#whyiamdoingthis

Also sketch version of the moss one:33

           I am not here to provide a lesson in theology, simply to show where I come from and what I believe. While I am on the subject of Buddha however, know that the term “Traveling Buddha” or “Laughing Buddha” has almost no connection to traditional Indian Buddhism, it is simply a nickname for the a man known as Budai, who claimed to be the another incarnation of Maitreya (the “Future Buddha”). In places such as China and Japan, where far eastern Buddhism has prevailed, the image of Gautama Buddha (the first Buddha), is replaced with that of Budai. However in traditional locales like India, Tibet, Nepal and much of southeast Asia, Gautama Buddha is depicted as tall and slender.

           So why is some white boy using a buddha statue to document his travels? Because I love what Budai stands for on a human level. Historically, or in the closest thing we have to an accurate account, he was an ancient Chinese monk who spent his time traveling around the countryside with a cloth sack full of sweets to give the poor children he met along the way. To help him on his way, he asked for a mere penny from those he came across, to continue the journey. He was always happy on the road, and never looked towards the end of his trip, he simply lived for the journey between destinations.

           As I prepare to embark into adulthood I hope to follow in the footsteps of Budai. I want to see the world, and I cannot wait to share it with my friends and family back home. We live in such a small world these days with search engines and social media, the world is literally at our fingertips. But I want to go past the computer screen, I want to meet people, share food, enjoy sights, make stories, and sometimes reach my destination.

Yet another reason (:

To wipe that smug look off my awful doctors face. She saw me last July and I could see the disgust on her face...

(You know what I'm going to go into a rant mid sentence. I HATE THIS. Seriously, do you think this happened to me overnight?? Do you think I want this?? Do you think you could control your facial emotions a little better?? You are supposed to be a PROFESSIONAL! I mean if I EVER gave this look to ANYONE else, I'd probably get slapped. But it's okay to do it to me because I'm fat and inferior? No, just, no. I at least have the good grace not to call you out on it, I suck it up, take it, and get on with my life. But at least I can go to bed at night knowing I'm a decent human being and would NEVER make ANYONE feel like this.)...

On day 1, we all had to think about why we are doing this.

Well, I have a million and one reasons and find a few more every day. So I'm going to start keeping track of my reasons to give me some motivation when I need it. All of the little things that I look forward too, like:

-less back pain! 

-not having to worry about weight limits or restrictions for any reason

-to fit into those size 12 jeans that have been in the closet for 4 years with the tags (;

-to be comfortable on the boat this summer :D

Thought I would share (: