“If YOU can dream it, YOU can do it!” -Walt
Dedicated to Garry Alesio: one of my biggest fans. Thank you for your undying support of me following my bliss…I love you, G! Now it is YOUR turn!
A year ago this weekend I set out on an adventure of a lifetime that is STILL with me today: A SOLO trip to Bali, Indonesia.
When I told my wise friend “Natgeo” that a year ago this weekend I set out for Bali she said: “Reflection and Retrospect.”
So, I looked back at my blog from a year ago when I returned home from Indo. The last line of the post was:
“We grow the most from things that stretch us the most.” -Unknown
Geez. How congruent is that still for me today?! And for YOU?
It is wild and powerful how time soars by. In my reflection and retrospect this am I thought of a few things: 
- Who? Who has touched my life along the way? And to whom have I had the honor to do the same?
- What? WHAT did I experience and push through? What pushed me?
- Why? DON’T ASK!! 😉 Reflect and possibly ponder, but some things we may not understand…don’t force it, right?
It has been terribly uncomfortable for me to not write on a weekly basis on Still Playin’ With It. As those of you whom have stayed with me on this revolutionary journey of becoming a “writer” you all know that I was diligent and spot on with regards to my goal of writing one blog per week for a year. Well, I did it! And I am proud, yes! Since then, with life’s hiccups, new adventures, and new opportunities, I have chosen to not force the flow like I wrote last week in I believe IT is coming:
“As I have contemplated, searched for, and judged myself for not writing the past 6 weeks, today I remember why:
YOU CAN’T FORCE THE FLOW!
I want it to be my inner most creation built on the precipice of movement. Not crammed within the lines of expectations.”
(As you can tell, it is REAL altercation in my homeostasis to not write weekly and sit in the presence of this choice WITHOUT judgement!) Good lord that was such a “therapist-y” thing to write! AND I LOVE IT PEOPLE!
As well, I think all these experiences and lessons I am learning are part of the perfection of Still Playin’ With IT! I mean the TITLE of my blog alone states the obvious! Aren’t We All still playin’ with something in our life trying to figure it out or attempt to stay the course?
I continue to believe with the utmost of certainty that WE are responsible for our own well being. I am living proof that if you set with intention, your goals, dreams and desires, THEY WILL COME TO BE.
This I challenge you TODAY…
WHAT WILL YOU CREATE THIS WEEK IN YOUR LIFE?
HOW WILL YOU CREATE THE SPACE TO DO SO?
WHAT MAY NEED TO BE ELIMINATED?
HOW WILL YOU CELEBRATE THE VICTORIES…EVEN THE SMALLEST OF ONES?
LASTLY, IF WE TRULY GROW THE MOST FROM THINGS THAT STRETCH US THE MOST…HOW WILL YOU TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF IN THE MIDST?
In celebration of courage, strength and commitment to myself and to YOU, Please read the blog from Bali below or simply scroll down as I pasted it in.
And remember…YOU have it all within YOU!
Until the next flow sesh…
Terimah Kasih Friends!
DCIM100GOPRO
“EITHER WRITE SOMETHING WORTH READING OR DO SOMETHING WORTH WRITING.” BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Canggu, Bali August, 2014
First and foremost terima kasih (Thank you) friends and followers for supporting this Bali adventure I just took. Thank you for asking me about my travels since I have been back in the states. Thank you for wanting to read, or hear what I learned and experienced. Thank you for connecting with me while I was gone. THANK YOU! You are the sweet soul of Still Playin With It.
I don’t believe I would be a good writer if I weren’t honest, right? As I have said numerous times, “leading at scale” or allowing yourself to be vulnerable with your audience is where change happens to everyone involved. So, with that said, I look forward to sharing with you about Bali and the adventure it was!
I arrived in Canggu, Bali tired, jet-lagged and run down with a lovely cough that had been lingering for weeks. The last season of my life has been of racing from school to residency to licensure in the midst of a divorce. So once I arrived in Bali, I didn’t know what to do with myself. That amount of freedom when your body and mind aren’t used to it can feel simply nauseating. After acclimating and receiving the love and support of a few amazing Aussies, I was able to relax with open eyes. (Thank you RF and AR!)
Let’s call this the winter of my trip, or at least this had some signs of winter: tired, dark and impatient. One morning, in my dark room, I said to myself,
“Rebecca Laser, get up just before sunrise and go find Echo Beach!” I had rented a scooter the day before, so I had the means. I got up, quietly grabbed my stuff out of the room and set out to find this beach everyone was chatting about. I definitely took the LONG way to find it…seems to be a theme in my life. Literally I went probably 100 times farther than I needed to go, but I FOUND IT!
As I adventured out I stumbled across the Rice Paddy fields where the sun was rising immediately over them. I stopped my scooter while visually and emotionally embracing that moment. What a beautiful introduction to my “spring.” I discovered and created my new season, my self, and my moment of season shifting. Like the equinox we just experienced yesterday, September 22, 2014, my sun rose to the top of my hemisphere, bringing a change to my season. I think the best part of this story is that I CREATED this alteration. By utilizing my natural resources and listening to the “Braveheart” in my head, I allowed this turn to occur organically. That is Echo Beach below… 
Like seasons past, so is the history of our pathway, our footprints, and our tracks. The past two years of my life have been one for the history books, my history book. This is my life and I am writing it. I reflect on the lessons that come from my history, my past, my textbook of life, and my personal bible. History, whether history of the nation we call “Home” or of another far off land, history includes brutality, peace, war, reuniting, being lost, gaining sight, destruction: self and natural, fear, bravery, pain, triumph, pleasure, growth, wages, power, debt, weddings, divorce, slaughter, birth, re-birth, murder, value, bartering, suicide, contemplation, harvesting, and FREEDOM!
When reflecting on your history and being the only TRUE scholar of your past, by definition, inquire and therefore gain knowledge through investigation. The memories, visions and interpretations of your history go through your brain like a train on tracks. Those dark winter months of your personal history drove you forward, naturally, to the next season. Being lost helps you gain sight. Courage intertwines with fear. Freedom stems from letting go of old shit. Your history, the good, the bad and the ugly are synchronizations of a perfect, absolutely perfect journey called YOUR LIFE.
The seasons result from the Earth’s axis of rotation being tilted with respect to its orbital plane. Imagine your life spinning on the axis of your history, ever rotating, moving through seasons. My world continues to spin on the axis of my history, with recognition of my present ever orbiting. I see my future as intertwined with my history making me stronger, better and more beautiful whether enjoying a sunset in Uluwatu or wrecking my scooter in Canggu.
Our muscles will grow more physically when we stretch them. Our relationships will strengthen when we stretch them through awareness, connection and vulnerability. Our minds will grow when we stretch it to encompass more knowledge, experience and put effort into learning. Our spirit lengthens when we devote our thought, prayers or meditation to our higher power, our god, and ourselves. Some of these stretches come through personal practice. Some come through the gentle guidance of a coach, trainer, mentor, friend, or partner.
What is stretching you today? Allow this life experience to strengthen you while you GROW into your next season.
stillplayinwithit 