CURRENT MISSION

Realizing the magic of mind play. Dreaming up big dreams. And being witness as they unfold in real time.

ABOUT ME

I'm a slow mover. I walk at the pace of ducks but don't usually waddle. My mind moves quick and tends toward the philosophical. People have said I'm a dreamer, but I think I'm pretty good at staying grounded in the mist of imagination. I really like to create things: Drawing, writing, cooking, and music. I also like to take things in: Studying, meditating, reading. These days, though, now that I'm working full time at a humdrum job that I don't at all feel married to, I spend considerably less time doing those things than I would like. But, my love for it all remains the same.

I've also recently discovered that I love kayaking. River, anyone?

PHILOSOPHY

I'm of the opinion that the universe is a semi-conscious being, and that we humans and other sentient beings are an integral part of it. I think that there's something that binds us all together here. It's that little thread that shimmers with synchronicity, the one that, if followed, leads right to the heart.I think that all around us, there's a mirror-effect: what we do and experience in the world is a reflection of our inner narrative, the story that we tell ourselves to make sense of the world. I think if we can listen to this feedback, we can distance ourselves from the story and become more familiar with who we really are. I have a hunch that our nature is good, compassionate, wise, and powerful. And by making contact with it, I think we gain the power to heal the world. Act, listen, reflect, revise, and remember. It's a life-long practice :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Well. At the moment, my couch is awful (please see the dramatic but still largely accurate picture to your left), and so I'm not hosting. I am, however, very open to meeting up and hanging out while you're in town.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've hosted a few surfers before, many of whom became good friends. Most of my experience on CS has been through my roommates and past partners, though, who always seem to bring home the most amazing people.

Interests

I probably have more interests than any productive human should. Some come and go, and some have stuck around for a long time. I've always been interested in psychology and religion, and I think my love for cooking, visual art, and writing will never die. I'm also in an intimate relationship with learning about relationships and how I can learn the most from them. I love traveling and encountering different ways of looking at the world, whether its within my own city or all the way across the world. Right now, I really want to learn more about creative writing, 19th century Russian authors, counseling, the history of pigeons, dance, and kayaking.

• arts
• writing
• dancing
• cooking
• reading
• traveling
• drawing
• magic
• music
• kayaking
• history
• psychology
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Everything is Illuminated, Kundun, Kumare, I <3 Huckabees, Lord of the Rings, and most any documentary anything (except maybe business or accounting, but that's a given, right?).

Music: Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, Mumford & Sons, Beta Band, Miles Davis, Jack Johnson, Herbie Hancock, Planet Drum, Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Brad Mehldau, Michael Brecker, The Weepies, Iron & Wine, Thievery Corporation, The Shins, Radiohead, Trampled by Turtles, Pat Methany, and the list goes on...

Books: Anna Karenina (currently reading), Sputnik Sweetheart, A Wild Sheep's Chase, Winter's Tale, Underworld, The Life of Milarepa, Cave in the Snow, Cosmic Trigger...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Not too long ago (maybe 7 months now?), I returned from a 6 month trip to India where I lived in a cold shack of a room in the wintery Himalayas studying Tibetan language 8 hours a day, six days a week. It was mindblowingly intense and sporadically miserable, but ultimately worth every minute of every day. I also got to see Sharu Khan 4 different times when I was traveling in Ladakh. And now, for reasons becoming increasingly obscure to me, I work full-time in the billing department at a company that sells copy machines. That, I think, is one of the most amazing feats of my life so far.

Teach, Learn, Share

A good conversation can really open the heart, and I love sharing what I've learned from my studies in religion and psychology as well as my experience traveling and surviving in the world. As far as what I'd like to learn... the sky is the limit! Even just the inspiration gained from experiencing the passion of another living person is worth the world to me.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, Nepal, United States