I've done it again.  But this time it felt really different and it changed me in a new way.

Time Travel.  Literally.  Not the kind you see in the movies with a flux capacitor and bolts of lightning on the town clock or swirls of craziness in a hot tub time machine, but the real deal kind that changes your life for realz.

Back in November I said "YES!" to the Universe and we planted a seed.  Before I knew it I was knee-deep in the process of obtaining a Chinese Visa, packing my beloved camera and getting on a jet plane to travel to the other side of the world for two weeks of branding photo shoots with a wedding fitness coach (Laila Alieh…check her out at http://www.lailaalieh.com  ) When you're on the other side of the world you travel forward in Time an exact 12 hours.  I spent two weeks in my "future"....living, breathing, thinking, sorting, seeing the possibilities and of course taking pictures all along the way to help me remember.

One of the places I needed to visit while in China was Tiananmen Square in Beijing.  It held not only a piece of my past but truly a piece to take back to my present.  Back in 1989 I was in my first year of college at IUPUI and the protests by students in Tiananmen Square was the first world event that I followed closely. I distinctly remember going to the mailbox one day and pulling out Time Magazine with the image of the man in front of a tank.  I don't even have the words to describe how I felt to have the opportunity to visit this place that had my young attention and opened my eyes to the world at large beyond my small quiet hometown.

As I was taking photos my eyes were drawn to the words on the back of this boy's shirt and let me tell you. They hit me. Hard. There was just so damn much wrapped up in that.

"Never forget where you came from.  You may have to go back some day"

When the crowds dispersed and we were all walking through the tunnel leaving the Square I was overwhelmed with emotion. This image, although not one of the most scenic, is one of my most treasured from my trip to China, where I stood in the same place on the other side of the world where there were people brave enough to stand in front of tanks and stand up for something they believed in.

The Time Travel lesson for me was held sacredly inside this message on the boy's shirt and that 12-hour time difference between where I was at the moment the where I would be returning to some day.  Home.

I felt as if I were literally being handed a second chance to create my life.  I'd been catapulted into the future and soon would be replanted into my life back home....when I left China it was 3:30 on Thursday afternoon Sep 6 and when I landed in Chicago it was 3:30 on Thursday afternoon Sep 6.  Surreal.

The whole thing I didn't take lightly.  I paid attention and even though some of the changes have been difficult, there are others that I'm trying to adjust to in a new and better way rather than to completely reupholster.  

Even if you don't have a chance to Time Travel or visit the other side of the world, know that you CAN choose to claim that magic for your Self NOW.

A line from a movie I watched on the plane also stayed with me....

"It's okay to be alone but not insignificant."

So here I am, living my "new" life and doing my best to not to be insignificant in my world.  Here's to living a life that leaves a mark in the world and makes it a better place.