It's been  a while.

My laptop and I have been on the other side of the world in a remote land of mystery, stunning alpine peaks, and remarkably poor internet connections.

After spending most of the summer working in Thailand, I was pleased to accept a position living and working in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, alongside my hubby-to-be. We spent three and a half months of what was intended to be two years.

Many have asked about the experience abroad since our return; and how interesting it has been to truly let the contrast of different cultures sink in. 

In a sense, it all comes down to the eyes through which each of us view the life we are given, for wherever we go, at the end of every road, we meet ourselves.   So looking back on such an eye-opening journey, I find myself asking a deeper question, past an individual story of such travels; what did I truly see abroad, with eyes shattered of lifelong beliefs I had so unquestionably accepted? 

I am halfway through teaching a two-week course on facilitating physiological detoxification. I am humbly teaching a small group of incredible health professionals who will be acting in the future as Health and Wellness Consultants, who may then instruct many people in the benefits of assisting our body's ability to detoxify.

Detoxification is not something I have a history of caring much about. In the past, I've seen it mainly as a gimmick to sell outrageously harsh "alternative treatments," herbal products, and supplements of questionable quality.

But over time, I have had a chance to see the physiology I have spent endless classroom hours studying as it functions in the real world. And now I understand the impacts of a toxic burden.

Many have asked about the experience abroad since our return; and how interesting it has been to truly let the contrast of different cultures sink in.  In a sense, it all comes down to the eyes through which each of us view the life we are given, for where ever we go, at the end of every road, we meet ourselves.  

So looking back on such an eye opening journey, I find myself asking a deeper question, past an individual story of such travels; what did I truly see abroad, with eyes shattered of lifelong beliefs I had so unquestionably accepted?  And how has coming back to the states helped bring such experiences into a stronger contrast?   I speak of this contrast not as better or worse...them vs us.  Not a division, but a potential of new perspective on our own lives and dreams.

I was in Bangkok a few days back and had a little extra time to spend. I was planning on meeting a friend for lunch, so wanted to avoid doing my usual favorite Bangkok activity: eating.

Instead, I took the BTS train in to Siam Square and went to the “fancy pants mall” (my nickname), also known as Siam Paragon. Inside Paragon is a large bookstore with a generously-sized English language section. I rarely go to a bookstore without a specific book in mind, so it’s a treat to decide to let myself buy something I have no need for….or didn’t know I needed.

Now I have sitting in my lap the 470 page collection of essays, “Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril.”

I'm often asked for advice on difficult, grey areas of medicine. Should I use sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, or will it cause a deficiency in Vitamin D? Is it worth it to eat fish for the good fats if they also have heavy metals? Should I have my children vaccinated?

One of my clients here in Thailand recently woke in the middle of the night feeling very hot and achey all over her body. In the early morning, she had her temperature taken, and it was over 39 degrees (103 Fahrenheit). With time it was discovered she had caught Dengue fever from a mosquito bite here locally.

'm breaking the silence. No blog posts for two weeks...maybe a little longer. Why the delay? I've been a little busy. Getting engaged, visiting friends, packing the belongings, and traveling across the Pacific.

I mostly work in Thailand, but it's not where I spend all of my time. I travel a lot and am often following new opportunities around the globe. Sometimes when I am asked where my home is, I hesitate.

The past few months have kept me busy at work traveling through the country of Bhutan, training some of the most beautiful and sincere people I have ever met, and though I was in the position of spa trainer, they taught me just as much if not more.  Working with them each day brought new openness to compassion, love and honesty, calling as a silent whisper of what is ever true within. The days were cold in the high Himalayas, but the beauty of such a place can not be put into words.  The best expression I could manage was in this poem ~

The smell of drying laundry...Chai-Vanilla infusion in the air...lemon pine polished surfaces.

So fresh and so clean!! I love fresh scents as much as the next person with a working nose. But I have never been able to take it for granted that something that makes a nice smell is perhaps still SOMETHING. And if it is something, where does it go?

I just returned from a camping trip with some of my best friends and their adorable children.

I make it a point to regularly challenge myself to experience pieces of life as though I were a young child.

Everything is amazing!
Everything is new!
Everything can be fun!
Everything is important!