I probably should have been blogging this all along, and maybe travel will be the thing that ultimately causes my failure as a blogger because when I’m out DOING things, I rarely take the time to write it all down. I’m taking pictures, though… that should count.
Here’s the rundown on my trip to Boston:
My flight left at 6am. On the plane, I went through the entireTony Robbins; Get the Edge
program. I’d listened to all of the discs before, several times over the past few weeks, but I’d never been in a position to complete the written assignments. Tony has specific journal exercises to help you clarify what your goals are, what kind of person you want to be and how to best go about becoming your best self. The journal exercises were great, I was able to spell out exactly how I wanted certain aspects of my life to be, exactly what I wanted financially, for my body, in my relationships and for my own personal development. I arrived feeling mentally drained, but motivated and inspired and most of all, ready to soak up a new city.
Except, I had no physical energy left to explore the city that first day, so I took a nap at the hotel and went out for a walk later, to pick up dinner. The guy at the sandwich place asked me if I had my student ID so I could get the discount I said “Damn, I don’t have it with me” but he gave me the discount anyway. Afterward, I said. “I just have to tell you, I’m 36 and I have 6 kids. The discount was flattering, though.” He was so shocked, he called the cook out of the kitchen to ask him how old he thought I was. The cook thought I was 21 or 22 maybe, which was cool until I discovered that he totally messed up my sandwich. I wanted BBQ sauce, tomato, lettuce, cucumber and hot sauce. Instead, I got hot sauce, tomato and cheese. It was still tasty, but since I don’t eat meat very often, I was bummed that it was wrong.
The next day, I took the subway into Boston and discovered that it was opening day at Fenway park. So there were Red Sox fans everywhere. Walking with a crowd was kinda fun because I could hear all the conversations around me, without being involved in any. I loved the accents. Even the Spanish-speaking lady at the airport had a Boston accent, which is funny, right? she wasn’t even speaking English. Where do accents come from that they can transcend entire languages like that? I remembered that the stimulation of communicating with people of different languages and with different accents was something I love about traveling.
I strolled around the city aimlessly for about ten hours that day. At the airport, my suitcase wheel had broken and while strolling aimlessly through Boston, I FOUND a bigger, better suitcase. Some lady was taking it to the curb, it looked like it had never been used. I had my badass new camera with me, I took a bunch of pictures. Part of my goal this trip was to learn more about photography and I definitely did. I was given some wise advice “Know your camera like you know your body” from a friend who actually takes pictures while driving! I ate some Irish appetizer of lamb & potatoes. I also ate a slice of NY style pizza with eggplant, sun dried tomatoes and kalmata olives. I had some heavenly organic free trade coffee and raw chocolate. I remembered how much fun it is to eat delicious foods.
The following day, I returned to the city again. I took more pictures. I ate Indian food. My legs were sore from hours and hours of walking, but it was good for my soul. I remembered how much fun it is to wander down streets I’ve never seen before.
My stay in Boston was over. I was mentally refreshed, invigorated and eager to see my favorite friends in the world. I wasn’t nervous about speaking at the conference, I just KNEW it would be OK. I focused instead on the desire to speak clearly and to be my best self, as outlined in the Tony Robbins journal I had started to keep. I really felt like a different person. I was confident, I was outgoing, and I felt like I could “see” people in a different way. It was magical, already.
After Boston, I headed north to New Hampshire. I had some school assignments due and I wanted to make sure I could get everything done before 7am when Susan was to pick me up to head for the Life Rocks Conference, in North Conway, NH. We had to stop off at Dayna and Joe’s house, which was cool because I’ve only seen pictures and sometimes stringing them all together mentally just does not work. After that, it was just 20 minutes to the conference, to begin setting up.
Little did I know that everything I’d been intending for the conference and for my life would begin to come true in a big way. Three days in the city to focus on everything and nothing, while exploring a new city really put my mind at an easy and blissful state. Travel is so good for my soul. I felt so much love for everyone I came into contact with and I felt it right back at me. I know unschooling conferences just HAVE that vibe, to begin with, but this time, I felt it differently. Deeper.
Helping set up the conference was fun, watching the empty banquet room be transformed into the central gathering area for the conference. It was so cool to look around and KNOW that soon the room would be filled with happy families, high on life and transforming in positive ways. It was so much fun to get that behind-the-scenes emotion.
The following morning, it was cloudy, dark and raining, and there was a lot of lightning outside. Sounds a bit dismal, right? No way. The banquet room has these HUGE picture windows with an amazing view of the mountains, so it was like watching a movie, except you could feel the tingle of a storm in the air. The fireplace in the room was taller than me, so the raging fire helped, it was magical…. I remembered how much I loved feeling powerless about adverse weather and made a point to step outside into the rain for a little while. I regretted not bringing my hula hoop in at that point. (Thank you, Dayna- for realizing how important fire is)
Throughout the conference, I found it really easy to get my message across while speaking on panels and in workshops. I didn’t get tongue-tied or make terrible mistakes. Someone told me it seemed like I was direct, clear, listening and hearing well. Whew, that was the goal! I really felt connected and engaged the entire time (except when that kid tried playing tag with me, I was NOT in the mood to run!)
They had a sword swallower, Roderick Russell, who was absolutely amazing. I mean, his act was impressive (I got to be in it) but as a person, he is top notch. He’s an accidental unschooler and he can read your mind (yeah- I bet that makes learning easy, right?)
There were also filmmakers and photographers everywhere. One managed to snap a few pictures of me that I don’t hate, so there ya go… Imagine that. The Class Dismissed documentary is by 3Story Films, their crew was there during a few of the workshops and interviewing parents about unschooling. Kamila Calabrese was also there, she’s working on another documentary about homeschooling. We also had an author who was writing a book about her explorations and understanding of different parenting perspectives. Here’s a link to the slideshow of conference photos by Mike Hedge, the photographer.
Amy Steinberg performed at the conference, it was amazing. She was amazing. I love meeting people I admire and discovering that they’re so much cooler than I imagined. Hanging out with Amy was so cool. She’s an actual minister so she’s sworn to God that we can all share our dirty secrets with her and she’ll never tell. Plus, she’s funny and smart and I love her. For realz, yo.
I took my first-ever Yoga class, in which I shared one of my back-burner project ideas with JUST the right person who can make it happen. I can’t wait to get to know her better. I randomly sat down on a couch next to a lady who recommended a book that changed my life the minute she told me the title. We cried together, we laughed and that night probably was a turning point for me.
<3
I hula hooped in public for the first time EVER. I figured I would, I just couldn’t imagine NOT hooping the entire time I was there, and hotel-room hooping is just not as gratifying. Even naked. I was able to share the passion with so many people and when the Hula Hoop lady arrived for her funshop, she brought hoops to sell so for the whole rest of the week, I was able to share tricks and tips with new hoopers.
I hiked through the woods with other people’s daughters. I rounded up about 7 little girls to accompany me on a walk through the little forest area behind the hotel. The air was clean, the kids were squeaky and for a minute, it sounded like home. I needed that. One of the girls became my buddy over the week and we had so much fun talking about everything under the sun, hula hooping together and just playing.
I rolled down a grassy hill. Someone’s daughter asked me to roll down with her. My kids roll down hills all the time, and generally, I end up at the top, taking pictures or holding stuff but THIS kid asked me. Why on earth would I say no to an invitation like that? So I did it, for the first time in probably 30 years and OMG. You need to try it. Its impossible not to laugh. You might end up dizzy, with twigs or leaves in your hair, but still. Please do this as soon as possible. You won’t regret it. Playing is important, even for grown-ups.
I met a great guy at a bar. For real, It was after midnight and I needed something hot to eat so I stopped into this bar and the only other patron was a big, burly old man with ear gauges, a bunch of tattoos (AA, ironically) and a hot pink Tshirt. I figured he was a character, but could never have guessed how magical it was going to be. I asked him “Is that your car with the smiley face out front?” He said it was and we chatted for a minute about the local ski slopes. He was surprised to hear that I had six kids and said “I have a smile for you, let me go out to the car and get it” so he headed out of the bar and he’s hobbling. I’m thinking “You ski, dude you can barely walk” and he turned around and said “These new hips suck for walking but they make skiing a lot easier.” I probably blushed at that moment. He returned with a piece of paper and told me “This smile is hanging up at the (insert name of random bar along the coast of Florida). I’m no writer, it took me a few weeks to get this perfect, but here you go..” and he handed me the following piece of paper, saying “This will either make you smile or make you cry.” It did both: (click on the image to see it larger and sideways)
Afterward, I had the great pleasure of telling him “Your smile has gone far beyond those bars and restaurants you mentioned. Your smile is ALL OVER the WORLD. I’ve even seen it translated into Spanish” he was confused, until I said “I’ve gotten your smile in emails, I’ve seen it on Myspace and Facebook and you are making people all over the world smile, you are amazing.” He was smiling now, from ear to ear. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even HAVE a computer, this old guy. I looked down at the paper and said “There’s one word in the English language that you can substitute for a smile in this note, can you guess what it is?” he was up for the challenge “don’t tell me” as he looked up and thought hard trying to figure it out. He guesses “It’s a wink.” I said “No, I don’t think everyone can wink,” and he tried for another minute to guess at it before he gave up. Finally I told him “It’s a hug” and I leaned in to hug him. He came away with a tear in his eye and said he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been hugged. That made me feel like crying, so I hugged him again and said “Well, now you have two” and he hugged me back & hurried away. The man whose smile has affected so many people… isn’t getting hugged often enough. Isn’t that wild?
The waitress brought me my food and I wasn’t even hungry anymore.
Saying Goodbye at the end of the conference was difficult. It was such an emotional high. There were tears, phenomenal hugs and exchanging of phone numbers, and promises to keep in touch. It’s so hard to say goodbye. I got to ride with Amy back to the airport
Back in Boston for a few days, still high on conference emotions, I had to spend a day in the hotel room trying to catch up on school work. It was tricky with a wayward hula hoop stuck in a tree behind the hotel, just outside my window. I managed to survive the day without escaping to the city and got my assignment done most of the way, plus I was able to take a long mind-clearing stroll and a long bath and even a nap. I was fully rested and ready for my last adventure in Boston.
I headed out early in the morning and wandered aimlessly for a while longer. I didn’t take any pictures this time. I sat on a park bench for a while, listening to a band practice, a funny conversation a few feet away, the birds and trying to read. I wandered in and out of shops and ended up back at the hotel by 1pm, exhausted. I crashed right away, listening to binaural beats. they have two opposing vibrations that play in each ear to form a third vibration inside your head. Depending upon the track you choose, the third vibration targets specific parts of the brain. When I woke up, I was still drowsy for about half an hour and then I came back to life and headed into the city again. The following day was The Boston Marathon, so the entire city was preparing. It was later in the day, the park was crawling with people, the sun was shining and everything was perfect. Lunch at the Original Cheers (Where everybody knows your name) was a complete out-of-body experience, I felt like I was walking on air. The food was OK. After that I tried one last time to find the “Welcome to Wonderland” sign. Later, I learned that it is inside of the subway station. Maybe I’ll get a photo next time. The walk on the beach was worth it, even without the sign photo. Beaches always remind me how big the world is. The sky was amazing at sunset. After returning to the hotel and soaking yet AGAIN in the tub (truly a treat- our house has a shower, no tub) I ended up heading out one last time that day, for Dunkin Donuts by moonlight. It was my first Dunkin Donuts experience and I have to say… meh. Am I just picky, or just addicted to real food?
The next morning was a dream, waking up with the sun in my face, snuggled into the sheets away from home for the last time this trip. I lingered in bed, it was just too magical. I couldn’t believe it was coming to an end, I wanted to freeze the moment, because you never really can go back, can you? Susan picked me up for the airport and we had an amazing day hanging out near Harvard campus. We strolled in and out of some fun little shops, we chatted and had lunch and relived moments from the conference. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect morning.
Arrival at the airport was ridiculous. I knew my flight left at 5 something, so I got to the airport at 3, thinking “2 hours should be more than enough” yeah- my plane started boarding at like 5:58 and wasn’t scheduled to depart until like 6:25. So even though I stood in a huge security line and a huge check-in line, I was still stuck at the gate for almost 3 hours waiting for my flight. Fortunately, my husband called and kept my brain occupied for a while. Unfortunately, the conversation wasn’t pleasant.
I turned on the Tony Robbins again, tried to read the book Jenn gave me and in the end, I decided to rearrange the files on my computer (it’s my default brainless activity because they’re always a mess)
So… Boston…. I want to go back one day, on so many levels. The city was beautiful. New Hampshire was beautiful, too. Everything was beautiful. Life is beautiful. Travel always reminds me that I need to get out more often.
