Blog #151: Inspiration

Y'all I tell you what, inspiration can hit at the weirdest of times.

I'm sitting in the car today after work, not moving (lol at that Chicago traffic), just listening to some Hozier (has he actually been around since the dawn of time..?), and I literally just start thinking to myself, "Bish... you really can do whatever you want and make a living out of it somehow."

I do not know where this queen energy came from. Chicago traffic is uninspiring, at best.

The thing is, I've been trying to figure out what the eff I'm going to do after I graduate from Morningside. It's coming up pretty fast, and I have exactly zero plans.

Although it's been assumed for years that I would just go to law and/or grad school right afterward, I've since decided that's not for me. I'm burnt out from school and everything that has entailed for me over the years, and I need a break.

So... then what?

I don't feel ready to "start my career," because I don't know what I want my career to be. I've basically decided that I want to spend at least one year abroad, but I just don't know exactly how to do that while also still making money and feeling productive. As much as I love traveling, I also love accomplishments and goals. I fear traveling for the pure sake of traveling (not to learn a language or write about it professionally or get trained in a certain skill) would eventually lose its luster for me.

That's where my daydreaming came in today. I swear, I was coming up with the craziest ideas, but hell, some of them may actually work.

Writing a book. Finding some obscure grant to pay for me to do research abroad. Taking one or two month intensive dance courses across different countries for a year and somehow getting paid for it. Doing research on the intersection of dance and politics?? Traveling across South America for a year perfecting my Spanish and teaching Zumba classes to pay for it. Starting an online vegan cooking show I can produce from anywhere in the world and create recipes inspired by the places I travel to. I don't know! The possibilities are endless!

Look, I'm honestly not all that worried about what I end up doing after leaving Morningside. Things always work out and the right path will reveal itself soon enough.

Still, I think that any of these crazy ideas would actually be possible if I decided to actively pursue them, so I'm not leaving anything off the table. Anything is an option at this point, and that's exciting. It's inspiring.

This is the first dish from my new vegan cooking show, and it's gluten free too! If you want the recipe for this delicious sweet-potato chickpea dish, inspired by the flavors of India, simply Venmo me $5 @Kailyn-Robert