I have just returned from a whirlwind weekend and the magnitude of it; the impact that these last 50-ish hours have had on my heart and soul are honestly hard for me to put into words. I took a leap of faith last month and booked a flight to L.A., bought a ticket to Gabby Bernstein’s Judgement Detox book tour and scrolled through countless air bnbs all without knowing how I would actually cover the cost of this spontaneous trip. Two days after I hit the “Confirm Purchase” button on that flight, which happened to be perfectly aligned with my work schedule and allowed me to fly coast to coast to coast without taking a single hour of PTO, I received a check in the mail that I had completely forgotten about. The refund check from a canceled insurance policy was enough to cover almost all of my expenses for the trip; a truth that made it impossible for me to deny the power of the universe, of manifesting my desires into reality or the steady guidance of spirit. And the cherry on top of the proverbial cake, was a date with a sexy Asian yoga teacher that I had been following (stalking?) on Instagram for a year, but never though I’d actually meet in real life because we live allllllll the way across the country from each other. I guess the Universe had other plans, though and whether it was the stars aligning or just my shameless self promotion, we did indeed find ourselves in the same place at the same time.
The next morning, I was up early and out of the odd little air bnb on my way to San Diego for a yoga class with the sexy Asian yoga teacher that I randomly followed on Instagram and peer pressured into taking me out on a date during my quick visit to the West Coast. It was a plan that was hatched in a bar over a few too many beers and with encouragement of my sisters who cheered me on as I declared: “I’m going to send this guy a message! Wait… how do I do that?” And the rest, as they say, is history. I’m not sure that early morning hot yoga makes for the best first impressions, but there is something to be said about leaving it all on the mat and having nothing to hide. No make up, messy hair, spandex, coffee breath. Here I am; this is me in all my glory. The good news is- it can only get better from here! The class was great, I didn’t die, the brunch date that followed was great, I didn’t die and the company was pretty damn good. In fact, we spent the entire day together, visited some of his favorite spots, ate some delicious food, drank some delicious beers and I stared (I’m sure) way too much at his beautiful, enduring smile. If you’re ever going to stalk a random yoga teacher on instagram and force him to take you out for a date during a super quick coast-to-coast trip, make sure that it’s someone like @beyogiwithcharlie and make sure that he takes you someplace like @newtopiacyder where they serve fantastic craft ciders (don’t call them beers!) The next morning, I said goodbye to the hot yoga teacher over coffee in a gorgeous park overlooking a beautiful lake. I think I love San Diego. I think I could get used to this place. But then I was off again, and (finally) on my way back to L.A. to see Gabby Bernstein!
The infamous California traffic led me to a detour through the hills and while Siri routed literally every other traveler on this same detour so it didn’t seem to cut any time off my journey, it was a crazy beautiful drive. The west coast is so damn pretty; I hope she knows that. I grabbed the obligatory California meal at an In-N-Out drive thru and then there was Gabby. I felt a bit anxious waiting in the long line out front of the Agape International Spiritual Center, surrounded by so many groups of friends and relatives while I was there on my own, solo, all alone, but there was also a very strong feeling of community and I felt safe and like I was in the company of friends. I had arrived early enough to snag an awesome seat and scored a new rose quartz bracelet and a really cool traditional mala from the gift shop. And Judgement Detox? It. Was. Incredible. The energy in the room was intoxication; so many spirit junkies under one roof sharing in each other’s vibes and growing in spirit together. I had no doubts that I was meant to be in that room that night and I know that the experience has lit a fire in me that will transform my life. I’m not sure how or where, but I can feel it and it’s incredible. Have I used the word incredible enough yet??
Then, just like that, it was time to board a plane and fly back home to the East Coast. I made it back to Orlando at around 5am our time making my total round trip from Florida to California and back to Florida just shy of 50 house and somehow managed to top it all of with Sunday brunch on the beach the next morning. This was a weekend for the record books; one that will surely be written in my history.
Thank me later.
