Navigating Through Life With A Gypsy Soul

From the moment we are born, our souls embark on a journey of discovery. For some, this involves living with a "gypsy soul.” In this week’s blog, we will explore the joys, challenges, and rewards of navigating my life with a gypsy soul.

I Have A Gypsy Soul

As someone with a gypsy soul, I have never been the one to stay in one place for a long time. It all started with my mom when I was just four years old – we moved from the Virgin Islands (US) to Baltimore, Maryland, where she attended Morgan State University. After that, we spent three years in Washington DC, where she attended Howard Law School. During this time, we explored Virginia, New York, Kentucky, and Florida via train and car.

As I matured into a young adult, my first independent journey was to Piney Woods, Mississippi, where my brother and I attended Piney Woods Boarding School. This was a co-educational boarding school. Unfortunately, our island was struck by a powerful Category 5 hurricane, which caused our school to be out of operation. When it was running normally again, we returned to the Virgin Islands and I graduated from the only high school present at the time. I had a scholarship to play volleyball at Delaware State, but this endeavor was cut short when I became pregnant with my first child. I stayed in Delaware for roughly three weeks before going back to the islands and subsequently leaving for Washington DC. I stayed with my Hebrew Israelite family in the capital for approximately two years before making my first international visit to Israel. Additionally, during my time in DC, I traveled to Virginia, Atlanta, New Jersey, Chicago, and the Carolinas.

I lived in Israel for over a decade, got married, and had three more children. I learned Hebrew, the language of the country. I understood the currency conversion which was 4 shekels to the dollar. It was easy to remember since it was like counting quarters. Despite not speaking the language fluently, I understood it well enough to travel alone. I traveled across the country, visiting places like Beersheba, Tel Aviv, Eilat, Haifa, Jerusalem, Arad, Ashkelon, and Tiberius to name a few. I never felt any fear of potential suicide bombers despite being in the Middle East. When I look back on my time in Israel, it still amazes me that I never once had to worry about such a thing. I also visited Turkey and Brussels during my stay in the region.

Living outside of America gave me a sense of freedom, confidence, and independence like nothing before. So naturally moving back to the United States, I felt like a caged bird especially living on an island. When I got back on island in 2001, it was the week of 9/11. Traveling was awful. Every layover I was thoroughly searched. This was the beginning of the TSA era. I stayed on island long enough to get my undergraduate degree from the University of the Virgin Islands and I was gone again with my children.

I moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where I stayed for five years. During that time, I had the opportunity to take road trips to Savannah, Florida, the Carolinas, and Kentucky. After a one-year visit back home, I relocated to Campbellville, Kentucky. After two years of living in Campbellville, Kentucky, my son and I moved to Louisville. While in Kentucky, I frequently traveled around, accompanying my son to AAU tournaments and also traveling for work. I have been able to visit St. Louis, West Virginia, Indianapolis, Indiana, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Nashville, Memphis, Alabama, the Carolinas, Gatlinburg, Texas, and California. These were all road trips except for California. However, a road trip to California is definitely on my bucket list.

Exploring and traveling along the open road gives me a sense of peace and serenity. People have consistently told me I have a "free-spirited" soul, and upon further analysis, I found out that this means I'm not constrained by life's rules and am eager to investigate and uncover new things. I love this definition of a gypsy soul:

She likes to do what feels right to her. The rules don't apply, forget whatever people say or whatever the 'law' says, she will always question the rules and she refuses to conform to the arbitrary rules. She follows her intuition and her heart and she won't be held down by anything or anyone.

The Hebrew authorities in Israel declared that I was rebellious simply for holding them accountable and speaking up for my family and my friends. Despite not having done anything wrong, I nonetheless faced this judgment. To this day, I still believe that there are times when it is necessary to break man's rules. My life as a Hebrew daughter is a story I will share one day - a tale that is quite profound. Having reflected upon the definition of rebelliousness, I have come to embrace this trait as a vital part of who I am. This means that I am constantly seeking out new experiences and places to explore, never wanting to stay in one spot for too long. Now that my youngest child is grown and off to college, I am free to continue my round-the-world journey without anyone to impede me. I am eager to discover where my travels will take me next.

Until Next Time...

Simply Jaynae