Do You Ever Wonder How People See You?

I know how I see myself: a bit out there, crazy, random, inability to sit still, constantly chasing something.

Me and Mr. Baki, photo by author.

Whether it is something for instant gratification or a long-term big dream, I always look forward to the future, infinity, and beyond (thank you, Buzz).

I often tell my story as a projection of how I see myself and my life, which is how most of us write or portray ourselves through our lenses.

Yet what if someone came into your life and wanted to tell your story through their eyes?

How would it look, what would they say about you, and should you do it? These are the questions I asked myself when a friend wanted to tell my story.

First, I was flattered since I thought my life was just like everyone else’s except maybe more eccentric than your average girl next door. Sometimes, I am dramatic and want to live my life my way.

That is the main thread in my life as a kid, being independent, and as an adult, being independent and wanting things my way.

Yet, to get there, it has not always been easy to overcome expectations of what others expect from you and fight against programming instilled into us from our family, school, work, and ultimately, what society expects from us.

Getting out of what many call the Matrix is not easy, yet once you are standing outside the Matrix, life comes together differently, as if it was always meant to be this way.

Nothing dramatic or extreme, just a new way of living life. That’s how I perceive it, at least, as if my soul was waiting for me to be right here, now, in this very moment.

Some days, I struggle; some days, I wonder how I ended up here, and I remember it was one choice and then another choice, and ultimately, it was a push against the systems and a thought.

Simple

Apparently, to some, that is interesting.

I have never found my life interesting. I was talking to a friend today, and her life is interesting. She lives and works in Australia, Stasi Pagello; before this, she worked in Alaska.

We met randomly last year in Georgia. Her life is fascinating, and she has some stories to tell. Me, nah.

That’s what I thought until an old friend approached me a few months ago and said he wanted to tell my story, film my farm, and do a video of how I live my life.

I was nervous since I filmed myself; I do not like to be filmed. I was sweating, talking too fast, and feeling insane.

Yet, I still said yes as part of stepping out of my comfort zone and being open to new opportunities. I was so glad I did.

Seeing your life through someone else’s lens is, well, eye-opening. It was like looking at myself, but it was not me. Some strange person looked and talked like me, but it wasn’t me.

I don’t have words to describe it, except he did an amazing job capturing the joy in my life and telling my story better than I thought I could.

Sometimes, allowing someone else inside to see helps to highlight the good parts of your life. It was incredible. I cried, laughed, and obsessed over whether to watch it, and I am glad I did.

My friend

Jon Santiago

, I met him on my first trip to Colombia, in Santa Marta. I was new to long-term traveling, and he was an old pro. We instantly hit it off, and he gave me some great travel tips, and then we said our goodbyes.

We reconnected this year when I started writing on Substack. He saw I moved to Colombia, bought a farm, and reached out. The rest is history.

He is a genius at storytelling, and I am so grateful he reached out. Now, I have this wonderful video to look back on when I am old.

A mini-documentary of my life that I will never forget. A moment in time, captured in motion, of my life here on earth.

Thank you, Jon.

Let me know what you think of the video.