Catching up—Where’s Eryn?

Well folks, it’s been a long time since I’ve done a blog post. Ya know what? I kind of missed it. I was so engrossed in editing the book since I left Thailand and going through that arduous process I couldn’t possibly think of blogging.

But here we are, the book is finished and I can breathe again… whew. I thought it was time to write and fill you in on what’s been happening since I ended my traveling. First though, exciting news, my book is available on Amazon here. Woohooooo! If you’re interested in reading the more in depth story of my travels, check it out. It’s the cathartic, healing journey of a woman who went out into the world hoping to save herself, from herself. Where does she find wisdom and growth? What sort of bizarre situations does she find herself in? Is she safe? Is it scary? Hell yes it was scary. Who does she meet while roaming the globe alone? Ohhh you’ll have to read and find out.

Ok, ok, back to the blog.

It’s been an interesting transition, leaving the life of an expat in Asia and returning to America. My home country looks so different to me now. I’d read a few blogs before returning home warning how difficult it might be so that helped to mentally prepare me a bit. I think it made a difference that I was able to return when I really felt ready. I promised myself I wouldn’t return until I finished the content of the book and fortunately I was able to do that. Yay.

The other long-term travel bloggers were right though; it was a big adjustment returning home. I decided it might be a good idea to settle somewhere completely new and at the same time I was preparing for an upcoming road trip heading West to accept an award in Denver on behalf of my deceased grandmother—she was being inducted into the Colorado tennis hall of fame, who knew I was ‘tennis royalty’? haha—so I figured why not give Denver a shot? I rented a loft apartment, site unseen, having never been to Denver, and me and all the belongings I’d been storing in Florida made our way to the mile high city. That was January of 2017.

What a strange experience that was, opening my storage unit after nearly three years—let me tell ya—it was like a time capsule. Oh, and a moth colony had set up camp in my beautiful oriental rugs, sad, sad. Nature was telling me I wasn’t meant to take those rugs into my new life… long story. Aside from the rugs, luckily I’d saved all the perfect pieces of furniture to set me up in my new apartment, so I hardly needed anything. That was nice not to have to worry about buying new stuff. And you’d think maybe it’d be emotional to see all these old things from my old life but I’d done so much healing and growth, it didn’t hold the same sad feeling it might have once. Instead I was happy to see it all and grateful for the nostalgic value they held that I could now bring into my new life.

Aside from settling in Denver, I was feeling a calling to look into life coaching, a fairly new career path. Now that I’d returned from my big trip I felt it was imperative that I carry on with a more purpose driven path, so although I had a few opportunities to return to construction management, I resisted. It may sound strange, but I didn’t think I could just build things for the sake of building anymore. I’d been given this great gift of travel and all the healing experiences I was blessed to come across—they just couldn’t be for me, I had to share them with others—so this is how I came to life coaching and choosing to maintain intense focus on editing my book. How lucky I was that I chose the particular school I did and the course to attend in Atlanta, Georgia. I met some really amazing people that week that have turned out to be lasting connections.

A few months after moving into my Denver flat I had plans to visit my friend Vicky in London. In a last minute decision, I brought 3 mandalas I’d been working on… you guys remember my mandalas? While traveling they’d been only in my journal, but since returning from traveling I felt the need to get them on real art paper. Day 2 in London, I took a chance and popped into a gallery Vicky and I had gone to a few years before to see if, by chance, there was any interest in my mandala art… and there was! Amazingly, I’d stumbled upon, quite possibly, the only gallery in London where the owner, an anthropologist and artist, had been studying mandalas for 30 years! Synchronicity? Divine intelligence orchestrating a new path?

I’d learned while traveling that listening to my intuition and following it always sent me to pivotal new opportunities and it seemed this was continuing. We settled on a date for an exhibition and I spent the next 4 weeks feverishly drawing to make my goal of 12 mandalas for the launch date in late May.  Here are a few pictures 🙂

The mandala exhibition was great timing because I was in one of the many long periods of time when my publisher had my manuscript for editing and I was waiting, waiting, waiting, so I was happy to fill the space with mandalas. Mandalas are part of the book and I’d hoped someday I’d be able to spin it into some sort of art career, but I never thought the mandala art would come before the book.

Fast forward a few months and I was invited to be a speaker with one of my life-coaching classmates. She was giving a workshop on ‘Publishing Demystified’ and asked if I’d be on her panel of authors… I said yes! This set me up to be in the Atlanta area in October and the book would be finished by that time, so I started reaching out to my connections in NC, SC, GA and FL to see what I could stir up with my peeps in the way of other events to launch my book while getting to visit family and friends and connect with new people. And so it goes, I’m on a road trip—4 weeks now I’ve been on the road. My connections came through with flying colors helping to organize and collaborate and put together various events at wellness centers, tea shops, book stores, community centers and an art gallery coming up… It’s all been a big experiment but it’s been a huge success so far. I’m like a little pop-up bookstore/art gallery/road trippin’ nomad, crossing America.

I’m heading to Southwest Florida now and guess who’s joining me there? You’ll never guess… Siggy, my soul sister from traveling! You must remember the infamous Siggy. Let’s see, I first met her in India, then saw her again in France, Spain and Portugal, then again in her home country, Australia, then my home for a time, Thailand, and now she’s visiting me here. She arrives Thursday, yayyyyy!

Siggy and Eryn, India March 2014

If you happen to be in Southwest Florida come on out to one of our events graciously hosted by Cherelle Art Gallery, 4263 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs, Fl. 34134

Siggy will be there 🙂

• Nov. 11^th 11:30 – 2:00 Art Exhibition, Book Launch and Charity Auction

I’ll have my mandala exhibition, now back from London, which is also a part of my travel story. Myself and other local artists and authors will exhibit their work.

• Nov. 12^th from 2:00 to 4:00 Women and Girls Day Yoga and Art

Bring your mom or niece, sister, daughter or bestie for a short yoga session and then we’ll make vision boards. Set an intention and manifest it through art. It works. Free event.

• Monday Nov. 13^th 7:00 to 8:30 Mandalas and Wine.

Learn how to draw mandalas and just ‘be’ with us. Fun fun. Free event. Bring your favorite wine.Wednesday Nov. 15^th 6:00 to 7:30 Eryn shares about her trip and her book Facing Freedom where she recounts her 28 months traveling as a solo female traveler. Join us for story share. Free event.

Hope to see my favorite Florida peeps ❤