Blissology
The fairytale
I want a fairytale. I’m not ashamed to say it. But my fairytale doesn’t involve your stock standard Prince Charming, a white picket fence, two kids and a house in the suburbs. In my fairytale we fall madly in love and travel the world having adventures and changing the world in our own special way.
My Prince Charming is two tons of fun, sustainably minded, loves all the critters big and small, and smiles often. We challenge and inspire each other to do more and be more. A life full of laughs, adventures, and stories to tell.
And they lived adventurously ever after.
tweet me @jessicaswander or find me on instagram @jessicaswanderlust
Dreaming my life away
About six months ago I woke up in the middle of the night knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I ripped off my covers and walked naked over to the window of the loft bedroom. I opened the window and sat cross legged staring up at the unusually starry London sky with infinite gratitude – I could feel the cold seeping in to my bones and I’d never felt so happy and so alive. It felt so surreal and like everything had just shifted in to place. Now I have something amazing to work towards – something that drives me and inspires me to do better – to be better. I am ready for the challenge.
Wish me luck wanderlusters x
What is Sustainability?
We live in a world of excessive consumption, unnecessary production, that is completely full of man-made waste. Currently we are taking more resources from the earth each year than she is able to reproduce which means that sustainability has never been so important as is it right now.
So what does sustainability really mean?
The dictionary defines sustainability as the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed. In environmental science sustainability refers to the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.
It’s currently estimated that 50,000 different plant and animal species will become extinct in the next decade – the destruction is so relentless that 60,000 plant species could be lost by 2025! Just to put that into perspective for you that is 25% of the worlds total plant life. Just imagine the effect that will have on the individual and interlinking ecosystems around the world. Not to mention the erosion, pollution, lack of food, quality of water… I could go on.
I believe we all have a responsibility to act in a sustainable way – take sustainability into consideration every day of our lives – because it affects our lives in every way – think about it when you eat – when you drink – when you travel to work – when you take a holiday – when you shop… because I know I want future generations to be able to enjoy the beauty of this world – the diversity – the people – even the food and unless we all start to shift towards living more sustainable lifestyles that just isn’t going to be possible.
I’d love to speak with you about sustainability and hear your thoughts – so please leave a comment below or tweet with me @JessicasWander.
Peace and love wanderlusters x
Stargazing – Our Amazing Universe
I don’t think there is a person on earth that doesn’t look up to the night sky in awe. It’s just one of those things. It’s beautiful, haunting, unreachable, enchanting and mind boggling. I know I’ve often spent hours and hours just staring up at the stars and thinking just how mind-boggling it is.
We are on a tiny little planet rotating around what is comparatively a tiny ball of burning gas suspended in nothingness. We look out to billions upon billions of other stars – some of which have their own planets and moons rotating around them. We do live in a very small world. We can travel it all quite easily and see the world at our leisure. We’re all connected by this modern technology and it’s as easy for me to contact someone in Semporna as it is for me to contact someone in Australia. There are people who view my blog that are from countries I’ve never heard of before – but somehow we are all connected. That much I can grasp in my mind – but when we look to the stars we realise just how small this world is.
When we look to the stars and think of the hugeness of the universe it makes me think of the earth as a whole – no countries, no boundaries, no races or religion. We’re just one.
Chew on that thought for a while Wanderlusters. x
One more reason why travelling changes your life.
I had an “ah-ha moment” a few years back when I was in Bali for one of Eoin Finn’s YES (Yoga Ecology Surf) retreats.
It was the final day of the retreat and I was getting dressed for our last dinner together in one of the bigger houses. I’d already packed up my backpack in preparation to move on to beautiful inland Ubud for the next week or so and I realised just how little I had with me and just how little I actually needed.
Fast forward to November 2013 when I was packing up my bags and getting rid of all my possessions. It was absolutely liberating. I don’t want to waste money on trivial things like more handbags, ornaments, clothes, shoes, jewellery, cosmetics or perfumes. When you really think about it how much do those things actually add to your life? How many hours working did you spend to be able to afford that watch your wearing to make sure you catch your train on time? Now I’m not saying I’ve gone all minimalist and have gotten rid of all my material possessions because I haven’t. I just realised that some of the best things in life are not all that expensive and I’d rather spend my money on a grand adventure than a grand gown that will sit in my closet until I find somewhere to wear it. I’d rather work hard at what I love doing then spend each day commuting in to a job that I don’t enjoy just so I can afford the Claude Maus jacket I’ve been lusting after.
Less is almost always more,
Jessica xx
p.s. I always love to hear from you guys, so please leave a comment below, or tweet with me @jessicaswander
Beaches and tire swings
Loving being back in Koh Phangan again. We took the mopeds out for the day and discovered this little gem of a beach and this fabulous tire swing. It’s a much different experience from my last trip that’s for sure!
Earth.Body.Yoga with Eoin Finn
Get Excited lovely humans!
My dear friend and mentor Eoin Finn has released a sneaky peek from his new DVD Earth Body Yoga
CHECK IT OUT HERE: http://vimeo.com/77073328
Eoin is an incredible yogi, surfer, ocean worshipper, blissologist and generally an all round FUNderful human (FUN+ Wonderful… it’ll catch on I’m certain).
Going to Eoin’s YES retreat (YES stands for Yoga Ecology Surf) in Bali in November 2011 was the most incredible thing I’ve ever done for my mind, body and soul. Getting to know him and his family was just magic. His philosophy on life is awe-inspiring so I totally recommend you all go to one of his retreats or at lease check out his DVD’s and TEDx Talk.
Just spreading the bliss..
Jess.
SEE EOIN ON TEDx HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsIZ69msvOQ
Discovering my bliss video update.
Video Posted on
Thank you to everyone who has contacted me in regards to my initial post about discovering my bliss.
Hope this answers some of the questions.
Have a beautiful day,
Jess.
Love is all you need
All that really matters in this world is love. I don’t necessarily mean romantic love, or love for your family and friends. Just love.
Too many of us try to define love and categorise it in to a specific relationship or even an object. But love is bigger than that. Love is what connects us all.
If you think of any great experience you’ve ever had it’s been because of love. Maybe not at first glance but if you delve deeper you’ll see that it’s just love. Only love.
Love is what drives creativity, it’s what passion is made of, it’s what makes things seem beautiful, it’s what makes us feel compassion, it’s what makes us want to travel and explore, it’s what makes giving so wonderful, it’s what makes us want to be kind, to make others laugh, and makes us crave connection to one another because it just feels so beautiful.
…I love the feeling of the sunshine on my skin…
…I love the sun which feeds us all the nurturing light we need to grow and thrive…
…I love the rain that waters the gardens, feeding the plants, and flows in to the river…
…I love the river. So beautiful. Carrying water and nutrients for miles and miles. Providing food for so many different creatures and making the world greener…
… I love the new relationships I’ve been forming. Getting to know new wonderful and inspiring people from all walks of life and expanding my experience, growing my mind and sharing wisdom and wander….
…I love the old relationships I’ve left behind. I love them for what they’ve taught me, how I’ve needed to change, and the person I’ve become because of them…
…I love the challenges I’ve faced for making me stronger…
…I love love…