It was a dark and stormy night. My best friend and I plotted out the tricky path to our future freedom. A journey that would takes us into the great unknown and hopefully a better future. Right now we were broke, without a coffer to our names, but full of dreams and ambition. The road ahead would require constant effort through dark and twisted woods, open endless fields, across fast flowing rivers, and up the highest mountains. A difficult journey for sure, but we were up to it. Or so we told ourselves. And the journey starts tonight. Over a meal, some laughs, and by plotting our course through the Terra Incognita to hopefully arrive at our final destination, unharmed, and better educated, at the Great Gilded City.
And who am I? I’m the dark haired diva who thinks I can change the world or at least my life by sheer will power and a lot of hard work. I think too much. I talk too much. I’m too smart, and I make others really nervous when they figure out that my mind is running marathon’s around them. But honestly I’m the nicest person you’ll ever know. Because I also care too much. I get emotional and I get hurt. I hate to cause pain, but in this world we do what we must.
My blonde friend? Why, she’s the most determined and resilient partner in crime one could ever ask for. Is she a fashion diva? Yes! Is she always up for a travel adventure? Absolutely! Frankly she is the best travel guide. And does she ever know how to make friends with the locals? Her bubbly personality, random knowledge of local lore, and stunning outfits always get us the best deals!
How did we get here? Well, we’ve both been frustrated with the drudgery and disillusionment of our mundane lives. It was over a course of many late night vents and dream sessions we concocted a plan to win our freedom from the taskmasters of our realm. Our land was run by evil overlords who made all the peasants no better than slaves with heavy taxes and restrictive laws. Cruelty was the norm in our lives. Bad luck was the only luck we had ever known. And every one else seemed to be trapped in a prison of mental indifference and obliviousness. Those who were aware of the intentional plans of the wealthiest land owners and society dictators, were often jaded or deep in despair. Lies and rumours abounded in the land. Thievery and crime was rampant in the city and the country side. Every day in this life of ours was a day of despair and disrespect. But we dared to dream of something more. Of freedom from oppression. Of a land and life where kindness, generosity, and hard work would bring comfort and stability. That we could find and build (through hard work) our own lives of prosperity and bounty, where none would tell us what to do, how to do it, and why they thought we were terrible at it. And so we endured each day, and wrote our dreams down in journals, hoping to manifest our new reality. We met together as often as we could, at the end of a long week of drudgery and forced slave labour, and it was at one of our evening visits that we realised it was truly time to stop talking and venting, but to start doing.
So we gathered up our courage. Agreed to meet in the morning and begin our journey – two friends taking a chance to leave behind what we’ve known to start a new adventure and change our world. We plotted the path on our map, and toasted our dreams.
Cheers to adventure! Cheers to friendship! Cheers to not knowing enough to know that we don’t know anything more than we really don’t know what to expect. Fun? Yes! Freedom? Yes! Work? Yes! But it will be our best efforts in navigating the challenges ahead that lead us to the successful end we envision. This quest is not for others, it is for ourselves. And we are getting started now.
We separated to gather up our own supplies, and met in the morning at the edge of town. And now we are setting off on our adventure!
Follow along for more of our story – which will unveil as it happens – for our story is not written yet. Truly we are just getting started on an epic journey that will lead to the wildest adventures and grandest memories for two best friends ready to take on the world. Will we succeed? Stay with us and find out!
The Lotus and Sword 
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