Post - Kara Folkerts

if we can be certain about anything in life, it’s that life is certainly uncertain.

this unpredictability, unknowing and insecurity can be the cause and source of so much stress in life, but the more we can accept and lean into the fact that life is ever-changing and unpredictable, the better off we are.

travel has been one of my greatest teachers in all of this. everything is constantly changing - new locations, people, cultures and experiences. it has forced me to surrender to things outside of my control, release expectations, and simply be with everything that is happening around me. and the more I try to resist, control and change an outcome, the harder I’m making it on myself and those around me.

embracing the uncertainty in life has allowed me to see life with a new lens and radically trust the messy journey I’m on. even though don’t know exactly where I’ll land.

this has brought me from starting 2022 unexpectedly in Dominica after catching covid and isolating for two weeks over christmas. pushing back my flight to Colombia, settling into new work and being here in Colombia now to kick off a year of some of my biggest travels yet. even in the two weeks I’ve been here, things have been totally different from what I could have ever imagined. it’s felt so much more aligned, deeply connected, and vibrant than I would have ever known. the breathtaking landscapes, the beautiful people I’ve met, the new experiences, and falling more in love with the Colombian culture than I could have ever imagined. taking a week of Spanish lessons in the little rural community of San Carlos, to a deeply immersive vegan farm and community home in the countryside of Guatape. creating meaningful relationships with new friends from Colombia, England, America, Israel, and Germany, to rappelling waterfalls, wildly cheering at a local soccer game, to feeling so fully alive while paragliding over the hillside and city of Medellin.

all while embarking on exciting job transitions, remote work, learning opportunities, and feeling of alignment on this seemingly different lifestyle I’ve chosen for myself. the purpose and alignment I feel on my journey now, finding my place and calling working in the field of sustainable travel, guiding/leading trail running and travel adventures, teaching yoga and remote work that pieces it all together, is a place I could have only dreamed of years prior. but I would have never known or predicted the path that would get me there. it’s been chalked full of questions, hesitations, confusions and at times, immense discomfort. it’s felt incredibly scary and really freaking difficult at times, but it’s also been full of persistence, joy, determination and a deep trust that while moving forward into the unknown can be scary, it’s also radically transformative and worth it.

whether it’s through travel, work, relationships, moving to a new place or trying something new - all things in life are not a guarantee. it’s messy, challenging and stressful knowing how much we don’t know. but somehow, underneath it all, that uncertainty can be one of our greatest joys and teachers in life.

so keep on leaning into the uncertainties of life, you never know what could be waiting for you on the other side.

leaning into uncertainties