Strangers
You know, chances are you’re more than likely to find help when you’re stranded, so long as you’re willing to speak with strangers.
I had a friend who would make his way from Eugene, Oregon down to San Francisco by bicycle once a year to escape the winter.
He’s much larger than I am — and at the weight he was at, it made me think twice about what limits truly are. It was one of those ‘if he can do it, so can I!’ moments.
Well there was one night during the ride where I had just reached my limit, and I said to myself ‘that’s it! I’m not going any further, I’m just going to lay out my sleeping bag and stay here for the night.’ I was on a stretch of road that had nothing in view for miles. Shortly after, a man had driven by in his truck and asked if I had a flat. I replied him: ‘sir, I am the flat.’ He offered to let me stay at his place. I took him up on his offer, tossed my stuff in the back of his truck, and hitched a ride to -what ended up being an estate- where he allowed me to use his guest house.
Friendship
I’ve been practicing Buddhism for the last decade or so. Eight years ago I traveled to India in hopes of balancing my mental health. It was a very introspective experience. There were moments I found myself with tears running down my face — it truly was a country that showed me both heaven and hell on earth. I was very fortunate that I didn’t get sick during my stay in India, but upon my return to Korea, I fell very ill with some respiratory problems.
I’ve learned while traveling, it’s common to meet somebody and part ways quickly. If your heart breaks a little, it means the relationship is valuable.
Passion
I needed a change after living in Spain for five years, so I made the decision to pick up and move to Brazil.
At that time I wanted to make a change in career as well. Finding out about bodywork in Thailand and taking it back home has been life changing for me.
I was asked to teach early on in my transition into becoming a massage therapist, but I was uncertain about doing it because I felt I was so new, that I had nothing of value to share. The community I was a part of really encouraged me to teach anyway. I’m really glad I did, the entire process has been very therapeutic for me. It helped boost my self-confidence as well as my practical skills!
I’m sure I would make more money if I was back home in France, or anywhere else in Western Europe, but basing my work in Brazil has been so good for my soul.
Hustle
I’ve been in the sugarcane industry for the last ten years of my life. It took a while to get used to the laborious conditions of the job. The hardest part was definitely harvesting the crop.
This year the price of sugarcane has depreciated significantly. As a farmer I’ve learned a lot about the volatility of the cash crop market. It’s because of this instability that I’ve diversified my ways of making money.
Working with farming equipment, I’ve learned quite a bit about tractors and other heavy machinery. Two years ago, I decided to start a side project repairing and then selling used tractors. The business took off immediately and is now my full time job. I’ve hired some farmers to help with my sugarcane field, which leaves me enough time to pursue a new side job: local transport truck services.
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