Who had the bigger smile here, the baby elephant or me?
This popped up on my feed today, taken in the Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai 7 years ago. This was right when I started to actively explore the digital nomad culture. I’d heard Chiang Mai was rivaling Bali in that respect, so I went to see it for myself. Coliving wasn’t a thing yet, and coworking was the new buzzword. The mood was fresh and excited, and youthful energy filled the air, even for the thirty, forty and fiftysomethings I met there.
They say every 7 years we are born anew; literally the cells of our body are new. We also go through seven-year cycles in our Biography, and this year I entered the new stage of 42 to 49yo.
Tbh I’m still on the fence and lingering in my Sun stage, which was home to me for the past 21 years, equivalent to three full cycles: 21-28, 28-35 and 35-42yo. Each life cycle has its own energy and challenges, and the Sun agenda was to consolidate what we learned during the age of exploration, come into adulthood and fulfill our mission during the Christ years of 30 to 33 (Crucifixion year!).️
Who I am Right now:
️ I’m a startup founder implementing my lifelong dream to build a global creative community @leadiagrowth
️ Community Mom for Leadia and gathering people for the Festival this October to finally get the ball rolling
️ New expat in Turkey and learning the language
️ Soon-to-be expat of Portugal, Greece or Albania, prepping to build Leadia Campus there and simultaneously doing research in all countries
️ Artist navigating next generation art with NFTs and AI
️ Mom to a 5yo who is also braving new cultures and languages
️ Spouse to my co-founder @korayerimez who is also navigating through a new life cycle in his 50s
️ Daughter, sister and friend to many
Feel like I just wrote my autobio!
Sidenote: my epitaph will read “She was brave.”
With all the transitions in my life now, easing into 42 is happening whether I’m ready for it or not, and just like this elephant, I’m reminded to smile through it and just have fun!
On White Day, let’s just get wet, make a mess, and smile.