I needed inspiration, so I booked a trip to Spain. Little did I know I’d come back with a new mindset that would completely alter how I view the journey to achieving my dreams.

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I have always had a habit of fleeing when I feel stuck in my life. 

When I feel like I’m running on autopilot, struggling to find calm in a troubled heart, or at a plateau waiting for something to happen, I find myself in pursuit of a new adventure.

To make new memories, meet new people from different walks of life, and find inspiration in these new experiences. 

So, in true Miranda fashion, I booked a solo trip to Spain, hoping to find an answer, a sign, or any direction of what to do next.

Literally anything. Even if it’s just a glimmer of hope.

Honestly, that’s why I’ve always found airports really calming. 

Despite being in the middle of security with TSA screaming at us and the stresses and hecticness of people running to their flights, there is stillness in all the chaos. 

Now, I know what you’re thinking.

“Miranda, how can you even say the airport is calm? Do you not have the war-like flashbacks when you hear ‘TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF! ELECTRONICS IN THE BIN?!’”

I know, I know. 

I do. Yes, TSA is arguably some of the scariest spaces in America… but hear me out. 

Some would argue that the New Yorker in me has trained me to thrive in chaos and survive the hustle and bustle grind culture that is the bedrock of Manhattan. 

I would argue this sense of calmness comes from the liminal space airports offer – between the beginning or end of an adventure behind each gate, the welcoming embrace between loved ones reuniting or tearful goodbyes to the people we love, and the conversations floating around the terminals from different cultures and worlds.

Liminality is the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of a rite of passage, when participants no longer hold their pre-ritual status but have not yet begun the transition to the status they will hold when the rite is complete.

You are neither here nor there.

And the in-betweenness of my life fits into the in-betweenness of airports.

It is strange, beautiful, comfortable, powerful, and liberating all at once. 

The typical questions like ‘Who are you and where are you from?’ now become ‘Where are you going and why?’

The state of your current being matters less than what you’re setting off to find.

Every time I sit at the departure gate waiting for my flight, I ponder life. 

I wonder what will happen on this next trip and what lessons and memories I will have the pleasure of taking home with me. 

I wonder what I will think about and what new ideas and thoughts will pop up as I get lost in an unfamiliar city. 

I wonder about the type of people I will meet, the hidden gems I’ve yet to stumble upon, and the stories waiting to be written. 

As someone who feeds off the world around her and looks for inspiration in every place and person she meets, I sit and ask myself: Who or what will be my muse this time?

—

It is about 5:30 AM in Barcelona. It is the third night of my two-week-long solo adventure traveling across Spain.

I found myself with a group of new friends from all over the world: Germany, the Netherlands, the States, and the UK.

We’ve spent the past 12 hours just talking.

It first started with the small talk…

• Where are you from?
• How long are you here for?
• What have you been doing so far?

As we started to get to know each other a little more, we slowly went from a light casual chit-chat to opening up to questions like…

• What is your family like?
• What was it like growing up in your hometown?
• Who are your best friends, and why?

Suddenly, we found ourselves deep in conversation, talking about life, love, and everything in between.

Quickly noticing that we found space for vulnerability and openness to share our life experiences, I rummaged through my bag for my wallet. 

Tucked in the back sleeve of my card holder, I pulled out one of my most prized possessions, about the size of a business card. 

—

Pausing for a backstory.

About a year ago, I was stuck in a space of liminality. 

I struggled to stay motivated. It felt like I had to save the day every day. I was constantly stressed, like there was nowhere for me to go. I was also coming out of a relationship – nothing was wrong with it. What we had was great for the year we had spent together, but we both needed to move to the next phase of our life and we didn’t have space for each other there – and that’s okay! But as we all know, letting go is never easy.

Alas, life felt like it was on auto-pilot. 

As a girl who thrives on spontaneity with an overwhelming fear of mundaneness and boredom, I quickly started looking for flights.

I usually book a flight to visit a friend I haven’t seen in a while since most of my college friends are spread throughout the country. But this time around, I didn’t want to run away to them.

I wanted to go somewhere alone.

Born was the new idea for beginning a new chapter of my life: solo traveling. 

I booked a flight across the world to Hong Kong and Japan.

Talk about ‘go big or go home.’

And it was the best decision I ever made.

On this trip, I met two incredible humans:

• Shrey, a digital nomad who ends up saying he’s from the Bay Area when asked, ‘No like, where are you really from?’
• Seb, an English bloke making the big move from the UK to the land down under!

I don’t know what it is with solo traveling, but you always find the right people in the right spaces at the right time. (A lot more on this later.)

The three of us met in Tokyo, and our plans for Kyoto matched almost exactly. As we moved through our travel plans, we ended up meeting up again on our first night in Kyoto, creating one of the best life memories I will forever hold dear to my heart.

We started our day temple-hopping, diving deep into Japanese culture and the teachings of Buddhism, and ended our day with dinner and drinks. At a local izakaya, we started to talk about why the three of us were solo traveling and what exactly we were looking for on this trip.

Having spent a couple of days together back in Tokyo, and with a little liquid courage, we started opening up to each other and our conversations began to deepen. 

Shrey paused our conversation after a while and asked us if we wanted to play a game, to which Seb and I reluctantly nodded. Who doesn’t like games?

Shrey pulled out a little card from his wallet and said, “There’s a list of questions on this card, and we take turns asking and answering the questions going down that list. These questions are intentionally designed for strangers to get to know each other, and the questions get deeper and deeper as we play.”

He got this card from Burning Man – go figure hahaha.

Knowing we were already halfway to sharing our life stories, we locked in and played the game.

And we talked and talked and talked for hours.

We learned so much about each other—about our past and visions of our future, even things we wouldn’t casually share with even some of our closest friends. After hours of deep conversation between the first bar and stargazing by the river, the three musketeers celebrated their new friendships by dancing the rest of the night away at a Japanese Trap bar. 

It wasn’t until that night that I started to recognize the strange sensation of relief and happiness when strangers became my friends.

—

Flash forward: My new friends are watching me pull out the card Shrey gifted me with a mischievous smile, knowing we were about to take our conversations to a new level.

I explained the story.

And then we played.

And then we talked.

And then we couldn’t stop talking.

By night’s end, we heard the birds started to chirp, the sunlight began to shine into the common area of our hostel, and the idea of being scared of vulnerability and staying guarded was gone.

It was so beautiful. All of us shared our stories that have shaped us into the people we are today, followed by encouraging words, shedding tears, and a whole lot of trying to learn and understand each other. 

We were simply a group of human beings sharing one common language: the language of love.

As we shared stories around the table, I started thinking about memories with Shrey and Seb and how effortless the conversations were once we opened the floor to give space to talk about our emotions. 

I started to wonder…

Why are we able to share these things with strangers, but when we go back home, we struggle with vulnerability with the people who live in our everyday lives?

Why do conversations with strangers feel so much more open? It is as if there is no end to what we can discuss and learn. 

Perhaps it’s the notion that the travelers you meet hold no preconceived ideas or biases of who you are at home, and you feel more free and open to talking about your life in a judgment-free zone. It’s like there is less at stake and less to jeopardize. 

I often avoid the “scary conversation” of opening up to the people in my life because I run the risk of not being understood, being judged, or altering their perspective of who I am. 

Obviously, there are people you connect with, and deep conversations are easier to navigate than others because of the special bond you two share. Even though I am lucky enough to have these beautiful relationships in my life, I still find myself struggling internally to fight the mental block before I enter the conversation with them.

I’ve discussed this phenomenon in-depth with some of my closest friends, and we all wonder: While we always feel better after talking about it anyway, why is it still so difficult to open up?

Is this a universal human mental block? But why?

If the people in your everyday life are meant to be in your life, would anything really change negatively, or could you possibly open the door to improve and deepen your relationship with them by sharing your thoughts? 

A good reminder would be that whatever the reason for holding back your thoughts is, it is simply a fear.

And fears are limiting…

I wonder, what potentials could we all unlock if we faced them?

Food for thought.

—

I made a couple more stops before making my way to my final destination, and the second stop of my trip was Madrid. 

Madrid felt like Barcelona’s rich, older, cunty sister. It had great food, great views, and even greater thrifting.

I’m so serious about the great thrifting part, by the way. I found a vintage Burberry and YSL sweater… for less than 45€ each…

Had this been a trip to Brooklyn, this would’ve easily been $200 per piece. 

Brooklyn… BFFR, take some notes from Europe and give us some reasonable vintage prices, por favor.

Isn’t that like – the point of thrifting?

—

After Madrid, I took a day trip to Valencia, the birthplace of paella, to (of course) learn how to make authentic Valencian paella at this culinary school tucked in a local area. 

Led by Chef Carlos Hurtado, he took us through the beautiful gastronomy of classic Valencian eats and taught us how to make: 

• Paella Valenciana  – Traditional Valencia Paella with Chicken and Rabbit
• Tortilla Española – Spanish Egg and Potato Omelette
• Coca de llanda – Simple spongey cake that’s a popular mid-afternoon bite, or what Valencians call “la merienda”

Joining me in this class were a couple from the States and these two lovely Babcia besties who were on vacation visiting one of their daughters living in Valencia.

During the three hours of cooking and sharing sangria, we quickly got acquainted, and the Babcia besties shared stories about their beautiful friendship of over 50 years.

I asked them for the secret to a successful friendship lasting over half a century.

The besties looked at each other and, with big smiles, said, “Laughing with each other… A lot of laughing.”

Following that incredible cooking class, I went to the nearby supermarket—one of my favorite activities abroad—to check out what the locals buy and the types of produce they have… and to find the special Valencian dessert wine and the city’s paella spices to bring home for dinner parties. 

As I made my way out of the local area and headed towards the city center, I heard a lot of noise and slight cheering.

Being the curious little girl I am, I naturally followed the sounds only to stumble upon… a LOCAL… PAELLA… FESTIVAL!

How ‘bout that!! It was unreal.

As my day in Valencia came to a close, I hopped on the train winding through the valleys and vineyards of the Spanish countryside, heading to the last destination.

I couldn’t help but think about how surreal it was that I walked out of one paella cooking experience right into another. 

This will be the beginning of a series of weird coincidences… Are you ready?

—

I finally landed in my last city: Seville. 

You can physically see Islamic and Christian influences fuse into one big masterpiece of a city. Each generation of royalty throughout all their empires left their mark with grace and grandeur. 

It wasn’t until I walked through the narrow, winding cobblestone streets filled with colorful buildings that I truly understood why Seville is known as the heart of southern Spain and the pearl of Andalusia. 

The city is beautiful, charming, and culturally rich – and we were blessed with sunshine and cerulean blue skies for the rest of my stay.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better than this, Seville gave me more than I ever dreamed of to close out my trip. 

Because it wasn’t just limited to the energy the city exuded.

It was the people I found in this city, in the most mysterious ways, and made connections with…

—

In Seville…

I met a girl from the UK. We found out that both of our families shared roots in Hong Kong, with our great-great-grandparents living a few villages away from each other. We also figured out she happens to live two streets down from my childhood best friend, who moved to London after college.

I met a Parisian boy who slept in the bunk below me at the Seville hostel, who happens to coach tennis in my HOMETOWN on LONG ISLAND. Yes, you read that correctly. 

I flew across the pond to a city of just 700,000 people, just to find a French native who had moved to the town I grew up in and who happened to be visiting Seville at the same time I was. 

Just when you thought that wasn’t crazy enough, we found out that (1) he coaches tennis at Sportime where I had grown up playing tennis (shoutout to the 516… and go dogs), (2) he coached my good friend’s younger sister for two years, and (3) two years ago, we were at the same concert on the same day, standing in the exact same area with just about ten rows between us. 

Talk about turning six degrees of separation to about two degrees.

I met a Nigerian college student studying design in Poland while going through airport security on my way back to the States. We were making our way through security with a group of 20 tourists in matching teal t-shirts on the line behind us. I heard him mutter under his breath, “Damn, we didn’t get the invite.”

I chuckled. Oh, he would be my friend. And so, I took that as an opportunity to start a conversation. 

Two creative thinkers, one conversation. You can assume that our energy and excitement quickly bounced off each other as we started talking about films and music.

As the words kept coming out and the conversation picked up swiftly, we realized we were both fluent in Yapanese.

We also realized that we were both on the same flight to a connecting flight in Munich… and sitting in the same row… 

Between the hours spent at the gate and our two-hour flight, we spoke about everything from the arts and culture to different world perspectives and geopolitics, the art of solo traveling, and even the sweet novelties of whirlwind travel romances. 

By the end of the flight, we also learned that our birthdays are exactly a day apart—and that we’re not just yappers but, in fact, the real Chatty Kathys as we did not stop talking in the 4.5 hours we spent together.

Wild. Just absolutely wild connections. 

—

The craziest part about this is that I’ve realized that everything happened how it should.

If I hadn’t delayed my trip to Seville by one day, would I have met Yas the way I did the first night I arrived at the hostel and found the connection between Hong Kong and London?

If I hadn’t slept in my first morning in Seville, would I have caught Greg and found enough time to chit-chat to make the Long Island connection?

If I didn’t have travel issues with United and delayed my flight back to NYC by two days, would I have met Cypher, my fellow Aries king? Connecting through shared interests and life experiences that – honestly – really weren’t all that different from each other. 

This doesn’t even include the experiences with the people I met earlier like:

• Sarah from Germany and I diving into what it means to be a woman, empowering each other with the stories of our lives around balancing our bravery, strength, and resilience while staying soft, gentle, and feminine.
• Jan from Germany and I decoding profound Catalan quotes on the doors of La Sagrada Familia, which led to deep conversations about modern dating and the dangers of being a Certified Lover Girl/Boy in a noncommittal world.
• Ricky from Miami and I bonding over our experiences navigating the world as a first-gen children of immigrants and how this influences how we want to raise our families and grow our next generation. 
• Kevin from Chicago and I sharing our love of meeting strangers and deep desires to learn and understand the stories they’ve written in their lives. 
• Mikey from London, Chris from Leeds, and I exchanging stories about life experiences that have shaped who we are. While each of our life-altering experiences is uniquely ours, we all mutually felt, saw, and understood the feelings we had each felt in those moments.  

We all met in different cities throughout Spain at exactly the right place, at exactly the right time.

Despite coming from different parts of the world and leading different lives, we were all connected in some way.

—

It is now 11 AM on Day 10 of 12, and I am lying on a sunny patch of grass in the gardens near Plaza de España, nose-deep in a novel, determined to finish it as my trip is coming to a close. 

The book of choice for this trip was The Alchemist, a simple, parable-like story about a young Spaniard boy looking for meaning in life and realizing his personal destiny through his journey.

Hmmm… sounds wildly familiar. Almost like a girl who fled to Spain for some soul-searching.

At first, I thought it was way too corny and cliché to read this on this trip and that I should choose another book…

At second thought… I could lean in… 

Because in this life, to be cringe is to be free…

And I am feeling fucking liberated.

Do you remember sitting in the backseat of your family car and looking out your window, watching raindrops trickle down, pretending like you’re in a music video?

Yeah, you bet I was having a moment like that. 

I was absolutely romanticizing my life to the fullest, basking in my solitude under the Andalusian sunshine and orange trees in a city full of fiery love and passion. 

There’s no other way to lean into your travels than to look at life through rose-colored lenses.

While exploring life lessons through Paulo Coelho’s words of wisdom, I also thought about how great life is and all the people I love and care about.

And in that moment, my eyes fell onto this page.

“It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired.

‘When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it,’ the old man said.”

How magical is that?

If we truly desire something and pursue our dreams with passion and dedication, the Universe will align and help us along the way.

It is so poetic. So beautiful in its simplicity. 

In the context of this book, it teaches us that dreams can transform into reality through courage, intention, and love. 

I remember pausing to take in that excerpt for a moment and hoping all the people I care for and have cared for find what they’re looking for and that all their dreams become reality.

–

Paolo Coelho goes on to talk about how nothing is ever a coincidence.

According to most dictionaries, coincidence is defined as an occurrence of events that happen simultaneously without any deliberate planning or coordination.

Statistically driven people who rely on logic and evidence would likely simplify coincidence to randomness and probability. 

But have you ever experienced something that you know could not have been just a coincidence?

That randomness is not enough to explain what happened.

It’s almost as if God, or the Universe, or whatever you believe in, sent you an experience that felt so divine that there has to be a deeper meaning to the occurrence. 

It’s almost like a personal message sent from the cosmic was meant to help you along your journey. 

Perhaps the coincidences or synchronicities are there to guide you closer to your destiny, show up as a challenge to test if you’ve grown, or simply reassure you that you’re on the right track.

If we continue to move passionately through our journey and do what our heart truly desires, we embody the true definition of courage and resilience. 

And because our heart is the source of motivation, we also open our hearts to new opportunities and experiences.

As the Universe will do its part to help us succeed, new opportunities and experiences will be signs that will help lead us toward the right path. All we need to do is follow the guides and enjoy our journey.

All that love and passion radiating from within will help transform you, and things will all start falling into place for your success because everything in this world is more connected than you realize.

—

Paolo Coelho describes coincidence as the language of the stars. You could very well disagree with me and argue that this was all based on chance. 

With all the synchronicities on this trip, my usual logical mindset is now swaying toward Coelho’s interpretation of coincidence. 

I’m starting to think that all these synchronicities are telling me that this is exactly where I need to be right now and reminding me that this part of my journey is all part of the bigger picture.

The true meaning of coincidence may be in the eye of the beholder.

—

I am now back stateside, sitting in my favorite garden downtown with a cappuccino and my laptop, in the beautiful city I call home. 

With the sun rays beaming through the blossomed trees and the biggest smile on my face, I’m finishing up this piece and thinking back on the memories I’ve made, the incredible people I’ve met, and the lessons I’ve learned.

I went into my first week in Spain with so many questions and asked for some signs or directions, and I came back with experiences that have profoundly impacted my perspective and outlook on life. 

Before my trip, I thought a new adventure would answer all my life’s questions.

I knew I would come back inspired and refreshed. I knew I loved the version of myself when I travel, especially solo.

I also knew I didn’t want to feel this way only when abroad and that I wanted this feeling to last long-term, not just the two-week glow most of us take home after our travels.

The question became: how do I bring this energy back with me to New York?

So, I made it my mission to understand where this energy came from and to challenge myself to break old thought patterns.

Coming out of the other side of this adventure, I have realized that it isn’t the physical act of traveling somewhere new itself, but the experiences and the encounters that come along with it.

And these experiences and encounters happen when you allow yourself to open your heart to them.

It simply comes down to your mindset. 

—-

If we use my trip to Spain (and even Japan) as a case study, the odds seem to work in our favor. 

I set out to a new country with an open mind, looking for inspiration. 

Because I was open-minded, I welcomed new ideas and perspectives to embrace risk and change.

Because I embraced risk and change, I allowed myself to let my guard down, which allowed me to make so many incredible connections.

It all stemmed from being open-minded.

“A mind stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions.”

– Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

I learned that the boundaries that kept me safe at home could also keep me from potentially experiencing something really lovely. 

At the end of the day, does the fear of being perceived or not being understood prevail over the goodness and sweetness of being heard and being seen?

The worst that can happen is that someone doesn’t like or agree with your thoughts … but… so what?

What about the people who hear them and love them? What if you connect with them, and make them feel seen and understood, too?

You can apply this logic to virtually any fear you have.

“But what if *this* or what if *that*?”

I will still ask you the same question: But what if it turns out so much better than you imagine?

Even if it doesn’t, aren’t you just letting it go to allow space for something that will be better?

In either of those cases, wouldn’t we be doing ourselves a disservice by letting fear win?

—

When I came to Spain, navigating the current liminal stage of my life and unsure which direction to take, I was extremely tough on myself. I was trying to find the right way to achieve the dreams I envisioned for myself.

It is easy to get caught up in the energy and nonstop movement in life, especially in New York City. It is nearly impossible to allow yourself to pause, and it is almost against our culture because our all-or-nothing mindset is to stay in constant, forward momentum. 

No surprise there, we’re all just trying to be in our bag.

But the reality is…

We don’t need to have definitive answers all the time.

We don’t always have to prove our worthiness to exist.

It is okay to feel like you’re in the middle of two phases in your life. It is okay to pause for a second and figure out your next move.

This could simply mean that you are shedding a past version of yourself that no longer aligns with your path, beginning a new journey, and growing into a newer and improved version of yourself.

Instead of looking at this in-between space as purgatory, it should be seen as a refuge from all the noise and movement we never take a break from in our everyday lives. This time is meant for us to take a second and slow down.

It is all part of the bigger picture as we set out to do what our heart desires. 

At the end of the day, we are all just trying to make an impact on the world around us and lead meaningful and purposeful lives.

–

With that, as you follow your dreams…

Allow yourself to open your mind.

Welcome new perspectives and experiences with no judgment.

Find inspiration and meaning through the world around you.

Overcome your fears to be liberated from self-doubt and a limiting mindset.

Embrace any risk and change as a new opportunity to improve your current state.

Be kind to yourself and the people around you.

Live your truth.

Take a chance on yourself because you have a choice on how your life is going to turn out. You can shape your destiny.

And most importantly, enjoy the journey between all the highs and lows because the process is just as important as the destination.

Perhaps the point of it all is to live.

It may just be as simple as being true to you and your heart’s desires. 

If we all lead our lives with courage, intention, and love with open hearts and minds, I have a good feeling that we will all be okay. 

After all, they say fortune favors the brave.

/m