In 10 years, what kind of stories do you want to share?

You’re in high school. You think “I can’t travel. My family say’s they’ll miss me too much. My friends say they need me everyday. What if I miss out on something? I don’t have enough money. I’m not capable of exploration.”

STOP.

Choose to think differently. Choose to accept this…..  You’re family will always love you. You’re friends will continue to live once you’re gone. The experience you gain will positively change your life forever. You can make money and find resources. YOU are capable.

If you want to know the endless possibilities that are open to you, here are just a few:
EDventure International
EDventure International aims to inspire individuals by teaching them leadership skills which are developed and enhanced through direct engagement with volunteer projects overseas.

S.T.E.P Into The World
STEP Into The World is an educational and exchange organization that uniquely provides innovative short-term educational abroad programs.
Our mission: “To empower leaders, promote cross-cultural understanding, and develop global ambassadors.”

ISV (International Student Volunteers)
ISV’s Mission and Purpose is “To support sustainable development initiatives around the world through life-changing volunteer and responsible adventure travel programs that educate, inspire and result in more active global citizens.”

National Geographic Student Expeditions
We invite the next generation of explorers to get out in the field and follow in the footsteps of National Geographic’s photographers, writers, and scientists. You might hike into the Grand Canyon to find traces of its ancient inhabitants, study the behavior of giant tortoises in the Galápagos, or settle into a village in Cambodia and help out with a community project.
It takes just a little digging to find that there is wonder—big and small—all around the world. Come discover it with us.

CIEE
CIEE is a non-profit, non-governmental organization. Our mission is one shared by many in international education: “to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.” To fulfill that mission, CIEE provides both outbound international education experiences for university students, faculty, and administrators, and study, work, and internship opportunities for people coming into the U.S.

Ever feel that life is NOW. HERE. READY – TO – BE – LIVED!

GO. EXPLORE. MORE.

Putting the finishing touches on my presentation now.

Wondering why do birds need cone shaped feather heads?

Would you rather have your hair be feathered like this guys, forever, or have his beak as your nose?

Serious question, ehh!

Unisex Adult Fantasticness

Unisex Small Head or Child

Email me for my address — hailee.rustad@gmail.com

Photo credits:  Photo © Ryan Day Thompson, 2012 | www.ryandaythompson.com

He spoke candidly to the two of us, youngsters in his eyes.  Told us stories about his 20 years playing polo and the horses he tried to train.  He spoke of his time in New Orleans at Tulane.  He asked us why we do what we do.   And then upon our responses he smiled “we grew up in different times!”

How true!  We appreciate each other equally, gaining so much from the conversation.  His wisdom, our life energy.  Upon being asked about his public speaking experiences, he talking about how we live in different times.  His life options:  stay in school or go to Vietnam.  But he eventually did both!  Then he smiled:  ”we’re just living Hailee, we’re living!  Either you live it in the front end of life (meaning during your youth) or you try to catch up in the back end and that’s what I’m doing.  I just don’t have the body I use to.  These old knees hurt too much.”

“Either way you do it, you only live once, and we don’t know how long that’ll be.  Usually, it’s shorter than we want.”

Ninety nine percent of my life is lived happily.  Today, I’m experiencing a rare case of the 1%.  That 1% includes the most grueling heart ache I’ve ever endured.  My emotions boil of sadness, loss, hurt, anger, rage, brokenness and questioning.  All mixed in this fog of ‘why?’

A week ago, I became single again.

When I was nine I had a lesson in communication that no nine year old should ever have to live through.  Divorce happens to every other person now.  That’s life, so nine year olds live through it.  Because of that lesson so early in life, I became who I am today…and proud of that, too.  Through life, I’ve tried my hardest to make communication a priority, a strong point, something to recognize and nurture.  Relationships/friendships take work.  And I’ll give my best to them.

Last week…my first time ever to endure and accept that peoples love differ from one another.  And I know this is ok.  But, dang, it’s hard to live through.  Actually, it makes me a crazy person.  What a roller-coaster of feelings.  Tears well up and drip like the icicles do in Springtime, when I let myself feel this.   Numbness will not suffice nor solve problems, so I refuse to be numb.

Someone just told me that most conflicts/arguments/disagreements are 80% mis-communication.  Think about that….if we, humans could communicate honestly what we want (really knowing what we want) we’d be able to solve 80% of the problems we usually walk away from.

Last night I called a few friends.  Asking for “positive words for 5 minutes please” because anything but happy isn’t fun.  And frankly,  I like living happily.  I am humbled by life’s challenges.  But I’m still in need.  Needing wisdom from elders, words from the wise.

Searching my soul……..How do you let go and move on without hurting so much?

Hoping to lock, in that picture, what you feel, the pure/raw emotion?

Hoping that by taking that photo, you hold yourself accountable for the future.  To make sure you either 1)repeat the situation always or 2)never put yourself in that place ever again.

I do this.  Then, I can look back on life’s biggest moments and reflect on choices made.  As life is 50% chance and 50% choice.

It is how we choose to live that defines us.

Make a choice today.  Then, capture it with a photo.

And your cherry on top, listen to this a few times, you can always find good words in the sunscreen song.

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet’s surface or crust which allows hot magma, volcanic ash and gases to escape from below the surface.  (source)

This gem is in Costa Rica and is a magical volcano.  Mostly Arenal stays mysterious and hidden within the surrounding clouds, occasionally putting timidness aside and showing face.  Nightly, magma can be seen spurting from above.