap!” moment where I feel as though I’m going to burst with the crazy reality of it all, but this week for the first time, the fear set in. I felt unsettled.
The thing is, I can’t quite pinpoint why. The answer should probably be obvious. I mean, I’ve moved a few times in my life, but never to a different country, let alone across the ocean. For a small-town Saskie girl, it’s kind of a big deal.
When I moved from Saskatoon to Calgary five years ago, I was on my own for a month before my friend joined me in our apartment. I had an air mattress and a computer. It was enough. I was ready to start a new chapter, meet new people, get my first “real” job. I would sit in the coffee shop a couple of blocks away for a few hours in the evenings just to be around people. Finally I got hired as a waitress (the publishing job came along a few weeks later). That job was a godsend, and I’m so grateful to have met some lifelong friends there. Anyway, enough of my stroll down memory lane.
The point is, I’m not afraid of moving alone – that’s half the adventure. I think it’s simply the fear of the unknown that’s tugging at me, the inability to picture what my life is going to look like. And this is the kind of fear that should be overcome at all costs, because it can become debilitating. It’s part of the reason it took me ten years to finally decide to move to London. It disguised itself in many ways.
Today, I acknowledge the fear, and I choose to move past it. Because if I don’t see what’s on the other side, I know I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.
Is fear of the unknown preventing you from taking a leap to something you want? It’s a tricky little devil in disguise.
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
Yup
Posted in Inspiration, Living the Life | Tags: fear, inspiration, london, motivation, moving, travel, travelling
Three years ago around this time, I was on my first solo trip. I spent a month wandering around Costa Rica, doing the whole soul searching thing. The meandering, slow days allowed for ample reflection.
June 20, 2011:
“Being down here has reminded me of the beauty of a simple life. The other morning, I went for a walk down the beach and saw a lone fisherman. He would go out in the water with his line, wait patiently, and then go back and sit on the shore. He did this for hours. Inspired, I decided to just sit and watch the water for a couple of hours. Thoughts kept creeping into my mind: ‘You should do something.’ ‘Hmm, what do I need to do first when I get home?’ ‘What should I write my next blog about?'”
Not a whole lot has changed since then.
Though I crave adventure and excitement, I find the most joy in simplicity, in the simple life, but achieving this is another story. On Friday, after a hectic week of “on the go,” I had twenty minutes before my friend would arrive to pick me up for a bachelorette weekend in the mountains. As I sat down on my couch to wait, the first thoughts that came to mind were How should I fill this time? Can I fit in some more project work? Maybe I could start a movie? Waste some time on Instagram? And then I laughed. I reached over and ruffled my cat’s fur, and I decided to look out the window. And do nothing else.
And it was wonderful.
Late that night, after the rest of the bachelorette revellers were tucked away in bed, the bride-to-be and another close friend and I had a chance to just sit and talk. We laughed about the night’s antics, and then the conversation shifted to our busy lives. “Our society is consumed with the idea of ‘busyness,'” one friend said. “We rush around filling our days, but is it all really necessary? When you ask someone how she’s doing, the response is almost always ‘Good. Busy.'”
I am certainly guilty of this. Why is this the default response? To let the person asking know that we don’t really have all that much time to be talking to them? To make sure we fit in with all the other “busy” people? We are all busy people, but just what are we busy doing?
The difference between a busy life and a full life is vast. And when I think back on my days, I don’t want to remember being busy. I want to remember living a life that was full of family and friends and work that I was passionate about. I want to remember experiences and relationships.
Congratulations, beautiful friend. I can’t wait to celebrate your big day with you.
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
Posted in Balance, Mindfulness | Tags: Freelancing, inspiration, mindfulness, simple life, simplicity, writing
“I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go.” – Dean Karnazes
Exercise and I? It wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Back in high school, I couldn’t care less about fitness. There are actually people out there who run for the fun of it? Gross.
Then along came university. And lots of time sitting down. And parties. And terrible food (ice cream and leftover Timbits should be banned in dorm cafeterias – just sayin’). Desperate times called for desperate measures. I decided to put my $40Â gym membership to use, still a bit peeved that it was automatically included in my student fees.
One fine day I happened to be testing the treadmill waters. And by that I mean watching my friend on the treadmill beside me run twice my speed. Uphill. And barely break a sweat. Kinesiology majors. Sheesh. “I’ve never been able to run,” I told her after our workout. “I just don’t have it in me. I’m not built that way.”
My friend disagreed. “It’s all about training properly. I can teach you how if you want to learn.”
Though skeptical, I decided to give it a shot. Lo and behold, run-a-minute-walk-a-minute became run five, walk one, became run ten, walk one, became run thirty, became run 5k, became run 10k, became “Holy crap do I ever love running!” became run a half marathon. Now I’m hooked. I wish my old gym teacher could see me now.
“See, the doubt is all a mind game,” my friend told me.
Running sets me free. I run when I’m full of energy, when I need energy, when I’m excited, and (especially) when I’m angry. IÂ never would have discovered this had I let the “silly me” keep talking.
But the doubt never really goes away, does it?
Just the other day I was out for a run in the mountains with this same friend who taught me how to run years ago. As I fought for dear life up the last hill, she casually floated ahead, then circled back to meet me (Kin majors. Sheesh), shouting encouragement the whole way. When the ground levelled off and I could finally breathe again, she said, “You know it’s all a mind game, right?”
Ah, that much-needed reminder. Despite how many challenges you meet, how many miles you cover, that silly little part of your brain will not shut up if you let it run free. The trick is one “run-a-minute-walk-a minute” at a time. Relentlessly push forward towards that dream.
My move abroad, a dream ten years in the making, is starting to feel pretty darn overwhelming. But I remind myself: “One day, one task, one emotion at a time.”
Walk a little, run a little, see what you can make happen.
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
Posted in Inspiration | Tags: attitude, doubt, dreams, Freelancing, inspiration, motivation, running, travelling
“I believe in intuitions and inspirations . . . I sometimes FEEL that I am right. I do not KNOW that I am.” –Â Albert Einstein
When’s the last time you listened to your gut? Right now, mine’s telling me that sushi and frozen yogurt might not be the best combination. But I digress . . . This is not a post about stomachaches.
I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve said “go with your gut” when asked for advice. Truly, we all know what’s best for ourselves, but clearing away the head clutter to make space for that little inner voice can be a Herculean task.
“All signs point to yes,” or, “Danger, danger!”  The latter is much easier to hear. We’re built to rapidly identify danger and act accordingly.
But intuition isn’t just there to help us feel out potentially dangerous situations. Looking back over my last few years as a freelancer, and the projects I’ve taken on, I’ve realized that there were times my intuition was simply screaming at me, and I ignored it.
When I first started freelancing, I took everything that came my way, red flags or not, because I was desperate to build a business, to make money. And I’m willing to bet I’m not the only freelancer who has succumbed to this. I’ll admit that sometimes the “means to an end” is necessary, but when everything inside of you is telling you “No, don’t do it,” let it go. Make space for what suits you.
What I’ve most clearly come to realize in the last year or so though is that intuition plays a key role in major decisions, if you let it. I’ve spent hours writing lists of pros and cons, writing pages upon pages about various dilemmas. Yet I could never figure out why all the biggest decisions in my life were made seemingly on impulse.
In hindsight, it’s clear that these decisions weren’t spontaneous. I already knew what I wanted on a very basic level. And when I gave my head just a few seconds of space and quiet, suddenly my decision was “magically” made.
So what do you really want that you haven’t allowed yourself to admit? How’s your gut feeling?
“Chasm”
A leap of faith requires ferocity,
a steadfast belief in self and circumstances;
There is no room for
. . . hesitation . . .
when flying across a chasm placed
just above the depths of doubt;
Rocks may pierce the feet upon landing,
but the gap has still been leapt,
and, weary, battered feet can still
. . . move forward.
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
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Posted in Mindfulness, Poetry | Tags: business, doubt, faith, Freelancing, inspiration, intuition, mindfulness, poetry, trust
The other night I was going through my travel journal and came across this poem. I wrote it while sitting in a bistro sipping (strong!) espresso to the soundtrack of French music and conversation. I was alone with my thoughts, an outsider but content in this warm, friendly atmosphere. It was the perfect Paris moment.
“The Stranger with the Cigarette”
She stands shivering in the chill, Paris-morning air,
smoking her cigarette,
surveying the indifferent street from above, huddled.
Her grey sweater, dull-green scarf, nondescript,
her face unreadable.
This tired Parisian, she looks my way.
I am an intruder.
Does the cafe’s glass obscure her view of the stranger unabashedly observing her?
I hold her gaze for only a moment,
look back to the street,
leaving her to her cigarette,
understanding the need for solace.
A glance back a minute later, and
she’s gone,
this stranger with her cigarette,
who left a mark on my memory . . .
after only the briefest of moments.
These little moments are what truly inspire me. Life happens quickly, but every once in a while it slows down and gives us little gems, moments of connection.
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
Posted in Inspiration, Poetry | Tags: connection, Freelancing, inspiration, muse, Paris, poetry, strangers, travel
Freelancing to Freedom 