Weaving Threads Together While On the Road

Stoked to be a guest writer for my friends over at Late Sunday Afternoon, who create insanely gorgeous scarves that accompany me on all of my global adventures. Check out this post about how I met my friend Arushi, Founder of The Initiative...

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Megan Harrod is a Late Sunday Afternoon ambassador on a journey around the world. This is one of her stories from the road.

Some of the best relationships I’ve encountered have been the ones that occur when I’ve least expected it. Lives are woven together purposefully and beautifully, like the threads woven into this very scarf draped around my neck. While traveling in a faraway dreamland, we connect and intertwine and we’re consumed by each other for that moment…a moment solidified in time with memories, giggles, dancing, exploration, and maybe even tears. I live for these moments. I live for this kind of human connection. It fuels my travels. It fuels my spirit. 

I spend a lot of time on the road. In the last year alone I have traveled to four new countries and 12 countries total, and thousands and thousands of miles across the United States, Europe and beyond. I’ve been the owner of five addresses. I’ve packed my life and moved across the country, and then a month later, moved across the country again. I lived out of a duffel bag and a couple of backpacks for six months traveling in an Audi named “Gita Jan” across Europe this past winter. I’ve lived in the back of a Uhaul moving truck, on couches, and in a former polygamist compound.  I shaved my head, and traveled solo to India for a month. And through it all, I’ve met some of the best people in my life while on the road. Arushi is no exception. 

I “met” Arushi virtually a few years back when I co-owned a bag company with a focus on sustainability that sourced textiles from villages around the world. Arushi, now owner of The Initiative, was then a product designer, visionary and powerful woman with a love for culture and handcraft, and a desire to create something special and sustainable. She had visited our master weaver, Vankar Shamji, in India. I still remember that initial Skype call with Aru, who is now a great friend of mine.

The passion emanated from Arushi's pours. She was inspired by this initial journey to Bhuj in Gujarat, India and claims learning from Shamji's wisdom as one of her life-defining moments. On that call, Arushi told me that she learned more than she could ever imagine and left with a shifted perspective. Going to the village, she told me, she felt a bit of pity for the villagers...almost feeling as if they were "stuck" there. But she left enlightened. When I took my maiden voyage to India this past June, everything came full circle and I met both Arushi—a virtual friend for three years now—and Master Weaver Vankar Shamji, whose story united us in the first place. This Universe. Seriously. Threads purposely and beautifully woven together. 

This image captures a moment that I will never forget. Journeying to Bhuj together, Arushi and I traveled to Shamji's home and witnessed his craft in action. And when we were about to leave, we asked if we could get a picture with Shamji and his father and uncle. I sat down next to Shamji's father, and he started to pray. He and uncle said a prayer throughout the process of picture-taking and I sat there with tears of gratitude welling up in my eyes and a warmth in my heart that was unlike anything I've ever experienced. It took everything in my soul to not turn to my left and give his father—and Shamji as well—the most massive bear hug I could ever give, but in their culture this action would have been seriously frowned upon, so instead I turned with tears in my eyes and said, "Namaste" as I bowed my head. And we left, imprinted by his prayer forever. Blessed by his blessing. 

I’m on a mission to share my love of travel, adventure, happiness and mystery with everyone whose path I’m knotted and blessed to cross. No two individuals are alike, much like the scarves draped around our necks. Everyone has a unique and beautiful story that deserves to be heard, and shared. For me, travel unites individuals and their stories, and cultivates magic through human connection. I will continue to approach life like this, exploring with wide eyes and a big, open heart and mind, cultivating positivity and creating connections that weave us together purposefully and beautifully. 

As I sit here and reflect, gratitude spills out of me…thank you for inspiring me, Arushi. And thank you, Late Sunday Afternoon, for allowing me to share these stories. More to come. Together, we are knotted and blessed. 

A Broken Heart, A Broken Promise, Yet Unbroken.

Today is a five-year relationship anniversary that I celebrate on my own. 18 months ago, I left my husband. Today, I am not mourning the loss of a love that was promised to be forever. Instead, I’m celebrating the gifts I’ve received from having loved and been loved. I’m embracing the transformative lessons I’ve learned from that broken promise and from a heart that I’ve made a new promise to — my own.

In the wake of the recent blood moon, the Universe instilled in me a sense of gratitude, energy and transformation I’ve never experienced before. I slept in the bed of a pick-up truck lovingly named “Ron Burgundy” deep in the desert of southern Utah, surrounded by the stars, a quirky cast of characters, good vibrations, and the biggest, most beautiful, most powerful moon I’ve ever witnessed. I gazed up at that big ol’ moon and I made a promise that will not be broken.

I made a promise to myself to be at peace with what was, be at peace with what is, and be at peace with what is to be.

As I stared at the moon, the moon stared back at me. On that night, the moon taught me that transformation is powerful and purposeful. As I witnessed the moon itself transform, that moon encouraged me to recall all that I’ve learned since I started this journey over a year ago. The moon reminded me to reflect.

So I spent time the other day going through wedding photos. I laughed, I cried a little bit, and through the process I found myself thankful. Thankful because it helped me to remember the good. It reminded me of a moment that was among the most blissful I’ve ever had. And that means something. That, to me, means it was real. And true. And purposeful. Because other people saw and felt this truth, our wedding graced the pages of wedding magazines and blogs. Walk with me, back in time, for a few minutes with a photo montage that will be my wedding's final feature...

“She was never crazy. She just didn’t let her heart settle in a cage. She was born wild, and sometimes we need people like her. For it’s the horrors in her heart which cause the flames in ours. And she was always willing to burn for everything she has ever loved. ”

— R.M. DRAKE

This time of year is always transformative, and the universal shift overwhelming. But this year I welcome the shift. Because I know I can handle it. I know I can move with it. So today I share with you the greatest lessons I’ve learned, from a broken promise and a broken heart, and a meditation that I use daily to get through challenging moments.

1)   Life is a collection of moments that we must embrace and let go.
People. Places. Experiences. They enter your life at the time they do for a reason. So, embrace them when they do. Learn from them. And, learn to let go of them when they leave. Give yourself the permission to open your heart and mind, love big and feel your feelings. No, I mean really. FEEL them. And, in the end, allow yourself to look at these moments as blessings from which you can learn and grow. I think back to my wedding day, 10/09/10, and my heart is whole. I find comfort in the fact that I know I was happy that day, and that – five years later – I am even happier today. On that day, it was true. And I am thankful to have had that moment and had that man in my life when I did.

Daily Meditation: “I am open to receiving God’s love, finest gifts, and blessings.”

2)   It’s better to feel pain than nothing at all.
Pain reminds you that you’re alive. Just over one year ago when I walked away from my marriage, my biggest fear was that no one would ever be enough for me. I constantly though to myself, 'Self: he's a brilliant man. Dynamic. Driven. Accomplished. What more could you want?!' I was convinced my path would be a path traveled solo. In reality, my heart chakra wasn’t open to love, and soon enough I’d learn that anything that entered my life would only give me as much as I could give them. I did, however, fall in love again, and learned greater lessons than I ever imagined. I learned that the first love and heartbreak after a divorce can feel more painful and heavier than you ever conceived…more so, even, than divorce itself. But through it all, I learned that I am able to feel love again. That nervous, butterflies-in-my-stomach childlike giddy feeling. Oh how I adore that. Heartbreak can be a heavy, overwhelming feeling. The deepest and most confusing I’ve ever felt.

I remember sitting there, on the bathroom floor, staring at my shower curtain, sobbing. Sitting, on the laundry room floor, against the dryer in confusion asking “Why?!” I have cried and cried and cried. I have shed 1,789 teardrops and I don’t feel like I have any left. But there are always more. I have lost sleep. But, I know I’m blessed. I’m blessed to experience love again. Because that love taught me four of the biggest lessons I could have learned at this point in my journey, and lessons that were foreign to me in my previous relationship: 1) I learned that I am able to prioritize someone before myself in a relationship, 2) I learned an extremely valuable lesson in patience, and 3) I learned I am open and able to receive love again. Even if he didn’t use the words “I love you,” I felt loved, and 4) Above all else, I've learned to stay true to myself.

When you’re going through the hell of a heartbreak it is sometimes difficult to see through the muck and find clarity and purpose. But, for me, it was very clear. My lover taught me lessons I was unable to learn from the last, which will be appreciated by the next.

Daily Meditation: “I am open to receiving my lover, partner and friend.”

3)    I’ve learned to trust myself, be true to myself and love myself.
Finding and acknowledging these as truths has helped me to look forward with intention and purpose. Even if that means ending something that may seem beautiful and right…you must listen to your gut. And, in being true to yourself, you have to be comfortable with the fact that when you tell someone you love that this love isn’t right for you, you may never be held by that person again. That they may miss you, but they probably won’t. And that your relationship will not ever feel the same again. That is fucking hard. But life is a series of adventures in impermanence, and this too shall pass.

I start my day, every day, with the following meditation: “What I know is: I am loved beyond measure, I am a divine daughter of God, I am not alone.” And even though I may not be able to make it through this meditation without tears spilling from my eyes, I continue on this path. Because it is the path to truth.

4)   The Universe will never give you more than you can handle.
In June I traveled to India on a solo sojourn, and I was reminded of this fact every single day. At times life is painful and confusing and it’s difficult to see clearly what you’re supposed to take from a situation, but I’ve learned that I can always handle what I’m given. And I always walk away stronger and more resilient. If you aren’t happy, find ways to change your situation. Find healing. For me, the mountains always heal.  So does time spent in nature. Or a hot bubble bath. Whatever that healing looks like for you, remember that it is a blessing to feel pain and all part of the journey to something bigger and better. 

As R.M. Drake said, “Tragedies will always be found in the things we love. And if we are not willing to see the beauty in losing something that means the world to us, then imagine how terrible it will be to live for them. We must always welcome the end of all things. For sometimes, knowing nothing lasts forever, is the only way we can learn to fall in love with all the moments and all the people that are meant to take our breath away.”

5)   If you have a big energy, others will attempt to find a way to tap into that energy.
I am an open book. I feel everything. This is simultaneously my biggest strength and weakness. Where I often get into trouble is when I approach a situation with too open of a mind and heart, and end up confusing someone else’s negative energy with my own. Remember to be gentle with yourself. Surround yourself with a tribe that gives you energy and does not take your energy. And, work to find awareness so you find a healthy balance of giving and receiving that doesn’t entail you taking on everyone’s negative energy.

Daily Meditation: “I ask the angels to restore, repair, and reinforce my aura.”

If all else fails, listen to Rachel Platten's Fight Song. It's damn cheesy. And amazing. Now go and be strong. Breathe. Be gentle with yourself. Take back your life. Believe.

I may never marry again, but you can bet I’ll love deeply again. I do not feel anger towards my ex husband or my ex lover. I do not feel envy. I do not feel resentment. I do feel a bit of sadness. I do feel gratitude. I do feel freedom. I do feel blessed. And, the biggest blessing of all is that I FEEL at all.

I am at peace with what was, I am at peace with what is, I am at peace with what is to be.

What's your superpower?

I recently came across a quote that read, "If you love hard, don't apologize for your superpower." It came at the right moment. I've always believed each one of us has a superpower—an art—that is unique to us as individuals. I'd like to think mine is creating connections between concepts, people or things that wouldn't otherwise have found that connection. I've also been known to love pretty hard, unapologetically. As strong and confident as I may seem, I have a pretty sensitive spirit and loving hard has definitely been a trait that's been known to work against me. And as positive, open and big my spirit may seem, I feel everything in a very overwhelming way...which can affect me negatively. I've always said, the way I feel energy is my biggest strength and equally my greatest Kryptonite. To be quite honest, sometimes it fucking sucks.

I was reminded of this fact as I was flipping through the pages of a book gifted to me from my great friend Claire, entitled "The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself," by Michael A. Springer. She sent this book to me for my 32nd birthday and suggested I read it before traveling on my solo journey to India. For those of you who know what my attention span is like, you know that I can't make it through a book for the life of me...so it didn't happen after ski season and before India. But it happened when it was supposed to happen. Weeks passed.

I picked up the book a few weeks ago and dove in, instantly connecting to and identifying with the words that graced the pages. And there it was. Chapter 5. "Infinite Energy." My god, these words were written for my soul. And so, I wanted to share them with you. And encourage you to continue to love big, give your beautiful energy to the world, and be comforted in the fact that more good will come out of it than the reverse, and the Universe will only give you as much as you can handle. Please remember that. I've lived that.

...you have a phenomenal amount of energy inside of you. It doesn't come from food and it doesn't come from sleep. This energy is always available to you. At any moment you can draw upon it. It just wells up and fills you from inside. When you're filled with this energy, you feel like you can take on the world. When it is flowing strongly, you can actually feel it coursing through you in waves. It gushes up spontaneously from deep inside and restores, replenishes and recharges you.

The only reason you don't feel this energy all of the time is because you block it. You block it by closing your heart, by closing your mind, and by pulling yourself into a restrictive space inside. This closes you off from all the energy. When you close your heart or close your mind, you hide in the darkness within you. There is no light. There is no energy. There is nothing flowing. The energy is still there but you can't get in...

The yogis call energy "chakras." When you close your heart center, energy can't flow in. When energy can't flow in, there's darkness. Depending on how closed you are, you either feel tremendous disturbance or overwhelming lethargy...how many times have you experienced these dynamics in your life? You have a wellspring of beautiful energy inside of you. When you are open you feel it; when you are closed you don't. This flow of energy comes from the depth of your being. It's been called many things. In ancient Chinese medicine, it is called "Chi." In yoga, it is often called "Shakti." In the West, it is called "Spirit." Call it anything you want. That spiritual energy is what you're experiencing when love rushes up into your heart.

The more you stay open, the more energy flows can build. At some point, so much energy comes into you that it starts flowing out of you. You feel it as waves pouring off of you...what is more, it affects other people. People can pick up on your energy, and you're feeding them with this flow. If you are willing to open even more, it never stops. You become a source of light for all of those around you.

Just keep opening and not closing. Wait until you see what happens to you...the most important thing in life is your inner energy. If you're always tired and never enthused, then life is no fun. But if you're always inspired and filled with energy, then every minute of every day is an exciting experience. Learn to work with these things...You do this by relaxing and releasing. You do this by not buying into the concept that there is anything worth closing over. Remember, if you love life, nothing is worth closing over. Nothing, ever, is worth closing your heart over.

Okay, I admit - I got a little carried away with the borrowed words above, but they resonated so strongly with me that I thought I'd share them with you. I definitely recommend reading the book. But, more so, I recommend approaching life with an open heart and open mind, and exploring where it takes you. It can be vulnerable and it can be damn-scary, but it's always worth the learning experience in the end, no matter how many tears are shed. Crying is therapeutic, right? And after all, if you truly love life, nothing is worth closing your heart over. Ever.

Loving big and making connections are my superpowers. Unapologetically. What is/are yours?

Sparkle on...

WHOAMAG Feature: World Traveler and Soulful Skier

Thanks to my friends at whoamag.co (Women of Heart and Outdoor Adventure Magazine) for connecting over shared passions the other day, and for the fun write-up! Guess I better get on writing that book, huh?! Also, love the female hygiene reference—can't remember what that was about, but you can thank my midwife mother for rubbing off on me...

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Megan Harrod is the first person US Alpine Ski Team members talk to at the bottom of epic runs all winter long. As the Press Officer for both the men’s and women’s teams, Megan spends the colder months crisscrossing Europe in her Audi, Gita Jan. During the off-season, she can be found traveling the world sourcing sustainable textiles, experiencing fascinating new cultures and exploring her wanderlust. She’s also a spiritual badass.

The “White Circus”
As the team’s press officer, Megan facilitates meetings between athletes and members of the media, like ESPN, The New York Times and the AP. During her travels between the men’s and women’s teams, she’s most often alone, even for 13-hour drives. She can frequently be found raiding Olympian Lindsey Vonn’s mini fridge for Red Bull before hitting the road. Megan listens to TED talks and This American Life to pass the time.

“It can get lonely,” she admits, especially after a really lengthy day when she sometimes wishes she had someone to cozy up with. Megan’s job consists of long hours, starting at 5 a.m. and often not ending until 2 or 3 in the morning. She may spend a week with the women (like 2014-2015 team members Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and Alice McKennis) before driving through several countries to meet the men’s team (Bode Miller, Steven Nyman, Ted Ligety and more.) The 2015-2016 team hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s a good bet you’ll see some of the names above on the latest roster.

“I’m always a fresh face,” she said of her constant switching between the two teams. She says each group is like a family, going to events together all season long, starting with training in Park City, Utah in late fall. The athletes spend countless hours together and often turn to Megan for some relaxing conversation between races. It’s gotta be nice to have someone new and exciting to talk to that’s not your near-constant training partner or roommate….

“The team is super diverse,” Megan told us, rattling off a list of impressive alma maters and degrees that the athletes are seeking all while taking part in training and competitions. Today they are Olympians, but in the future the skiers will be engineers, artists and more.

Megan and friend Janica Kostelic at the Men’s Slalom 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships at Vail/Beaver Creek. Photo: USSA

Megan is a people person who finds connections with everyone she meets, and her position with the US team is a pretty perfect fit. It allows her to be near-constantly active, going to and from different countries all season long. It also allows her to stay involved in one of her first great loves – skiing. Through all the long days, Megan said watching the sunset over the closest mountain makes it all worth it.

Megan, the athlete
From age 7, Megan was a competitive skier all the way through college. Her family was constantly chasing the next great powder, she said, as they spent every weekend racing and practicing for the next meet. “We’d ski six days and travel one,” she shared. Not every young athlete looks upon their intense competitive upbringing in such a good light, but Megan attributes much of who she is now to the values she learned on the slopes. Today she is able to train with professional alpine team members both on and off the ski hill.

“I’m almost always the only non-athlete in the gym,” Megan said. She’s still in amazing shape, with major lower body strength from all those years of racing. She keeps fit with weight lifting, skiing when she can and lately, mountain biking around Park City.

Megan floats on the Ganges in June, 2015, complete with a mala and building sense of awe.

Megan does India, and unlike other white girls, isn’t there for the yoga
During the off-season, Megan is quite the wanderluster. “I’m always planning my next adventure,” she told Whoa. Her last big journey took place over the course of the entire month of June, starting on her 32nd birthday when she flew to Mumbai. She spent the next few weeks traveling by bus and plane to see both well and little-known parts of India. She took in the sights, from the holiest of the 7 sacred cities in Varanasi to visiting a waterfall in Rishikesh. Megan even meditated on a boat on the Ganges River. Her Instagram (@megansharrod) is full of colorful images, like a wagon stacked with mangoes, her arms covered in intricate Mehndi and beautiful portraits of locals she came across on the street.

“India is not my favorite,” she admits right away, referencing her journey that ended just a month and a half ago. “Everything there is cerebral,” Megan exclaimed. From figuring out how to safely cross the street to navigating buses and rickshaws to get where you need to go, absolutely everything in India takes brain power. She was in the country during summertime, when temperatures are stifling even into the night. Much of her trip enfolded during a heat wave. A rough and long journey on a bus with no AC certainly didn’t lead to a comfortable night of travel when she traveled Haridwar to Varanasi. She did add, though, that despite strangers fears for her solo endeavor through the country, she felt safe for most of her trip. Megan mentioned there is still a stigma about female travelers going just about anywhere by themselves. But she ran into multiple unaccompanied ladies throughout her month-long stay. “It’s not comfortable, but it’s not impossible,” she added, talking about women traveling through India by themselves.

She began her big adventures at age 8, when the athlete (accompanied by an older brother) left her home in Wisconsin to board a train in Chicago heading west to Copper Mountain, Colorado for skiing camp. She’d never been out of the country until age 18, but would soon become the friend that’s always on the go. Megan lived in Prague for several years, and has visited more countries than she can count off the top of her head, including most of Europe and Peru. She’s had five addresses in the past 12 months alone, and went on 4 major cross-country road trips in the U.S. during that time. She’s hoping to go to Japan and Korea this winter with the alpine team, fulfilling her goal to visit at least two new countries every year.

When asked what locale is her favorite, Megan mentions Cesky Krumlov, a town in the Czech Republic. The many pastel, red-roofed buildings house the friendly Czech people, who the wanderluster claims are sort of like butter – skeptical at first but kind and wonderful on the inside. In her eyes, Cesky Krumlov is very different from Prague as it has a much more small-town feel. There you can walk along the streets among locally owned shops and quickly encounter the friendly attitudes of the residents. There are even gypsies who live there, and “beautifully coexist” with the other area citizens. Here, Megan knows the names of the stores and their owners, from the restaurants and hostels to the shisha bar and teahouse called “Dobra Cajovna”  that she frequents when in town. This city holds much significance for Megan, as it was where she got engaged and is also the spot where she later decided to end her marriage. In some ways it is an epicenter where she both lost and then regained her independence.

Textiles
Megan is fascinated with textiles. Before becoming a press officer, she was a co-owner of Ethnotek,  a Minneapolis-based company that sources backpack fabrics from locations across the world. There, she found a love for sustainable practices that work to bring people out of poverty. A similar company called Topo Designs just announced the traveler will be an ambassador for their brand – which makes plenty of sense as she has nothing but high praise for their handy packs and accessory bags.

While in India, Megan made it a point to meet Arushi, the founder of The Initiative. The organization sources weavings for intricate scarves, yoga mat bags and blankets from rural weavers who might otherwise not be able to find work due to lack of education or resources. The duo had been friends for several years after meeting when Megan worked for Ethnotek, and were thrilled to finally speak in person after many Skype conversations. Through Arushi, Megan was able to meet some of the weavers and see the process in person. The experience furthered her love for handmade fabrics and cloth goods.

Her forthcoming book will be like a collection of threads woven together through her words and imagery – we can’t wait!

Setting goals and working towards them
When she went to college, Megan thought she wanted to be a sports broadcaster. She created her own major around professional female athletes and the media, and envisioned herself continuing her sports-centered life from a journalistic perspective. Between then and now, she has been a crossfit instructor, a member of the 80-hour-a-week corporate marketing world, a company co-founder and has also held some odd jobs to get by. She is, in a way, living out that college dream being involved with her love of skiing while also doing some writing and wrangling both athletes and members of the media.

Megan’s spirit animal is a unicorn. She can frequently be found wearing crazily-patterned leggings.

Megan sets a lot of goals for herself. She works towards her next big trip starting the moment she steps off the plane from one adventure, and always strives toward getting into better physical and mental shape while practicing self-care. A girl’s gotta have a break now and then!

There are many women who are stuck working long hours in unfulfilling jobs but can’t leave to follow their dreams. Megan was once in this position too, but has since left her corporate marketing job and couldn’t be happier. To ladies with too many obligations and big dreams, Megan says, “Set goals.” If you want something, figure out the steps to get it and progress up that ladder as you can. This can be anything from starting your own health coaching company to affording a trip to Africa. Not only does this method sound like a good plan to actually make dreams become a reality, it can give you hope as you take each step and get closer to the end goal. Break out a notebook and pen (or smartphone, we’re cool either way) and start planning!

Megan also swears by micro-adventures, short weekend trips to get outside. She claims even virtually escaping by reading travel blogs and researching your next trip can be relaxing and exciting. Plus you’ll be more prepared once you finally reach your goal and start your new journey. You can start by checking out #Vagablonde, Megan’s blog where she delves into her travels, skiing and more personal “musings.”

Don’t give up what you love
Megan is a story collector, learning something from everyone she meets. Her very first book, a collection of shorts about the many incredible lessons she has garnered through her travels will hopefully be available in 2016.  One of her many goals is to form intimate relationships with everyone she meets. It shows throughout our 1.5 hour long conversation as we talk about everything from her travels and the White Circus, to feeling people’s energy and even female hygiene. Megan shared that she always tries to remain open to whatever the universe brings to her.

“The world won’t give you something you can’t handle, ” she said, even after a tough year full of changing relationships, moving and learning the ins and outs of a new job. “A thirsty, open mind and heart will lead to the right thing for you,” She told Whoa. So far her philosophy certainly seems to be working.

One thing is for certain about Megan: She is always searching. It’s pretty impressive to see that need for adventure and travel is something she continues to feed and is not willing to sacrifice.

“If you want something, go get it. Do what you can that’s healthy in order to get it,” she told us. Between now and ski season, you can probably find Megan SUPing or riding her new mountain bike in and around Utah. Come winter, she’ll cross the ocean and re-join the alpine teams as their media ringleader and fascinating friend.

Go, Megan, go!

If you want to send Megan fan mail, she won’t have an address this winter.

You can find her on Instagram and Twitter @megansharrod

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Dang, Hatie made me sound WAY cooler than I am. Thanks, woman!! Much love, and NAMASTE!