Hi! I’m Laura. A Traveling Light is where I share stories and reflections about the magic and meaning I see in everyday life. A gift of food, a poster on the street, a cool synchronicity, a conversation with a friend, the scent of spring lilacs — any of these things can ignite my sense of wonder and inspire the thought: “I need to write about this!”
Nowadays, I live in Berlin. I’m semi-nomadic, exploring other cities when I can, working as an editor, and penning the memoir of my transnational, multi-lifetime-inspired quarterlife crisis. My story reads like magic realism, to be honest, which was not the story I was expecting when I quit a statistics-driven Ph.D. program years ago to chase lifelong dreams of travel and writing. . .
. . . but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
As a traveler, as a writer, and as a soul, I’m equal parts adventurous and sensible, mystical and science-nerdy, poetic and no-nonsense, and my content will reflect this. Hence, you’ll notice that A Traveling Light isn’t “just” a travel blog, “just” a writing blog, or “just” a New Age/self-help blog. I DO hope that this blog inspires you; if you, too, are a nomad/mystic/poet at heart, I hope that you find some energizing validation in what you read here. However, this blog is not here to tell you to quit your day job; throw everything you have into some big trip or pilgrimage; sacrifice your time, money, or sanity for some monumental project; or “follow these precise steps to surefire success/happiness” of any kind. Rather, if this blog has any aim, that is to help you fall in love with this world and its wonders, big and small. To see life’s breathtaking web of interconnections and possibilities. To learn to hear the wisdom of your own heart. To celebrate the ways that love connects and heals — no distance of space or time too great for its reach. And to recognize the blessings that are the people you encounter. Wherever you are. Wherever you go.
Some of my favorite memories have been forged not in postcard-perfect “dream destinations,” but in the most unglamorous of settings. Some of my most life-affirming epiphanies have crystallized in the most mundane of situations. And some of my most incredible “healers” and “teachers” have been people who are not spiritually-inclined whatsoever. In other words: Life is the real adventure. This world is a magical place. We can choose to focus on seeing that magic wherever we find ourselves — whether that be on an unexplored continent or at the sandwich cart down the block.
So, A Traveling Light is ultimately about that: about moving through the world (however near or far) with a sense of gratitude, eyes open to casual miracles, souls open to the poetry and meaning in the mundane. . . and hearts open to each other. This site’s title is also a riff on “traveling ‘light’,” a reminder to be mindful about taking the time to process and drop the baggage we no longer need, so that we can continue on our paths feeling freer. More joyful. More content. More peaceful. More inspired.
. . . and, of course, A Traveling Light is also about BEING a traveling light: radiating the light of unconditional love wherever we go.
I hope these posts inspire you to fall in love with your own journey. After all, there is only one story in the history of the entire universe. And you are part of it. 😉
This place where you are right now
God circled on a map for you.Wherever your eyes and arms and heart can move
Against the earth and the sky,
The Beloved has bowed there –Our Beloved has bowed there knowing
You were coming.— Hafiz
Thank you for reading. I hope you find plenty of content here to energize, uplift, heal, and inspire.
Blessings,
Laura