Hello my fellow travelers and adventure seekers!
It's giveaway time!
I've collected post cards and stickers from all sorts of places in the U.S.A. and other countries over the years and I want to share some with you! The first 10 people to comment on this post with their instagram handle will get a free post card and sticker of places I think you should visit!
I will message you on instagram to get your mailing address.
Ready... Set... Comment!
Desert
The desert is my sanctuary
The sun gazes upon the vast & empty land
Towering mountains guard my heart & protect my soul
Coyotes howl their songs to the moon
Rain becomes a roaring symphony
Ancestors voices echo in the canyons
Water is a miracle amidst the sand
Feel her heartbeat in the untamed winds
Sunsets paint a kaleidoscope of colors.
Hallucinating visions dance in the distance
Wildflowers sway in harmony
The desert is my sanctuary
- Written by Taylor Hughes
~ A small collection of my photos I've taken in the desert ~
Being that today is Easter, I feel compelled to share a story that happened to me while traveling abroad this past month. Most of you that are close with me know that our Italy & Spain trip came to a quick stop at Paris on our layover to Venice, Italy. I will save that story for another time.
The following story is what I experienced while my husband was being detained with the French Police.
It was around 9pm on March 16th, 2024 in the Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. I was sitting on the white and gray marbled floor. I was hanging up the phone from the many phone calls I made with airlines and family updating them what was going on with Kyle and I. I took a deep breath and decided to close my eyes for a moment.
After barely closing my eyes, I remember this soft, sweet & feminine voice ask me if I wanted to sit next to her. I opened my eyes to a young Chinese woman who looked slightly older than me. She was seated right in front of me near the charging station that my phone was plugged into. I hadn’t paid much attention to her before this. I had just gotten off the phone with my mom and she was telling me to be careful with all of the homeless people in the airport around me and to protect my valuables. I told her how homeless were starting to pour in the airport and that I had already had a few approach me for money and food.
Of course I was hesitant at first, but decided that sitting next to a stranger on a bench wasn’t so out of the ordinary and was more comfortable than the hard and cold floor. There were hardly any chairs in the airport and so I took her up on the offer. I was going to need something comfortable to sleep on after the day I had. As I walked over to the chair, she asked me if I had seen a specific Chinese show from what I could understand. There was an obvious language barrier between us. I told her no I hadn't heard of it.
I came to find out later that the show is called Shenyun. She had written it down for me on a piece of paper. I immediately remembered an advertisement that I saw come through my job at for a Chinese show in Las Vegas with the same title. Wow!
Once I was seated, she told me how talking on the phone is not good for me and it’s unhealthy. The last thing I wanted was to be criticized after the day I had been through already, but I stayed silent and nodded. I didn’t feel like explaining my situation since we were having a hard time communicating to begin with. In that moment, I honestly just wanted to have some peace and not speak to anyone for a while. I had been on the phone all night. I was so frustrated and sleep deprived.
She then took out a pretty bright blue book and asked if I had ever heard of Dafa. I said I hadn't, but I told her I do like to read. She showed me a photo of the author inside of the book and gestured for me to read the book. I had honestly never seen or heard of the title before nor did I know what genre I was even getting myself into. I looked at the book cover and it said Zhuan Falun. I did not see the word “Dafa” that she mentioned anywhere. I smiled and accepted the book. Little did I know, this book would be my guiding light for the next hour to help relax and distract my mind.
I was mind blown by the words on the page. My mouth must have been wide open. Reading those words made my heart race even more than it was earlier from stress, but in a good way. This book was a sign from the Universe.
This was clearly a spiritual book and referenced Buddha and “The Way” which reminded me of Enlightenment and things I’ve read regarding Buddhism before. One passage that stood out to me was saying that this specific book had landed in my lap for a reason. What I got from the 40 pages I read is that the Universe is testing me and this information will bring me clarity. I got chills.
I found myself telling her how good the book was every couple of pages I turned. She smiled. I asked the her what book she was reading because she had the most beautiful bright yellow book I'd ever seen. It happened to be the same book with beautiful Chinese letters on the cover. She was three quarters of the way done with it.
I was intrigued and asked her how many times she has read it herself. She said, "Many. I learn new things that I miss before." I also couldn’t take my eye off of her bookmark that was on her current page. It was very pretty and had shades of yellow with what looked like an image of a Chakra and Buddha. She was showing me how beautiful it was and said it’s the “Third Eye Chakra”. I have always loved studying and learning about how Chakras work in the body. Despite the language barrier, I was thrilled to connect on something with her.
I told her once again how great this book was and that I really needed to hear those messages in that moment because it had been a very rough day for me. She smiled and told me to keep the book. I was astonished at her offer because this book seemed like a huge secret that everyone on Earth should read. It is sacred.
Why would she want to share this with me? Why did she decide to be nice to me? I asked if she was sure and she said, "Yes. As long as you promise to protect it with your whole heart" (she warmly hugged the book with a smile). I said, "I promise" and hugged the book to my chest. I read a few more pages before taking a bathroom break. I left the book on my chair and took my other belongings with me. I told her that I'd return in a few minutes.
I needed to think and process what was going on. My stomach was in knots from worrying all day. Why did this woman decide to be kind to me of all people? There were plenty of other people sleeping and sitting on the ground at the airpot.
I started walking back and she was still there along with my new book. I noticed that she had quite a few belongings with her. I wondered how she was going to fit all of her things on a flight. She definitely seemed overpacked. I wondered if she even had a flight booked or maybe she was homeless and wanted a quiet night in an airport to read? I had no idea. She had one of those black grocery carts with two wheels and a handle. She had several other bags which looked to contain sleeping arrangements and food.
I settled back in my chair and started reading again. After a while, I reached in my bag for a chocolate chip cookie I had purchased earlier. I love sweets, but this cookie was almost too rich in taste. It was the only thing I had since everything in the airport was closed for the night. I put the rest of the cookie back in my bag. Shortly after, the Chinese woman turned to me and said, “That kind of food is unhealthy for you.” I replied, “I know it is, it's all I have. I've had a rough day." She smiled with compassion. I wished that she could have just read my mind. She also took notice of my forward posture bending over to read and told me, "The lotus position is good for posture." I nodded and went back to reading trying to sit up as straight as I could.
I studied her outfit out of the corner of my eye. She had white and purple sneakers which looked like they were several years old. I think she was wearing a skirt. She had on a pink cashmere textured turtleneck sweater and she had a turquoise sweater underneath that. I remember thinking how soft the pink sweater looked and that I wished I was wearing one because it was cold in the airport.
After a few more pages, I told her that I was going to sleep on the ground behind the chairs and thanked her again for the book. She was so kind and offered me a pillow and a large blanket she had with her. I told her I was fine. I put on my thick coat and used my neck pillow to rest my head. I figured she would need her things to go to sleep herself at some point anyway.
I set an alarm to wake up in an hour. It was 2 am at this point. I wrapped my backpack facing towards me with straps around my arms and wrists so tight that nobody could rob me easily. I woke up to a phone call from Kyle, thank goodness. I hadn't heard his voice in what seemed like days.
I got up and moved to answer the call to not disturb others who were sleeping around me. I was pacing back and forth near an elevator where I could still see my belongings while talking with Kyle. My Chinese friend was now sitting in the lotus position on the floor reading Zhuan Falun next to her belongings. She left her seat empty. I honestly don’t think she ever closed her eyes that night. I thought she had to be tired like the rest of us, right? She seemed so at peace and content. I was jealous.
Out of the corner of my eye I see her get up and place a handmade lotus flower bookmark inside of my new book. I thought it was very unique and so kind that she had made that for me. I got off of the phone with Kyle and decided it was okay to get more sleep for a bit since I had to wait to talk to Delta Airlines at 6am to arrange flights for us back home to the states.
I woke up a little later to Kyle calling once again to tell me he was being transported back to the airport soon from the hostel. I got up, thanked my new friend for the book and keeping me company. I’m not sure if she couldn’t understand what I was saying or if she was sad, but I was confused by the expression on her face. She seemed sad that I was leaving which made me feel sad on the inside too. I said thank you again, smiled and walked towards the Delta Airlines desk. I never saw her again. Sadly, I don't think we never even exchanged names.
Now that I'm home in the states, I've had some time to reflect and think about all of this. I am looking forward to finishing this book. It really helped get me through the night and take my mind off of the situation that had been unfolding. I couldn’t wait to tell Kyle and my family that it felt like an angel was sent down to protect me and keep me company for a while. I will never know if she had a flight that next morning or not, but meeting her forever changed my life and my perspective.
I hope this story inspires you and restores your faith in not just humanity, but in God and the Universe too.
Hello and welcome to A Redhead's Life!
It's been a while since I've been on here, but I wanted to start up my blog again to inspire others!
This blog will contain things about travel, nature, stories & poetry I've written, photography, books, music...etc.
Looking out into the ocean, there is a huge rock called Morro Rock. It is a volcanic rock that stands 600 feet tall and towers over the city. It is considered a sacred place to the Chumash & Salinan Indigenous people. I can see why! Morro Bay is known for its incredible sunsets too!
I had visited Morro Bay as a kid and I always wanted to go back. Check out these gorgeous photos we captured!
Big Sur
We ventured further up the coast and drove Highway 1 to see Big Sur and McWay Falls! If you take this drive, I highly recommend stopping at Nepenthe to grab a bite to eat and soak up some amazing views! We also stopped at Pfeiffer State Park which contains Redwoods along the coast!
The famous Brixby Bridge completed in 1932!
Hello my fellow travelers and adventure seekers! It's giveaway time! I've collected post cards and stickers from all ...
