Sometimes being a vegan blends with severe feelings of wanderlust. You yearn for a society that isn't mandated by rules, more like your own little haven of adventure. Choosing your own path with no one governing you, no censor for your self-expression, and no one's permission required to chase your wildest dreams.

So lately I've been a bit obsessed with third world countries in the Southeast Asia section. It'd be a wonder to go work with the Cambodian children in poverty. It'd be so incredible to experience water and clean beds in the perspective of luxuries as a frugal traveler in Indonesia. I want to bicycle through Cambodia and Laos and Thailand with nothing but a bicycle and a backpack.

Then, I realized I have that slight impediment of college to get under my belt before I start my wild dash around cultures.


So I saw this tumblr post (lovely how many of the important decisions in my life are spurred by tumblr) about how much cheaper it is to go to college outside of the United States. It has been my dream for two years to go to Columbia in New York, to live the life of a sophisticated career woman. To change the world with my writing.


But I've been thinking... I don't want a traditional future. I don't want the middle-aged mom where I drive kids around to daycare and gymnastics and sports practice. I know that sounds immeasurably selfish and short-minded. And yeah, that may just be fifteen-year-old me thinking that life has to be exciting in every moment. Because, hey, that life is exactly what my parents live, and I couldn't be more grateful to them for it. They have put so much dedication and commitment to providing a wonderful and blessed life for me.


But in all seriousness, when I hear my friends idolize celebrities and obsess over the littlest aspects of these strangers' lives... I can't help but believe that isn't that far away for me. Not that I crave fame. Not that I am determined to be the next person that made it big and recruits jealousy. But I want a life that's anything but normal. I want to build a life that my five-year-old self would be proud of. I want a life that I can't believe I'm living.

But my dad shook me by the shoulders the other day (metaphorically, of course). The life we live on earth is so temporary. Our purpose on this world is purely to bring the gospel to others. It is so easy to want for yourself. To selfishly wish the best things in life that YOU want. But it all is going to go away. Invest in the eternal, that was my lesson.


I still want to change lives. That mission will never change. But perhaps I've been a little blindly selfish in how I wanted to change lives. I wanted to personally impact people. I wanted to have people go through life, encounter my works, then have an "Elim" stamp on them. But that's not God's plan for me. All that He has blessed me with is to bring glory to Him, never to myself. 


So perhaps I won't travel with simply the intent of following my heart. Perhaps if I go someplace with a purpose of spreading the gospel, I will listen hard and long for God's voice to direct me.

As for now, I should probably go to college, just to make sure I have the tools for a mind that can communicate in the world we live in. In a way that can convince the world to listen to my God-given ideas. What if I had the best of both worlds? What if I got the education while being able to chase a bit of the beauty of the world?
So while my middle school self wanted me to be the professional Columbia graduate that slays the world one editorial job at a time, what if I got the chance to go to Oxbridge and live in England, or the University of Melbourne and live that Aussie fruit life while studying sociology?

If I were accepted to either Oxford or Cambridge, they would actually be ranked higher than Columbia for less than HALF of the cost.

So, there are many paths along which my life could go. I'm thinking that one that could equip me for a life that brings glory to God and yet also pleases my little guilty pleasure of wishing to travel could be to go college outside the States. What a adventure.

Because there are a metaphorical MANY ways my life can go, here's MANY ways for you to make a smoothie.


Peanut Butter Dream
5 medjools
1 heaping tbs peanut butter powder 
1/4 cup water
Blend until one color
Add in 1/2 cup ice
2 bananas
1/4 cup water
Blend until a drink

Optional: Stir in buckwheat groats for a crunchy surprise in every sip!










Simple Spirulina
2 frozen bananas
4 tablets of pressed spirulina
Water to cover
Blend until smooth!
Delicious, sweet, and nourishing.













Mango Madness
Pour in 1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 cup mango
Blend it up!
For an extra treat, top with thin chopped mango!