CURLY J’S WRAP UP

Hey everyone! I know it’s been quite a while since we last blogged. Who knew transitioning into reality would have taken so long?! We thank everyone for all the questions, well-wishes, and positive vibes. Judging by all the catastrophe in the US weather-wise, we made it out safely thanks to all of YOUR thoughts. Also, you have no idea how grateful we are to hear “every morning we sat down with some coffee and read your blogs” and even those who have said our trip inspired them to make adventures of their own!

So in attempt of a wrap-up blog before I go off to help run a sleep-away summer camp – Shameless Plug: Lindley G. Cook 4-H Camp in Stokes State Forest a.k.a. the best place on earth… contact me for details – I’ve attempted to sum up my MANY thoughts about the trip and what I’ve learned. These are very general – specifics will come out in the book!

22 Lessons Learned from the 22 Year Old

1. People should really be required to go barefoot one day a week.
2. Parents will over-do what their parents didn’t do, which will make you over-do what your parent’s didn’t do. Don’t fight the give-and-take cycle, be aware of it, and make positive changes.
3. MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! Sitting for too long in life makes your blood and lifeline turn to glue. Get your juices flowing and get out there.
4. Meditation is WAY harder than expected.
5. You CAN manufacture happiness and fun. If you fake a smile or force a laugh long enough, your body and brain will happily catch up !
6. The world is a patchwork of people. The same country can have 100 different cultures, accents, landscapes, and still be strangers to each other. Bridge the gap in any way you can.
7. Sometimes you have to agree to disagree.
8. Wear the same clothes for a week, it’s refreshing to not give a damn!
9. BE WEIRD. BE YOU. 9/10 times it’ll put a smile on someone’s face.
10. Small talk can go a long way.
11. Test your limits. Endurance of the heart is an admirable way to train.
12. SOAK UP YOUR SURROUNDINGS. Who knows when that exact moment will ever exist again? With the same people? With your same self?
13. Fighting is natural. Learn your fighting style and your partner’s or parent’s. If their style is incompatible with yours make an escape plan.
14. Don’t judge a soul by its wrappings.
15. Despite all the ugliness, we do live in a beautiful world.
16. Sometimes there’s nothing a good beer can’t fix.
17. PEOPLE NEED TO HUG MORE.
18. Family is such a loose term. Spread the love.
19. Every single person on this planet is just trying their best. Even if their “best” isn’t to your standards. Attempt compassion when it is hardest.
20. Practice what you preach.
21. Learn how to feel small. Giant animals, mountains, storms, stars, landscapes remind us to stay humble.
22. Tall, fat, short, skinny, black, white, rich, poor – there’s beauty in all walks of life. Find it.

Of course there was SO MUCH MORE LEARNED and experienced on this trip. That’s why we’re taking a year to write our book! Although we won’t be able to greet you with a blog every morning with your coffee, we will do our very best at keeping you updated with the Curly Girl’s book. We’re hoping to promote better mother-daughter relationships and share our past stories and how they tangled up and wound up popping up on our trip. I am so thankful for my mother who is incredibly strong and beyond inspirational. I could go on and on and on about how fabulous she is – but hey, we have a whole book to write. Stay tuned and thank you so much for all of your support!

Love,

Curly J

PS. It’s Mama’s birthday tomorrow 🙂

TAKING THE PLUNGE

As a swim instructor I have witnessed, quite literally, kids take their first plunge. Some trip happily headfirst, and some need to be dunked. And once they resurface and wipe their eyes, their expressions can range from looking at me as if I’ve found the never-ending golden fountain of all fun… or I’m the devil himself thwarting their 5 year-old plans of dryness and dinner without vegetables.

Some fall into the water gracefully, others plop loudly, some want more, some cry, some laugh. Despite all of this (unless you’re one of those sexy professional divers you see on the Olympics) taking the plunge is usually, ungraceful, sudden, and with a messy splash.

It’s about taking a risk. And usually it all ends up being okay. Your instinct of shutting your mouth and holding your breath kicks in and you make out of it maybe coughing up a little bit. (For the record, Julia does not just chuck kids into the water and hope for the best!!)

One of my favorite tricks when dunking a stubborn chickadee in the water, is as soon as they come up out of the water, wide-eyed and angry at you, tearing a bit – you quickly ask them “What’s your favorite dinosaur? How old are you? What’s your favorite color?” And in a magical swoop their mood switches from fearful shock to lively babbling of themselves. They thrive in the familiarity. And a confidence. They just did it. They just went under water.

We all need to remind ourselves what our favorite dinosaur is when something scary happens (and that would not be Barney just for the record). When we unknowingly trip headfirst into something and have to swim to the surface, we should take the risk of positivity. Most of the times, it’s all going to be okay!

Going on this trip me and my momma will be taking a bunch of plunges. Sure we have a map and plans and hours and stops – but anything can happen! And it’s up to US to view that as a GOOD THING (Wheeeee!!!!! I am ready!!!).

My momma and I both started young with straight hair. She thinks maybe we’ve been whacky and risky enough throughout our lives to have gained our curls. (Not saying those fabulous straight-haired people don’t take risks – it’s just a theory!!)

Life has risks. Take the plunge. Make the swim.
Life gets hairy. Take the cut or grow it out.

You decide!

Keep it Curly & Again THANK YOU for all who have donated and followed!

Peace,

Curly Daughter

PERSPECTIVE – KEEPING IT POSITIVE

Looking back on it, yes, I looked like the hairdresser drunkenly snipped off my bangs around a bowl. The bright side: I got to ride a sweet horse. Thanks Mom.

We’re hoping to gain some perspective on this trip. Resourcefulness. A positive half-glass-full attitude.

Not that my mother already doesn’t overwhelmingly have that. She’s the type of person that if she were to be homeless out on the street with no toes and rats as her friends, she’d be complimenting the view she had. And we will in no doubt need it when our car gets a flat in bumblenowhere Idaho country, where we will be surrounded by 4,000 miles of flat nothingness, poor cellphone connection, and hungry dingos. Are dingos out there? (What do dingos look like?) Who knows what’s out there. (What is even IN Idaho?!?)

One thing I’ve learned for sure from my mother is the power of positivity. That if she can wake up at 5am singing a terrible show-tuned version of “Bringing Sexy Back” all while making coffee and a spinach omelet before she teaches 3 back to back workout classes – there is always a brightside. Or she’s just one of the nutty morning mammals you read about in National Geographic.

It’s all about angles and perspective. This past semester I’ve had more downtime than what I’m used to, dangling over the edge of unemployment and permanent nanny. But it’s for the best – since I need no attachments for this exciting upcoming trip. And the hardest thing I’ve had to do was remind myself of the positivity that I even get to GO on a trip like this. The amount of “what-am-I-doing-with-my-life” meltdowns I have could be a full-time job. And trust me, it isn’t worth the time. I know what I’m doing in the next 3 months. Let’s keep it at that.

Our generation is constantly battered with structured curriculum and statistics of unemployment and salaries and “when I was your age I was living the life” crap. And I’m lucky to have a mother that lives in lala-land 12 months out of the year. It ironically keeps me grounded.

So positivity and perspective are definitely going to be main themes of this trip. Who knows? Maybe I’ll land a record deal in Nashville, or discover my love for alligators in Texas, or decide to live off the grid in slab city, CA and get those dreadlocks I’ve always been toying with – or just go crazy and shave my head midway through the trip in an identity crisis! See? The possibilities are endless.

Are you ready for a shameless segue?

It’s really corny.

And really shameless.

You sure you’re ready?

Here we go:

It’s how you angle things, how you look through the lens of life and apply lessons learned.

BOOM!

And there’s more shame:

We would love to look through a nice lens for this trip in order to record it properly as material for our book. Click HERE to help us with our small goal of getting a proper camera for our trip! We’re looking at a refurbished Canon T5 Rebel. Make a small donation – and we’ll send you a nifty postcard from the state of your choosing!

If you want to spread the words to others the link is: http://www.gofundme.com/nuuux0

It is also in our “Help Us!” section.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you for reading if you’ve still gotten to this point.

Have any questions? Email us at curlygirlsadventures@gmail.com

Spread the word, keep it positive, and keep it curly.