If this is Austin

I just woke up, parched and hungover. That was about 20 minutes ago. At this current moment it is 3:58am. I am sitting on the top bunk of my share dorm room, that I booked with a Aussie girl I met surfing the other day. The room smells like an ashtray. On the bright side, we got it at no charge, and we get free surfboard hires. Hopefully we don't wake up with massive headaches...well I might after three glasses of sparkling wine from the evening festivities.

Tonight was...maybe the best night ever. And it was due to just a brief period of the night. Maybe more. I honestly laughed so hard that my abs hurt - not exaggerating. I was often crouched in a ball close to the ground, hugging my knees and cackling. Talking about dating in Australia, the carefree 20 year old American Backpackers, transient personalities, and of course, that harmonica player that looks like Ron Jeremy. It all just was getting better and better. My new female friend and I had been out at the Railway Friendly Bar enjoying music and salads, when another friend from our surfing morning showed up. He joined us and, well...what a freaking fun group. Talking to two artists that have accepted and established their transient lifestyle and indecisive personality was beyond refreshing. It was a conversation I was supposed to have. They were words I needed to hear. "You can just come here for 2-3 months a year, or just take a break from life and come here for a full year. Get refresh, leave your family and friends and good job, work as a van driver for drunk Backpackers, then go back when you're done." What?!?! Really that's okay? Other people do this at our age?! Yessssssss. This sounds so right!

After lots of fun convos, head bobbing and leg slapping to some American south tunes created from a banjo and stand up base, we mosied to the next bar/music venue with seven nights a week of music - The Northern. "I've got it." Per usual when having made new friends, I like to thank them with a round of drinks, or coffee, or whatever else I can show my gratitude. One sparkling wine, one beer, one ginger beer. More chatting, some dancing, a lot of, "these guys are freaking good," and "Ron Jeremy up there..." Hilarious. We often commented on the lack of a dance party going compared to other nights, or to what you find at the Rails, but it was picking up a tid bit with 2-3 people. However, the moment my fellow lady friends departed to the water closest, the male of our group (a Sydney actor now part time Byron resident living out of his van and working as a brewery waiter and shuttle driver) decided the dance floor needed help, and we were the ones to do the job. I, of course, was elated at the idea, and followed him through the bundles of people, with zero hesitation.

That's when the best time ever took off. I danced. He danced. I just did my thing and was having an absolute blast. Middle of the dance floor. Right in front of the band. In front of everyone. Main event. It was clear that my male friend was getting a kick out of my dancing, so much so that he grabbed my bag (makeshift purse for the night - a sack acquired from a bachelorette party that looks more like what  you'd put your vegetables in at a farmer's market than what you carry your wallet and passport in out at a bar). He threw that sack over his shoulder, held on tight, and wouldn't let go. He just wanted me to dance freely. My knees were moving side to side. I was getting low. My hair was flailing wildly about. The sweat starting pooling at my lower back, chest and forehead. Time for my beloved purple and white checkered flannel to come off. Tied that quickly around my waist and then continued the dance off. We did some "country turkey" moves and the "carefree US backpacker". Whatever free flowed from our limbs.

Our last Aussie did return in the midst of our fun and joined right in. I was so glad because she was already tired before we started on that dancefloor. What a trouper. "I'm turning into a pumpkin," she said after she muscled through a fair amount of songs. Together, we knew we'd better call it quits. They both had long days of work. I just knew that it wouldn't be nearly as fun without them, and I was fine with quitting at the peak. Oh man, that was fun. Too fun. Perfect. Unforgettable. On our way out, we chatted with the musician, Matt Armitage. Cool guy. Talented. Turns out, male Aussie friend also does music bookings at a venue in Hunter Valley. Well, he just got even cooler.

Now to the point of why I'm writing right now. I woke up, and had an epiphany. Dancing. Amazing. Feeds my soul. Music is at my soul. I feel so good when around it. I want more and more. I can move somewhere for a short time and just revamp. Try something new, do odd jobs, then eventually miss things from my previous life and go back, with a new perspective and new experiences and new friends. The thought that I woke up to was, "Austin."

Go. Throw your things in a Uhaul or just sell whatever doesn't fit in your truck. Get a studio, or reach out to one of your 10 or so friends in town and find someone whose looking for a roommate. Get a job at a cafe that does live music, and at REI, and at a yoga studio. Yes, all three. Why not? Meet people, feed people, get the inside scoop on the cafe business, do yoga daily, talk to others about outdoor adventures, run along the Colorado river, and dance every single night. You can go on trips to Arizona and Utah for hiking. You can fly to Colorado and California. There is a guy in town that you like and at the very least would have a blast going dancing with and talking business ideas with. You have tons of friends already. You know that town. All of your friends could visit. Your brother would visit. Your girlfriends would visit. You've talked about this place most days, at least every week. Yes, there are no mountains. Yes the weather is humid. Yes it's far away from home. But hey, it's in the same country. And, people will visit. You could host travellers! Get a studio or one bedroom and be a couchsurfing host. Or get a two bedroom and have a room for AirBnB and for your friends and family. Rad!!!

But as I type this you already start hesitating - it's winter time in the US and there may be the first good snow in years and your going to head to Texas? You've had your mind on Tahoe...why not Tahoe? Well, I don't know it well. I don't feel confident I can find a place to live and work. I don't know the culture well. I may not like it. I don't have friends there. But I would be in a beautiful place with outdoor activities where people would visit me.  It would be riskier, but the reward may be higher. Maybe I do Austin for a year, or even a few months, then Tahoe. But really, can you imagine leaving Austin after moving there? No way, you'd get stuck. You'd get sucked in. And you know who wouldn't visit? Your family with young kids. But really, they wouldn't visit in Tahoe that much either. You'd need to go to them still. Yes, you'd miss people, but you can always return. It's time to go. Make a move. "You can always turn around."

Okay, I've now been up for about an hour, during that sweet 4am pocket. I'm just about two weeks into my trip and I feel like I've finally had my first "moment" out here. Not just a beautiful, serendipitous moment. I've had tons of those! Tons of fun. Tons of crying. All over the board. But, I have been struggling to write. And clarity around the next step in my life or career was still as foggy as when I left the states. But tonight, right now, sitting in a hostel with the glow of my Motorola Turbo slightly lighting the room, the quiet breathing of my roommate below, the tapping of my thumbs on the keyboard, the hunger rumbling from my belly, and the gentle roar of the ocean in the background, I am reminded of so many late nights or early mornings in New Zealand last year.

It was always at an hour that was neither morning nor night. No one else was awake. Okay, one time some folks were coming home from the bars in Queenstown while I was crouched on some object in the hallway of a hostel. Another time an oder gentleman making his brekkie while I sipped my second cuppa next to an old school typewriter in Franz Joseph. But those were the moments - the moments of clarity. When I couldn't sleep because I could only think. My body just reached for a water bottle, or to scratch my ankles like mad bringing on sand fly bite scars, but my mind started dancing. It started having a freaking beach party. Epiphanies, thoughts, questions, ideas, observations, stories.

The cigarette smell of our room is now quite faint, but my hunger is increasing by the minute. That roast veggie salad was delectable but I definitely needed the salt and pepper squid or a pie to properly fuel the activities of the day and night. Yoga is just less than three hours away. The kitchen opens in just over two hours, where my food is literally locked up at the moment - that's how strict they are at some hostels with common area hours. So, I'll attempt to sleep because it is the only option. If I tried to stay awake to read or chat with family or friends, I'd become famished. Maybe for sunrise. Oh man, sunrise at The Pass. Yeah, that might be next. Sunrise, yoga, surfing, brunch. Damn. Unless I sleep soundly. We'll see what my mind feels like doing.

Life actually can be quite beautiful. It'll come. Keep your eyes and heart open. Say yes. Follow your gut feelings. Take risks. Make mistakes. Be lazy. Wear yourself out. Make conversation. Laugh. Dance. Smile. Share. Connect. Go to sleep.

Cheers,
Travellin' Tash

P.S. I'm still annoyed with everyone saying, "no worries." I look forward to the moment someone says, "you're welcome," and I expect I'll be so excited that I'll write about it here!