My address: The WORLD. I’m free. Dedicated to Mike Grefner

“Where are you from?” I’m often asked.

“I’m from, the world.” - and I swear I'm not being a smart ass!

This question always takes me off guard because I have been living out of a back pack for what seems like eternity, 16 months to be exact. And, for the first time in my life I truly feel free.

Having grown 10 years of solid roots in the mountains of Whistler Canada gave me a pretty solid foundation to launch from. Taking that first leap toward your dreams is the scariest but the adrenaline rush will keep you going till you reach the next dream launch pad. You see, I no longer have a physical home in Whistler so the question, “Where are you from?” causes some confusion in my own mind when trying to find an answer the person asking will understand. Although I did not grow up in Whistler, Whistler will always hold a piece of my heart and spirit. But my spirit is free and my body is just a vessel and one day I will only "be" just spirit.

Most people have the same reaction to this answer,  “I’m from, the world.” More often than not I get a very disappointed look, similar to the one your teacher in school used to give when you gave a wrong answer. Oh, you know the one. One eye brow up, death-stare-kind-of-gaze meaning, wrong answer, try again! Yes, I was often rightly accused as being a smart ass in school but this answer comes purely from the heart.

So really, what are you asking me?  Where was I born? (In a hospital) Where did I grow up? (Montana) Where do I feel most free? (Anywhere I can do what I love to do) Where do I call home? (The world and where ever I feel welcome. Home is where the heart is) Where do I pay taxes? (Canada and the USA) Where did I go to College? (California) What country do I hold a passport from? (USA & a Canadian PR Card) Do you own a home? (Yes, Nicaragua, I store a few of my “things” here). So really, it’s not an easy question for me to answer, wouldn’t you agree?

You see, I’m free.

Free from the corporate chains I was once bound to needing this type of security to pay my mortgage, drive a BMW and wear all the fancy new clothing collections each season. Once upon a time I needed this security so I could drink expensive wine and dine at all the finest establishments, you see, I truly do love the finer things. But my idea of “the finer things” has changed. For me, freedom FROM is the finest thing!

I would work hard all year to take that well-deserved vacation. I was one of the few professionals in this mountain town working 8-5 Monday through Friday. I was jealous and judging the ski and snowboard bums who were living off Unemployment Insurance and going out to hear a popular local DJ such as Mike Grefner VS Zero on a Wednesday, school night for me. They were “living their dreams.” Not me, I couldn’t ride fresh tracks all week-long, I had responsibilities and bills to pay of course, under my father’s mindful watch hundreds of miles away needing to find that security of acceptance by following in his footsteps.

Here I was a weekend warrior in my own mountain town. Not free from anything. Only bound to a paycheck. Taking in as much nature as I could when time permitted to feel free. It’s expensive to live in a world-class resort. I would climb the highest peaks to get a glimpse of what an Eagle might feel from high above and I would wonder, what would it feel like to be free? I would race downhill on any object such as skis, a snowboard, a mountain bike or my own two feet, letting gravity take me and enjoying the short ride while it lasted. Hoping Sunday would last forever and Monday would never come. Not because I don’t like to work but because I didn’t enjoy the work I was doing. It was not my “dream job.” At this time of my life I did not have the understanding of Santosha. Santosha is “being content with what we have” at the present time, not wanting more and appreciating what is. In the words of my friend Mike Grefner, these things - the job, the car, the mortgage, the clothes. the gear were only “a burden of security that suffocates my freedom."

Now I have traded this kind of security for freedom. Freedom from. I have released myself and have found freedom in just being. I find myself having a hard time making plans these days. I like to wake up in the morning and go with the flow. I have the best boss I’ve ever had, ME! I like to see how I feel that day and see where the wind will take me. I go with the flow and when an obstacle arrises, I realize it is just me tripping myself up.

The other day I was snowboarding with the boys and I rarely ask for directions but we were in gladed trees in an area on the mountain that was unfamiliar to me. “Which way?” I asked.  My friend laughingly replied, “Just go, let gravity take you.”

Yes, “just GO, let gravity take you.” Go with the flow of your own true nature inside of your soul and from this freedom will come.  Don’t worry about what your parents and friends will say. It is when we fight with what our hearts truly want and desire that we become discontented. I’m trying to show people how it is done, that’s what inspires. Just trying to tell people how it is done, only tires. Our knowledge of the innate Oneness of everything, all living things, all beings,  gives us the ability to set ourselves free because nothing can be set outside of you. It’s all in me. It’s all in you. Freedom comes from within.

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman. A quote Mike Grefner shared with me.

We can only benefit from the innate oneness by being true to our own nature, souls, dreams, values and beliefs.

So next time you ask me, Where are you from? My answer will be...

My address is: The WORLD. I’m free. Free to be.

Dedicated to my friend Mike Grefner. Where ever you are Mike, you are free. Wherever you are, you are supposed to be. Your spirit is everywhere. This is your life, your choice to continue down your path. One love. One-ness is what you taught me. Wherever you go, we are all there with you in the innate oneness of being. ♥ "It is a shame when people make an acceptation to the oneness." -Come back soon so we can have a “mesh sesh!”

Mike thank you for introducing me to unASLEEP. "Do you believe in the innate oneness of all things, or do you still need to distance yourself from portions of it because you are unhappy with an outcome? " - unASLEEP

Mike Grefner is still missing as of 25 January 2012.http://findmikegrefner.ca

Freedom. What are you seeking?