"Love" = The Language of the World

I must say The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho has brought a sense of vision to my life that almost feels a bit overwhelming. I finished the book this week and have now started reading the last third of the book over again with my highlighter. A quote that hit me pretty hard was "You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love...the love that speaks the Language of the World." When I relate this quote to my personal life I must admit that I now know I was tested and had I accepted the circumstances, my life would be totally different right now. I wouldn't be traveling the United States selling metal products, meeting new people and experiencing new things on a daily basis. I was nearly engaged about 3 years ago and would most likely still be living in Minnesota and working in a cubicle. Something in my heart told me to move on and see what "could be." I began to travel by myself and experience things I had been desiring to do and I feel like I am now on a path of pursuit. My life has changed in so many ways over the past year and especially in the past few months. I feel like I am now living the "could be" and the vision for my life is becoming more clear. I am a firm believer in listening to your heart and exploring the opportunities. I don't think one can go wrong by doing so. If you don't, you can only live with regret.

The "could be's" have now brought me back to Denver, my most favorite place. I am spending a few weeks out here relaxing, working and planning. For some reason this place makes me feel like I can do anything and I think the people who know me best can definitely sense my happiness whenever I am here. My trip out to Denver was relatively uneventful unless you consider driving flat land for 1,150 miles in one day eventful, trying to figure out a hotel in the middle of Kansas where there are no hotels, not being able to sleep and getting up at 6am the following morning and driving the last 250 miles to leave about 8 hours after arrival to go camping and hike your first 14er eventful, that is nothing in the new life of Sheila Hill. I think the thoughts of being in Denver were a bit exciting for my character.

I must tell you about this 14er that I hiked. It was called Mount Massive and it is Massive. My most favorite part of the trip was of course at the top, but the top seemed to bring a series of confessions. We were just about at the top of the mountain and I am chatting with Pat telling him I am really excited that I am going to make it to the top and feel like it will be the biggest accomplishment in the series of adventure I have been experiencing. Pat is thinking it is because of the high altitude and me not having any time to get my lungs regulated. I had to confess that I am deathly afraid of heights so me being 14,421 feet in the air is kind of a big deal for me. When we finally get to the top, we are all hanging out and Pat tells me he has a little confession that he has been holding out on. "Congratulations, you have just hiked the second highest peak in the state of Colorado." Think some four letter words right now and you will know exactly what I was thinking. Now that I am on top of the world (literally) I am feeling really good, the views are breathtaking and the 8oz can of Coors Light that was cracked open as a surprise and celebratory cheers was actually better than the face the camera captured. When we stand up, I realize (enter another four letter word) I have to get back down and looking down a mountain is way more difficult than looking up a mountain when you are afraid of heights. Clearly I made it down and am alive to tell the story and actually plan on doing some more 14ers in the near future. I am now an addict and that fear of heights has become a blur in the back of my mind.

Struggles and Fuggles

Sometimes I wonder what the hell I'm doing, what got me here and how am I going to stay on top of this when I feel like the poles are aligning in some respects, but definitely not in others. That was my thought today and continues to be my thought tonight. I have the mindset that I can have whatever kind of day I set my mind to, but today just wasn't happening for me. It all started with an email that pissed me off and then to top off that email, I had a very eye opening conversation with someone I would now consider to be a mentor and then I get a phone call about some stuff going on that one wouldn't assume would throw me over the edge, but did, especially after my morning coffee convo. I would hope tomorrow could only get better and I think it will.
I am now in beautiful Pulaski, TN. I think this state is absolutely gorgeous and I could definitely live here or at least visit frequently. I am staying with a family friend who has known me since I was born, which has been absolutely wonderful. Seeing a familiar face who is as close to family as one can get has been a real treat, considering I haven't seen my family since May. I have to say I have been so incredibly spoiled with fresh veggies straight from the garden, hot breakfast, coffee, golf cart rides on the land, ice cream....I might not ever leave this place.
I had a customer tell me today that my new life should become a reality show. He can't believe how quickly I move around and all the excitement that has been created. Apparently I am doing something new every week, which is true, but to me that is what life is supposed to be about. I am getting out and experiencing new things. One thing I thought about today was the fact that my personality thrives on adventure and trying new things. Even if I am scared to death of something, I will generally at least try it. If I were to keep my personality "stuck in the walls" it would be like never opening that wrapped package to see what is inside. If I don't explore who I am and see who I wish to become, I will end up in the every day pattern of things and most likely just wonder what my potential could have been. We'll see what tomorrow brings and I vow not to look at that crackberry until I have had the chance to fully wake up and make up my mind as to what kind of day I am going to have. I believe it could be as productive as I make it...

Fishing Frenzy

Well, this week was full of work as well as a fishing trip out on Lake Burton and Lake Lanier in Georgia. I reeled in both of those fish and it was a total adrenaline rush. One was 12 pounds and the other was 9 pounds. They told me these were small in comparison with what has been caught this week. One catch was 31 pounds and I saw his picture. He was a monster! For this fishing trip I had to get out of bed at 3am and be on the road at 3:30am in order to meet my customer and get up the mountain to be at the lake at 6am. I have no idea how I managed that, as I am in no way a morning person. We didn't get off the second lake until 6:15pm so it was quite the day. It was a ton of fun and we definitely had some funny stuff happen. I think the funnies started about 9:30am when the brewskies began and the guide was eating some Combos and accidently asked if anyone wanted a condom. That kept us going the rest of the day...

Tomorrow is my last day in Atlanta and I can hardly believe I have to pack up my car again. My life already seems exciting, but this next week is going to bring some challenges that are pretty intense. I am arriving in Denver next Friday and then on Saturday I am hiking a 14,000ft peak. Pretty insane and I am really excited about it. I will definitely be taking some pictures and posting them.

I have been doing a lot of reading these past couple weeks and have been introduced to some really amazing books. I have always enjoyed motivational books and business books, but have really gotten into spiritual and life purpose books now. I have always known that I had a little bit different mindset and I think it is starting to come to light. The book I am currently reading is called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and it was recommended to me by a friend who has a similar mindset to me. This book is exactly what I needed in my life right now and it has been very inspiring and uplifting for me as I travel around. Onwards and upwards!

Last Moments In Atlanta

I had a blast this weekend and now I am in recovery mode. Friday night I met up with a customer and another vendor at this restaurant called Pure. It is the most amazing Mexican restaurant I have ever eaten at in terms of variety of food. I feel like I need a drum roll to tell you what I actually ate because when I think about it, it actually makes me want to throw up. I ate mussels. Now the reason this makes me think I am out of my mind is the fact that when I was in Australia, our tour guide was eating raw mussels on the beach and it was probably one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen before. I survived my experience on Friday and I actually ate about a quarter of a bowl of them. This customer that I was out with is actually the one that asked his friends about the hiking trails. He brought me all these maps and he said he has been wanting to go hiking for awhile so I invited him to go along with me. We ended up hiking two different trails with some of the most amazing waterfalls. Total trail distance was 7.2 miles, which was a great workout! Afterwards we went to this little German town called Helen. Now I get to tell you about the second exciting thing I ate this weekend...sauerkraut. I had a bratwurst with sauerkraut. Yum yum yum. I loved it. I also learned about this hippie festival that takes place down in Florida every October. I am going to rock it out this October. My customer's friend goes every year so he told me all about it and it sounds like a blast.
I didn't make it to the mall today, as I have some work that needs to get done and I was more or less just feeling lazy. I will have to make that happen next time I am in Atlanta. This week is chalk full of work stuff...including a fishing trip...and then I am moving again next Sunday. I can hardly believe my time here is just about over and I am on to the next place. Over the course of the next 4-5 weeks I will be visiting 4 different states for extended periods and then I will be going to Florida for 6 weeks. I already know Florida is going to be crazy wild between working a trade show, having friends visit, visiting friends who live down there, a wine and food festival and now a hippie festival. Before I know it, November will be here and my car won't look so inviting and I will be looking for a place to call home...or maybe I will have two homes...you just never know.

Oh the places you'll go...

Well, my weekend is now planned thanks to one of my awesome customers. He consulted with his friends and figured out the best hiking trail for me to hit. Apparently it is a 3 mile hike, the waterfall at the end is HUGE and I am to bring a camera. Done. I am going hiking on Saturday and then there is this big mall in downtown Atlanta called the Lenox and I am going there on Sunday. I learned that I don't even need to take the Marta, as my GPS led me astray on the way to my first appointment yesterday and brought me right past the mall. It was a sign I need to go there...I would like to believe that anyways! I saw the Marta too and it looks just like the lightrail I used to ride in Denver.

I still can't believe my first trip to Atlanta is just about over. I definitely can't wait to come back here. Who knows when it will be, but definitely in the next few months. You never know where the little hippie will land herself in the coming months...I think we should start taking predictions...

Where Do You Live?

The question, "Where do you live?" has become a question I truly do not know how to answer these days. I now laugh whenever the question arises, because I don't have a home! The first time the question was asked was in Florida a few weeks ago. The front desk concierge wanted to know where I lived. I told him I didn't know what to tell him because I don't really have a home right now. He looked at me with a funny face and I just smiled. I then told him that the real answer might be that I have a lot of homes, but haven't decided where home is yet. He still looked confused. I have had a few customers ask where I live and I sort of just laugh and tell them I am being a hippie for awhile. They have all laughed and I even had one that told me I don't look like a hippie. I told him I'm the newest kind of a hippie - a modern day hippie. When I finally get an address, I know I will appreciate it so much more. It sounds like a simple thing, but when this question of, "Where do you live?" comes up and I don't know how to answer it, it makes me want a home just a little bit. I don't have to be homeless, I am just choosing to be for a little while. When I finally do decide on a home, I am going to do it right. You just wait and see.

This week has been absolutely insane. I have been traveling the past two days and it has kind of been a whirlwind. I know I am busy when I look at my calendar this morning and realize it isn't Tuesday it is actually Wednesday and I had already lived Tuesday. It sure didn't feel like it. I was only supposed to travel a half day today, but it ended up being a full day. I had just pulled in the driveway about 12:30 and the phone rang so I didn't even make it out of my car, I just backed the car up and left again. Tomorrow will definitely be a full day again.

I still haven't planned my exciting Atlanta weekend, but one of my customers clued me in on some insane hiking trails with waterfalls. This is actually my last full weekend in Atlanta, which I also just realized today. I can hardly believe it. I feel like I just got here. I am actually really excited to see Alabama and Tennessee though so I am looking forward to that. I figured out yesterday that I have traveled 10 states since I left Minnesota. That was only 10 weeks ago! Times flies when you are having fun...

Traveling Pants

I feel like I have been all over the Carolina's and Georgia in the past week. Kind of insane how quickly one can move. I left North Carolina on August 1 and arrived in Atlanta. I didn't really know what to expect of Atlanta, as I have never been here, but it really is a cool city. Downtown Atlanta is huge and I am so excited to go and explore. I am planning to ride the Marta this weekend into downtown and go and check out the sites. The house I am living at is only 15 minutes from downtown, but traffic going into downtown Atlanta isn't ideal (even on the weekends).
The lady I am living with, Pat, is just a doll. She is so sweet and is always sure to give me a map so I don't get lost. She showed me all the back roads to the grocery store, CVS, the bank, etc. I also went to church with her my first weekend here and met some pretty amazing people. One couple owns an aluminum supply company, which was right up my ally and his wife owns a camp for kids who have lost a parent. Pretty phenomenal people and I felt very privileged to have met them. I also met the owner of a chemical supply company and he was so much fun to talk to. He is very determined to find me a nice man to hang out with while I am in Atlanta. I wish him luck. I also met a gentleman originally from Birmingham and he told me all about the city and a few sites I need to check out while I am there. Everyone was so helpful and so kind and I am really happy I had the opportunity to meet them.
The next 3 weeks are going to be rigorous, but I am excited about the work I have planned. I will actually only be in Atlanta until August 23 and will then be moving on for a visit to see a family friend in Pulaski, TN. I will stay there and work northern Alabama for the week and then on Friday, August 28, I will be leaving for a stay in Denver. I will be doing some work out there for a couple weeks and then going down to Florida for about 6 weeks.
I just got back from Myrtle Beach last night after a little mini vacation. I had a great time relaxing on the beach and hanging out with my North Carolina mom, Carla, and her kids. I got a lot of reading done, which felt really good. I was really behind and feel like I am moving again in this area of my life.
That's everything for now. This week will be full of work stuff and then I am planning a fun filled weekend in the city of Atlanta. I'll keep you updated...