Our True Colors

Black in Bali: Adventures with Twanette Barrett

June 09, 2022 Shawna Gann Season 4 Episode 4
Our True Colors
Black in Bali: Adventures with Twanette Barrett
Show Notes Transcript

Join Yolandie and me this week as we chat with my wonderful friend, Twanette Barrett. She is a retired army vet and now a life coach living in Bali, Indonesia.

If this is your first time with OTC, check out EPISODE 1: START HERE for more background on the show.

Our True Colors is sponsored by True Culture Coaching & Consulting. Head to our website to find out how True Culture Coaching and Consulting can support you and your organization. You can find us at truecultureconsulting.com where you can also contact us to schedule a free consultation.

Transcribed by Otter.ai

Intro  00:06
Welcome to our True Colors hosted by Sean again. Join her as she explores the challenges of being a racial, racial, and ethnic enigma and a cultural conundrum. Let's dive in.

Shawna  00:20
Hey, Andy, what's up?

Yolandie  00:23
What's up with you? We always start with me let's let's turn the tables this this week and what's going on in shadows world?

Shawna  00:30
Oh, shadows world is never slowing down. Every once in a while. There's a little bit of a little bit of a break, but I am just so busy, but always the good busy. It's the good busy. So I am. I feel like I report on the same things all the time. People are gonna be like, Oh my God, when is she going to be done with this paper? So I am still pushing through dissertation time. That's mostly what's going on work is busy. But again, good stuff. I love love, love what I do. So that always makes like a workday fun. And other than that I have been embracing my however, I don't want to say like old leanness because it's not old lady. But it's here I am in the morning with my a cup of coffee on my back porch, watching the deer and the foxes and all the things and like, just love and sit on my porch. That's kind of how that is. And then, you know, gets me going for my day. So that's pretty cool. That's the upside of working for yourself. And then not commuting is like, just roll on outside, check out the wildlife for a little bit sipping my coffee and then go. Okay, I guess let's go ahead and start working.

Yolandie  01:45
See I relate to the group embracing the old lady Agnes. I mean, I'm thinking my excuses pregnancy, I don't know. But I have been very, like, let's say lackluster in my ability to want to do very much of anything. So like, on the calendar, the work hours for my office have like shrunk to about two thirds of what they were. And I'm sleeping in a little bit later. And I'm going to bed a little earlier. And I'm like, You know what, I just I do I feel like that grumpy old lady. I'm like, You know what, I just don't have the patience for this right now. I'm not going to do it. And so

Shawna  02:21
I don't think lack lust. Okay, I think we I need to check us both. So first of all lackluster there's nothing lackluster about what's going on over there. But Hamilton styles. Okay, so that's the first thing. The second thing is I say old lady is because people always have this image of, of like little people sitting on a porch somewhere. Right? That and for those of you who listened to alternative music in the 90s You might know old man on the back porch by presidents of the United States. Just throw that out. I don't know how many people will relate to that. But also that comes to Oh, you do you know? Oh, yeah. President what is the one song like everybody knows. I don't even know you. All

Yolandie  03:00
you have to say if they're a millennial is millions of peaches. And they know what millions

Shawna  03:03
of peaches. I'm not a millennial, though. I'm an egg. Egg. Xenial

Yolandie  03:10
Oh, okay. But I'll pick a side

Shawna  03:13
note. I'm a straddle that's my freewill. I'm going to be an example. But that's okay. I'm gonna hang with y'all with the President's because there's millions of teachers. Anyway. Anyway, anyway, bringing it back. So not lackluster, not old ladies. We are exercising our free will and enjoying life. How about that?

Yolandie  03:34
I can agree with that. Okay, yes.

Shawna  03:37
Cool. Well, listen, I'm so excited to introduce our guests today. This is somebody who knows how to enjoy life probably like nobody else I know.

Twanette  03:49
My name is 20 Barrett most people call me t. I am retired military army and also a certified life coach. And I'm a free spirit.

Shawna  04:02
This is a woman who when we talk about embracing life, like that's the largest understatement when can make this somebody so full of like so full of adventure that I just sit back in on like, get it. Hey T! Welcome welcome.

Twanette  04:21
Hey Shawna! Hey everybody! I'm happy to be here excited to be on our two colors.

Shawna  04:30
Yes, I was telling you Yolandie, before we started that I have been so waiting to get T on the show because she just has so much to share it I'm not only is she just a beautiful, amazing person, a great friend. But really, when you are feeling like I need some courage, just just the All you need is a little bit of tea and she's like, let me show you how to live it. So tell these wonderful people where you are right now.

Twanette  04:59
So currently, I'm living in Bali, Indonesia.

Shawna  05:03
And how did you get there? Why are you there? What's the story?

Twanette  05:07
Okay, so let's take it back to quarantine. Okay, I'm sitting there. I decided to move to Airbnb. I'm in quarantine. And I'm on social media looking at one of my friends story. He was actually living here at the time. And just didn't take it back a little bit. We actually met in one of the coaching modules in London. So that's where we met. And so I happened to be looking at one of his stories. And he was in a rice fields. And I was like, Oh, my God, that's so beautiful, and something on the inside. And he was like, you're supposed to be there. So but after looking at his story, I sent him a message. And I was like, Hey, can we set up a time to talk? Because I have some questions. I think I'm coming about him. So he hit me back immediately. He was like, sure, like, the next day we got on the phone. We talked, I'll say, How is it out there? What's going on? And he was like, Oh, this place is paradise is wonderful, is super cheap. The food is amazing. He had me at food is amazing. So I was like, okay, and he gave me all the information I needed, what I needed to fill out to come over to Bali. So that's what I did. I filled out my visa application, but at the time the borders were closed. So my application was just sitting in the system, waiting for the borders to open. And what happened is it took about a month before the borders actually opened up. I got an email said it's been approved. And I booked a flight for the next week. And I was gone. Just like that.

Yolandie  06:51
I'm just, I was internally laughing. I don't know if it showed up on the outside. Because I know y'all are listening, you can't see. But we can see each other. When as soon as she was like he had me at the food was good. I was like, That's my travel itinerary. I'm like, what kind of restaurants do we got? What's the food like here? And I'm an eater. I'm like, let's go there and eat the food. I don't care what historical attractions you guys like me the food? I feel like that's where the soul of people lives is in the food that they cook. So I'm like, give me the food. Give me all the food and

Shawna  07:26
tea. Are you active on Google? Like when people do Google reviews? No, I can't even believe it. Because she can you can set up like food tours.

Twanette  07:38
Okay, so now that you said that, I discovered this wonderful thing is called Google Maps. And in there, you can create folders and add restaurants and stuff that you like. So I actually did create that once I got here I have a whole list of restaurants, a whole list of spas resorts in folders, just for barley. And all of my friends here, they always asked me, What's the place to go eat? Because I'm kind of known as the foodie and no way all the good spots are even like the little mom and pops. They're called White rooms. And yeah, it's a lot of amazing food over here. I'm not disappointed, ever.

Shawna  08:23
That's good. Okay, so you said that you saw your friend's story, you got in touch with him. And you were like, look, I you had this sort of drive to go. Listen, a lot of you know my story. I've lived in lots of places military has sent us to amazing places, we've visited amazing places. But there's always this at least if you're traveling with work, or if you're traveling, you know it for for whatever reason, if you're sponsored in some way, there's a safety net, there's going to be somebody on the other side to greet you, there's probably going to be some arrangements made for where to stay, what to do with your things, any paperwork or bureaucracy that you have to take care of, at least in my situation, when we were when my family was traveling, you know, for the government and other people who have corporations or businesses with a global footprint. They go and they have that support. But to just say, I'm looking at this picture, and something is telling me I've got to be there. And you just go and you're not there because of work. You're not there because of you know, something else. The second a lot of folks would be terrified to do that. So how do you do it?

Twanette  09:36
So that's very interesting, because I actually knew absolutely nothing about Bali. I've heard about it, but I didn't know know about Bali at all. I didn't know that. It's actually a very spiritual place. I didn't know internally that I was going on my spiritual journey, that I knew that internally. So if anyone will ask me, I say well, I'm going My spiritual journey I'm going to Bali, not know nothing about Bali. And once I got here I was like, oh, okay, got it. It was really just following my gut. And just knowing like, just trust the process, just do it. I was just kind of feels weird it I just packed up whatever little stuff I had and threw it in storage. I left my car with a friend of mine. And I hopped on a plane, and I came here. And even though my friend was here at the time, I actually only seen him one time in passing, we had about a 15 minute conversation because he had to go somewhere. He was on his way to yoga class. And after that we were trying to schedule like, we got to go get something to eat, you know, lunch, dinner, whatever. But it never happened. It never happened. And then an emergency happened for him at home because he's from Spain. So he flew out, like, the next day, and I never seen him again. So I was really over here on my own. And how long have you been there? So I've been here since April of 21. Wow. And you only seen each other in passing. I only seen him in passing one time. And it was for about 15 minutes. Wow. I was sitting at the resort restaurant, and he was on his way leaving the resort, but to get on his bike, and I was like, oh my god, hey, he was like, oh my god, see, and we talked about that. He was like, I gotta get to my yoga appointment. But we'll meet up Blah, blah, blah, blah. And but it never happened. But for me, he gave me what I needed to have. So our meat was what it was supposed to be. He was supposed to pass information on to me, I take it and then go from there. And that's what I did. And he always even now he'll send me a message. Oh my God, I feel so bad. We never even got the outside. No, I It's okay. It was okay. It's not even a big deal.

Shawna  12:03
Wow. So on the show, we talk about what it is to be racially ambiguous to be a racial, racial and ethnic and egg monocultural conundrum. And you know, a lot of that's because whose society says we is, is constructed? It's a social construct, you know, people are just people, but there's always this sort of need to categorize people or say, you are this, you fit here. And while we know that's a farce, we just are who we are, that doesn't change how we have to navigate in the world, in our spaces, because there are people who are just going to categorize. So part of this is you know, I talk about my kids being third culture, kids, or maybe being a third culture adult. What is it like for you being a black woman in a place, that's neither the majority black nor white, given this constant? Like we typically hear race framed in the binary of black and white, sometimes every once awhile, someone will say, black and brown folks or whatever. So I'm just wondering what it's like for you your perspective as a black woman, in living in the country now more than a year, where there isn't this binary of majority black nor white?

Twanette  13:20
That's a very good question. One of my missions, I had a mission. I was like, I'm going to come to Bali, and I am going to find my people, and my community. And I looked on Facebook, I found a black and barley group, and I was like, bam, there it is. This is the end, this is how I'm gonna do it. So I got here, I saw no black people. I'm like, Okay, well, where are my people and where my people at? And then eventually, just like being out on the streets, I met one black lady, and I was like, Oh my God, yes, I see a queen. So we started talking. We became good friends. And then she knew people. And so that's how it started. It started from meeting one black person and then meeting a lot of black people. Because for me, that was a that was a personal goal. I was like, I'm gonna find community all the way in Bali. And I did and it is, it is a lot more of us here then you can even imagine. It really is. So it wasn't so much that I might have felt out of place because I'm a black woman living in a foreign country. Because even outside of that the Balinese people are so welcoming and accommodating and loving, and just very pure, genuine hearts. That even if I didn't have that, I still would feel comfortable here. I feel safe here. And there's a lot of love here. And while I've been Hear, I've immersed myself in the culture and I've gone to temple and I've done offerings and all the things Balinese and now I've officially call myself black. Nice. So when I say that to the Balinese, they laugh at me, they're like, why? I'm like, Yes, I'm black. And they were like, okay, they get it.

Yolandie  15:24
The fact that she mentioned feeling safe, really, like, I don't know, I don't want to say triggered, but like, my brain was like, oh, safe place. Because my fiance and I love to travel, we were just looking at, like, where to go on our honeymoon. This past week, we've, we've been literally like all over the northern hemisphere, trying to figure out where we can go. And you pull up these travel lists, and they're like, hidden gems of the South. And I'm like, I don't know that I want to go to the south. Like, there's a lot of history, but maybe let's not go there. And so like feeling safe is a big deal. When traveling, especially not just as a woman, but as a woman with any kind of melanin people immediately, you stick out, depending on where you're at. And it's always been like, top of mind for me. And so just like to come back to another story that had happened. In my not too long ago, pass was just this was literally right before Corona hit. I had a friend who was traveling on the road for work, and he was in the St. Louis area. And I decided, like on a whim, like we were talking on a Tuesday, and I was like, You know what, I've got spring break next week. Maybe I'll just come hang out for a few days, I'll come visit and St. Louis have never been there. And so I drove down. I ended up getting there eventually. But I was ahead of schedule. But I really just hadn't accounted for the time change going between my timezone and theirs. And I was like, Oh, I'm an hour ahead. And so I decided, let's take a little detour through Chicago, at which point, I crashed my car, actually, I was cut off and ran into his back end, because I was trying to avoid him. But I failed. And I spent like, six hours sitting in Chinatown in my brokedown car, waiting for a tow truck to come and pick me up. And when he finally came to pick me up, he you know, we struck up conversation. And he had asked, you know, aren't you afraid to be traveling on your own? And like you because you don't know what could happen? And I was like, Well, I think today was a good example of what could happen. But that didn't stop me. I'm gonna we're gonna get this car into the shop, I'm going to get a rental and I'm gonna get where I'm going. And he was like, huh, he's like, there's so many people who would be afraid to venture out of that comfort zone and just go. And so like, the way that she ended up in Bali reminded me of that story. Or when I was just like, hey, where are you at? Let's go. Okay, I'll see you there. And it shocked people that I was still willing to just like, drop things and go somewhere. So I think that is so beautiful and powerful, and that you found somewhere that you were comfortable to boot, like just trifecta, chef's kiss.

Shawna  18:11
Oh, 100% 100%. And if I can add to that there's even another layer here. When it comes to safety. Living in the US, you know, one of the spaces that's supposed to be, oh, you know, everybody wants to go to America. Everybody wants to go to America. Listen, when I was living in the Czech Republic, I worked at the US Embassy there. And there's a mix of local nationals, people who are Czech and Americans who are there for their work, right. One of my colleagues, one of my Czech colleagues had an opportunity to come to the US on a scholarship to finish his PhD. And I said, Oh my god, that's amazing. That's so fantastic. And he said, Yeah, but I'm not gonna take it, I'm not gonna go. I'm, why not. And he said, because my wife's afraid we're gonna get shot. And all I could think of is that song proud to be an American, because in that moment, I was ashamed to be an American. Not to say I'm ashamed of my country. I love my country. But the fact that someone had a scholarship to finish their doctoral degree in the US, but turned it down because of the fear that they're going to get shot. You know, that's what came to my mind when I'm thinking about the safety because I lived in Korea two, that's one place people always ask, Oh my gosh, what was that like for you? And that was kind of my, you know, people have their party years. That was probably my biggest party time. I was out by myself out with friends out late coming in at 3am She don't tell everybody I'm just saying, but I never had to look behind me I never had to worry about with someone going to attack me. I never had to worry about being sexually assaulted. I don't think I've ever felt so safe. At didn't have to worry about a gun ever. And so that's what came to mind like to go to a place like Bali, where not only are you finding beauty in the people, but then the sense of safety, you never have to worry about that. And that's the thing that strikes me is we're in the US here. And at the time of this recording, there have been more mass shootings than there have been days in 2022. What kind of peace you must have, not only in the people in the love that you've discovered in the friends that you've discovered the warmth, living out your mission, but then also this sense of safety? So

Yolandie  20:40
let me ask you this tea with being there and seeing all the beauty and everything that's wonderful about this place and these people. And the Utusan, I guess, the both of you who have been around the world a lot more than I have, how much would you guys say it is a factor of you find what you look for? Or you get what you look for? Because I've always felt that people who have that negative lens of like, oh, I have to be very careful. And like, those are the ones who find the trouble, or the trouble finds them. Whereas someone like T who was like, I'm just gonna go, it's gonna be great. And it's great, like her expectation? Like, how much do you think your expectation shapes your experience anywhere in any culture?

Twanette  21:27
I think it shapes it a lot. I am very optimistic person, I do receive a lot of what I seek out or what I want. I feel like I attract it, because I'm looking for it. So I feel that people who may be a little bit more pessimistic, they tend to find the more negative things because that's what they're looking for. So you've seen that I'm the total opposite. I'm super, super optimistic. I believe you can do anything. I don't know how to spell No, like, I don't know, like, what that what is that? What does that mean? That's not even a thing. It doesn't even exist in my world. Of course, I can have it of course, I can do it. Of course you can do it. That's just my mentality. So with me having that perspective, it helps me to be able to live the life that I want to live, if that answers your question.

Yolandie  22:16
Yeah, I think it's really important to give yourself that permission. And I feel like that's what you've done is just sort of step into the world and be like, hey, world is me is T, I'm gonna do what I do. And I know you're there to support me. So let's go have some fun. And I feel like we need so much more of that in our world.

Twanette  22:37
Absolutely. Absolutely. There's people like me to encourage you to do that.

Shawna  22:44
Well, I was gonna ask you, how have these experiences like shaped? Who you are further, but then also, I guess it's a two part question. So how has it shaped who you are as you continue to grow and walk through life? And how does it shape the way you approach coaching?

Twanette  23:04
I will say that, this experience for me, it goes into a whole nother story. So for me, if anyone's ever asked me, why did you go to Bali? I didn't know. I didn't know what till I got here. But the answer I have now and the answer is to learn how to cry. That's the answer, to learn how to cry, and then actually do it. So to learn it, and then do it and be able to execute it. I had to learn that I didn't figure that out until I got here. And then once I discovered that, then I also had to figure out how do you cry happy tears? What is that? I see people do that. But what is that, I'm trying to figure out how to class on tears, and then this whole nother level of happy tears. So coming here has helped me to work through that and be able to do that. And it's helped me to grow and heal on the inside. And so I have more love to give when I am coaching people and motivating people empowering people and just being able to empathize more with people and be vulnerable. So I will say that this has been a life changing experience for me, because it's allowed me to see things within myself that I was never able to see before.

24:34
I want to go deeper here. But I didn't know you do. You know, I'm like, I have a question for you.

Shawna  24:43
How did you know that you needed to learn to cry? How do you even know that?

Twanette  24:52
I got here and I went and saw a Balinese spiritual reader She told me, she told me she was like, in your lifetime, you should have cried at least eight liters of tears. She was like, you've only cried too. And when she said that, to me, I was like, why? Oh, my God. And then she went on to continue to read me was like, the way you work. When something happens, you take it in, and then you like flip the switch, and then go into Logic mode. And it was like, Okay, so what's the next plan, and you move and you move, and you move, and you move, and you never stop to really process things. And so it took that moment was hard for me to really realize like, oh, wow, that's true. So I had to be here, and sit and be still within myself within my feelings. And just go through all of that.

Shawna  25:54
Wow. Yeah, that would have moved me. Yeah, that was that would have that would have got me, for sure. And so this has helped you approach your coaching differently, where you are continuing to empower people?

26:08
Absolutely. Yeah. Well, I'm ready to go to Bali.

Shawna  26:16
Actually, I've been ready, I've been ready.

Twanette  26:20
The longer you're gonna be there, how long I gotta get there. I've

Shawna  26:23
got to get there before she goes. Because I just I'm gonna tell you a little secret about tea. This is how it's been. So I mentioned just a little just a little while ago that I was in the Czech Republic, right. So I would get these text messages as if we had spoken three hours ago. And the text would say something like, Hey, show uh, I'm gonna be stopping by London next week, for a minute, just wondered if you're going to be around in Prague, because I was thinking I might drop by. Yeah. To which I respond T. First of all, yes, we will be here for you to drop by. But who? Who says I'm going to stop by London from the US like it's not like she's in Belgium or something. So she's in the US talking about a so I'm gonna stop by London. I was like, this is errands. You talk about travel, like you run an errand? No, you stop by the post office, you drop by the door, you might drop in on a friend on your way. Because you're in the neighborhood. No, I'm gonna stop by. And that's that's exactly what she would do. So she dropped by which we had an amazing time. dropped by, and then was like, I was thinking, I was thinking I might go to Spain. Oh, no, I got a friend. Oh, okay. Like, that's just the way she operates. Just wanted you all to have some context there. About the time, how about the time? Not about this COVID thing. When it goes down on an island for a couple of months.

Twanette  28:01
That is true. Which I was not feeling the COVID. Let me go to St. Croix real quick, because I don't like this.

28:12
Real quick.

Twanette  28:13
Real quick. Yeah, it's a couple of months. That's it?

Shawna  28:16
Yeah. I just felt like I had to add a little more context to

Twanette  28:21
your probably needed.

Yolandie  28:24
Goals right there.

Shawna  28:25
No doubt. No doubt. And every one of us over here envious. Like, I mean, I've got my own things, right. So I have sort of my own thing that I'm doing, which I'm pleased with. But when you get pictures like, Hey, I did this this week, and it's her hang gliding or, Oh, look at this restaurant. And then it's like this pan of the most freaking gorgeous Paradise Garden of Eden you've ever seen? Or? What's the other one? Yeah, I was thinking I'm gonna go to Kenya, just like the it's the casual nests behind it. That makes it even much more beautiful. Because I know, you know, Yolanda, you asked a question earlier about how much do you get out or something, right, depending on the way you're looking at it? Do I get the positive things I look for the positive things, etc. I lived in Italy for five years, one of the most amazing places in the world. So I am like tripping because this is our first overseas assignment. And I'm like, Oh, how did we get this like, feeling a little ashamed when people are like Where have you lived and I start naming the places and I'm like, I feel kind of bad. Right? But also I loved it. So I got a neighbor. Also a military family. She came in about year three. And so by then we have found a flow we know I speak Italian by now we're doing the thing and she comes over and for like, I don't know 3545 minutes visiting for the first time in my home proceeds to rip apart Italy Italians and tell me how much she hates it and I am dumbfounded, I don't understand, like, I just I don't, I can't see what you see. And secondly, I'm pretty sure that kind of negative energy, maybe that's why you're getting what you're getting. Because who wants to hear that, like, I was ready to just like, you gotta go against it that it's hard, it is not an easy thing to pick up and leave your home country to move somewhere else, especially if you don't know the language. If you don't know the way of life. It's natural, like, you know, just imagine how many people come to the US and English isn't their first language, well, then you go out into the world where English is almost everywhere. So we have that privilege. That's an advantage that other people don't have, first of all, but this I was like, I just can't see how you don't see the beauty that is around you. And to think that before then the only thing that I knew about Italy was what I saw on TV or in a book, and to be there on the soil. And so I don't know it just to take it from there to the very, very other end of the spectrum where there's this casual, I'm just, I'm just going to drop by I already know it's going to be amazing. I know I'm going to see amazing things, eat amazing food and meet amazing people. That's what makes it in my opinion, that much easier. Because you show up ready to receive and ready to be grateful.

31:23
Yeah, that's the difference.

Yolandie  31:24
This lady that you were talking about reminds me of the first time that I got to go to Chicago and ride the subway, and then it went up into the L. And I was like a kid in a candy store. I actually I have snapchat footage of myself, like I'm in the subway, and like the cars coming down the tracks and I'm like, Honey, we're gonna ride the train. Oh, my God, it's coming. Look like we're on the subway. I'm in this train. And like, the people are looking at me like, this lady is weird. And I'm just like, oh my god, it's so pretty up here. Look at this. And I'm showing everybody else the window and like the depictions that like like you said, all you know about it is from what you see on TV if you've never been there. And like subways, especially they're depicted as like, you know, they're dirty, and like people want to get like in and out and it's crowded. And here's this me, you know, we're gonna ride the train. Amazing. And like, it was amazing. And it was just a train ride, but you get exactly what you're looking for. And that lady, I'm sure she had a miserable time while she was in Italy for the rest of her assignment.

Shawna  32:34
And that's a sad thing. Yeah. Well, T thank you so much for coming to talk about your experience.

Twanette  32:41
Thank you for having me.

Shawna  32:43
Oh, yeah. Is there anything else that you'd like to add or just something you'd like to leave folks with maybe somebody who's on the edge of wanting to jump out there and have an adventure, but just needs a little bit more to get there.

Twanette  32:55
I will say just do it. Just follow your instincts, follow your gut, just do it trust the process is going to be good on the other side. Like it's okay to be in the unknown, but that should not stop you from doing it.

Shawna  33:10
Sounds like it's quite the reward when you do.

Twanette  33:12
It is rewarding. Always.

Shawna  33:16
Yolandi any thoughts before we close?

Yolandie  33:19
I'm just imagining the stories that she could pass on and like you better write a memoir. It's all I'm saying. Let me know what you do. I'll read it.

Shawna  33:27
Okay. volumes. volumes. Well, thanks, T. Thanks, Yolandi. Appreciate you both.

Twanette  33:37
Thank you, I enjoy my so

Shawna  33:42
miss you come back actually don't come back. I'm coming to you. And then you come back. Okay. All right. Take care, everybody. Bye. How blessed Am I to have such wonderful people in my life. I'm so glad to have had tea on the show, you know, just to talk about the beauty that is around us. And if you have the opportunity to explore somewhere new, do it. Just do it. And I can't close the show without acknowledging that there's so much happening in the world too. You know, we talked about safe, particularly in the US. There's an ongoing discussion about gun reform, you know, gun laws, safety laws, whatever you want to call it. So it's a real thing. In fact, this week, at the time of this recording, there was a congressional hearing about gun reform during which survivors from ivaldi Shooting buffalo shooting relatives and other witnesses testified and you always hear me say, please make sure you're registered to vote. If you are eligible, get out there. Pay attention to when your local elections are, you can make a difference. Whatever your perspective is, be informed. Have to be educated and get out there. Use your voice and then go find some fun. Go play. Start making your plans today. Why not? In the meantime, be safe out there, y'all. Please share a smile with somebody and find an opportunity to make someone feel welcome, Larry, I'll talk to you soon

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