What an incredible New Year it’s been! I know everyone says, “new year, new me,” but it had never resonated with me. This year I feel different though, as if a new me has been born. I had a rough Christmas. It seemed like everything that could go wrong did, and I felt lost, lonely, and unsure of what path to take next.
The start of my turn-around began New Year’s Eve. I went to an event in Ithaca; I was feeling blue, but felt like I needed to go. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by my friend Rigel. She and her partner Daveed were headed up to get their faces painted in black light paint. She invited me to join them. It was the perfect way to start the party, with a neon mask on my face. It set the tone for the night.
The event turned into a giant dance party. Everyone jumped and spun as the music ricocheted off the walls around us, vibrating every inch of our beings. As the clock ticked closer to midnight, we all continued dancing. We counted down the new year on the dance floor, not slowing down for a second. We joined in screams of “Happy New Year” as we continued to jump and dance around.
The event continued the next day, and although I was having a good time, all my worries weighed on me. I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread, so I headed outside, thinking I might leave. As I did, my friend, Joy, and my new friend, Tommy, were also leaving. They said they were heading into Ithaca to explore, and invited me to join them. I decided to leave the event, and am so glad I did. We explored little shops and ended up at a restaurant where we shared appetizers and drinks. We talked about our lives and our worries, and I felt my dread starting to lift.
The three of us got a hotel room that night. When I awoke the next morning, Joy and Tommy were already up, and I was surprised to see they were crocheting. I joined them as Tommy taught Joy and I how to crochet. As we worked with our hands, we talked more about life and relationship problems. It felt like leaving the busy event and going along with them on this peaceful and soothing escape was everything my soul had needed. My worries began melting away as I sat there crocheting with them. I made my first piece, a coaster, and was very proud of myself. It was something small, but it felt amazing to create again. I spent another day and night with Joy and Tommy before heading back on my journey.
I had planned to head back south to the warmth, but a large part of me felt that I needed to ground myself first. At this point I had been on the go for five and a half months, constantly moving from state to state. I’d had amazing experiences, but at the same time, it left me feeling discombobulated. I wanted a place where I could stay put for just a month. A friend I had met on my travels named Ashley popped into my head. She was a beautiful, healing soul, and she lived in a house in Charlestown, Rhode Island with a few others. I called her up, asking if I could stay with her for a month. She told me she was going to Costa Rica for three weeks, but I could stay in her room while she was away. I arrived on the sixth of January, with plans to stay until February second.
Once I got there, I settled into a cozy room with Maggie. I met the other housemates, and was told that two of the guys who lived there, Freddy and Rhys, who were in a band with a few others, would be playing at a gig in a few nights. I was excited to get out, so I went to the show. Many people I knew ended up being there, multiple beautiful souls I had met on my journey. We all danced around the venue as they played their healing music up on the stage. The beautiful music swirled around me as I spun around the dance floor, filling up with love.
The next day quite a few people who had been at the venue ended up coming to the house. We all had dinner together, and afterwards the house filled with music. The living room overflowed with people playing guitars, drums, maracas, and a clarinet, as we all sang along. The company and the music were the medicines I had needed to keep my outlook rising. A few people wanted to stay the night, so we had a little camp-out in the living room where we stayed up late talking and laughing.
I had been told the ocean was close-by, and since it was one of my favorite places, of course I wanted to go. I got a small group together and we all went to Moonstone Beach. It's a lovely beach where the entire oceanfront is spattered with beautifully colored rocks. As I walked along with everyone, I picked up every pretty rock I saw, placing them in my pockets. It wasn’t long before my jacket was overflowing with beautiful treasures. As we were walking back to the car, I turned to the ocean and screamed as loud as I could. Everyone there joined in; some days it just feels good to scream, a beautiful release.
I took the next few days to relax and settle in. I had gotten a wire wrapping set for Christmas and made a few necklaces and rings. I loved making them. They were simple because I was inexperienced, but it was nice to have something to use my crystals for, and I loved wearing jewelry I had created. I drew, I painted, I read, I crocheted all the things to relax my soul.
One night Nate and Tara, an amazing power couple I had met, invited me over to their house for a jam night. Once a week they invite people over to play music together. I informed them that I couldn’t play any instruments, but they said it was fine, and they always welcomed beginners. When I arrived, everyone was in the basement already playing. There was a guitar, a few different types of drums, a clarinet, and my favorite was an electric violin. Everyone played and sang. I jumped on the drums a few times. I was nervous at first, but felt comfortable very quickly as everyone jammed together.
Towards the end of the night, the twelve of us all gathered in a room off to the side that they called the Zen Room. At the end of the room was a set of rainbow singing bowls. I sat in the middle of seven bowls and started playing. With singing bowls, you take a rubber stick and tap it on the side, then you place the stick on the bowl and spin it around the outside, and as you do, it makes a beautiful, reverberating sound. Others joined in on chimes and a rainmaker. It felt magical in the room as the music swirled around us. Everyone jammed out as one girl sang. I was so grateful to be a part of it all.
While in Rhode Island I spent a lot of time outdoors. Maggie and I went to multiple beaches and hiking trails. It was cold but that didn’t stop us, we just bundled up. I went back to moonstone a few times, collecting as many rocks as I could each time. My car is really starting to fill up with rocks, but I can never leave a good rock behind.
As I spent more time in Rhode Island, I started to make more friends from the area. One new friend I met named Andrew offered to take me out and show me around. The first place he showed me was this amazing rock climbing gym. I absolutely love rock climbing, and hadn’t gone in a while so I was quite excited. It's one of the few times I feel like I can push myself while working out to the point where my body feels like it’s going to give out. We spent a few hours climbing and challenging each other to different courses. Afterwards we ordered pizza that we took to the beach to eat, where there was a lighthouse by the edge of the water. When the light shined across everything, it surprised me. Near where I’m from on Lake Ontario, there’s a lighthouse, but it's old and no longer in commission. This was the first time I’d ever seen one in action. I was so amazed by it that Andrew took me to another light house on the other side of the bay.
We met up again a few days later. After going out for breakfast, Andrew drove us to a hiking spot called Rome Point. We walked down a dirt trail that led through the woods, and at the end it opened up onto a rock beach. We walked down the beach for a while, then back into the woodland that ran the entire length of the beach. I loved this part. It was just a small strip of woods on a peninsula with a trail right through the center. On each side of the trees there was a beach. I've never been to a place quite like it, surrounded completely by both woods and water. We walked down to the very end of the trail and sat on a wooden bench, talking and looking out at Narragansett Bay. Next to the bench, I found a large shell, the kind you put up to your ear so you can hear the ocean. I've found them in pieces before, but never one fully intact. Before heading back, Andrew gave me a necklace that was made from bone. He said it was to remember my time in Rhode Island. It was the perfect token to commemorate my time there.
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