"I wish I could believe the Devil won't take you back out to the salty sea"

I never would have dreamed that I would be here; here in this moment, in this place, in this situation. Life never ceases to amaze me and my buddy, Rob, claims that this is due to the fact that I challenge it to do so. Yet while what I do is indeed challenging, I don’t see any other option for me. After the choices I’ve made in regards to my activism work, my life will never be ‘normal’ again. And really, would I have it any other way? No, I most definitely would not.  While 2012 got off to a rocky start, it seems to be promising me a year of wonders and great journeys. There are things I would like to see happen in my life and I’m curious to see if this year will bring me these things I desire; these things I’ve been working toward.  As I type this now, it is a cold, dark night in Melbourne, Australia and my meager possessions are spread out on the floor around me, awaiting placement into my suitcase. I’m not typically a sentimental person but out of all that I own, I find that I love my suitcase the most. I realize that’s an incredibly weird statement, but it’s true. I bought this Jeep Liberty (yes, it’s a Liberty) suitcase before my first trip to Hawaii and now it has been around the world with me. My clothes have not been properly unpacked from this suitcase since I left Seattle in 2010 and on the back of the case is a spot where my little kitty cat used it as a scratch post when I wasn’t looking (actually, I was looking and being the trouble-maker that she was, she stared right at me while scratching the crap out my suitcase and then dashed under the bed when I tried to grab her). Now, I prepare to head off to Amsterdam, a city I’ve always talked about visiting but never truly thought I would see. My mind is full of canals, bicycles, hash brownies (I’ll stay away from those, Mom…I promise) and brilliant tulips growing at the base of old wooden windmills. This journey is leading me to an organization called The Black Fish (www.theblackfish.org); an organization that was brought to my attention during my time in Japan when they cut nets in the harbor pens of Taiji in an attempt to release dolphins. Sea Shepherd was falsely accused and security was heightened, but The Black Fish inspired us all because they had actually done something while the rest of us were frustrated beyond belief and had long discussions about wishing we could cut nets. So now I’ve joined this NGO and am excited to be in Holland working with people who are inspiring, encouraging, and like-minded. I’m happy to say that education is a strong focus and I will have the joy of speaking to schools around Europe, a task that suits me well as I have a freakishly absurd love of public speaking (I know, it’s insane). My desire to speak out and truly spread the word is something that is finally being utilized and in one week I will find myself, once again, on a plane with a foreign and romantic destination awaiting me. I will blog after I have spent a few days in Amsterdam and have had the chance to truly explore and give you all something worth reading. Until then…