Long gone are the reverent chants for one church in Haarlem, Netherlands… they have been replaced by the clinking of glasses in Jopenkerk, a beautifully restored church turned modern-brewery. Complete with vibrant aesthetics and intentionally preserved mementos of its sacred past, you can’t visit the outskirts of Amsterdam without stopping in to sample fantastic beers with a front row seat to their entire brewing system.
Warmest welcome and kind regards. One thing I would love to share with you is wonder. The gypsy vagabond community has, in so many ways, attributed to who I am becoming as a human, a friend, and an explorer. I have been embraced and sharpened by some of the most inquisitive minds during my travels. Through CitizenPushpin, I hope to connect and network with more of these like-minded travelers: to share stories and relate with one another, to inspire each other to dare greatly, and to collaborate our gifts and skills so that connection and curiosity are relentlessly fostered.
Angst of a Gypsy, or how it pertains to me, is that I want my travels and study of cultures to give back. Receiving from the world is incredibly humbling. It excites me to know that a universe of individuals are seeking, not only to see the world, but also to share what they learn about people, places, and perspectives with others. Each of us observes and engages so differently with our surroundings and the colorful cultures that stretch across the globe. I am honored to be part of a movement that encourages learning and appreciating our differences, promotes lifestyle adventure journalism, and achieves the knitting of hearts through a language called laughter. And can we talk about how stunning this planet is?
I’d like to share the lyrics of a song I wrote:
Searching high and low for the scattered pieces,
hoping that they’ll fill our puzzled souls…
Moved by sights and rhythms of the nations,
tell me, can you make my heart be whole?
See my tokens, rings, and patches,
do they tell my story, dear?
I admire your rites of passage,
but my own is one I have come to fear.
Treasure box of memories never leave me;
mine is not the only tale to tell.
Charms & tokens fashioned into a dreamcatcher.
Thank you for reading my words and for exuding the joy in the journey, yourself.
Catch you on the pin side.
@citizenpushpin
