Gypsy Soul

I was born into a middle class midwestern family. My dad was a cop and my mom was a nurse. They both lived all of their lives in the city where they were born. They even went to the same highschool.

I am definitely the blacksheep of my family. I never felt like I belonged where we lived and I wasn't content to live in a fifty mile radius of that midwestern town for the rest of my life. I developed the urge to travel, learn about different people and feel warm sand under my toes. I loved reggae music.

Where did this come from? I wonder if an ancestor way down low in my family tree had a gypsy soul, wanderlust, a taste for the tropics and a feeling of belonging to history and ancient cities.

I just don't understand how my DNA created who I am. Nature or nurture? I say neither. I have no point in my life where my eyes were opened by someone who crossed my path. I just always knew at some level that I didn't belong where I landed. I have had a strong affinity with the underdog and minorities. I am often mistaken for someone I am not - a different race or a different nationality. This makes me wonder if the stork took a wrong turn.

When I travel to Jamaica, Italy, Greece, and Mexico - I always feel most at home. I am in tune with the land and the people. The rhythm and spirit welcome me and quiet my soul. I still feel like a gypsy, but a gypsy who has found a safe haven. There are others places I have traveled, too, but none that ground me like Jamaica, Italy, Greece, and Mexico. Oh, and for those of you who think the only reason to go to Jamaica is to smoke ganja, you are ignorant. The first time I planned a trip to Jamaica, one of my friends actually wondered why I was going there since I didn't smoke weed. No, I don't keep in touch with that one.

God gave me the gift of a gypsy soul. I have a problem staying in one job or one place for too long. I always seem to search for something, without knowing what it is. I like the move, the change, the new surroundings. I also like leaving the past behind. Once I cross a bridge, it is very rarley that I look back or turn around. But, life deals funny blows and sometimes you do need to backtrack for sanity's sake.

I had my fortune told once. I was told that in a past life I was Japanese and of royal descent. (Everyone is of royal descent when they get their fortune told, right? No one ever is told that they shoveled shit for the rich guy or were homeless and without love and purpose.) This Japenese thing struck me as very odd, I just don't see it. When I lived in Asia, Japan was never a place that drew me in or even interested me. I have been through Narita airport, but that is it. So, you can see how much relevance I put on the fortune. I do believe some people have the talent to help you find your destiny or read your past, but I did not pay one of those people that day.

I often think that maybe I will move to New Orleans and tell fortunes in the square at night. I'll bet they make a lot of money during Mardi Gras. And I would be so close to Cafe du Monde.....

Anyway, below is a scene from my travels, one of my favorite pictures in one of my favorite places. This was taken at Uxmal in the Yucatan. I crawled out on a ledge and had a sit. I crawled all over those Mayan pyramids in skirts. So funny to think of it now. If anyone is actually reading this blog, do yourself a favor and click on the pic to enlarge it. It is pretty cool.