Salt and Freedom
Sometimes the ocean holds the answers we don’t even know we’re asking. My time in Bali cracked me open in ways I never could have anticipated, leaving me with tears that tasted of both salt and freedom. This is the story of how one trip became the threshold to a new version of myself.
🪄 Today’s Frequency:
Salt is the memory of the earth. Freedom is the memory of the soul. Together, they remind me that healing and liberation walk hand in hand.
There are places in the world that change us forever, and for me, Bali was one of them. When I boarded that plane, I thought I was simply taking a trip, maybe even starting a new chapter in another country. But life had a different plan. Bali didn’t just give me a beautiful experience; it cracked me wide open.
I still think about Paulie, the Balinese driver who became more than just a taxi service during my stay. There was something steady about him. Grounded. The way he carried himself—with pride, with love for his family, with dignity—felt familiar, almost like soul family. I kept going back to him not just for the rides, but for the energy. That calming presence was a gift in itself.
Bali also carries Nina’s imprint for me. A beautiful creator I’d followed on TikTok, she was the spark that inspired my journey there. I had planned to move, not just visit. But instead, life rerouted me. At the time, I didn’t understand. Now, after everything I’ve endured, after heartbreak and healing, after releasing versions of myself that no longer fit—I get it.
These past 14 months have felt like being hit by a truck and reborn in the same breath. Pain that reshaped me. Loss that set me free. Tears that tasted both of salt and of freedom.
When I reflect on my time in Bali, I realize it wasn’t unfinished business. It was the beginning of a bigger story. Bali marked the start of a journey that led me back to myself. A remembering of the brave, beautiful, deserving woman I’ve always been.
So yes, I’ll return to Bali one day. I’ll see Paulie again. I’ll walk those streets with the eyes of someone who now understands. Because I know now: the salt of our tears is not separate from the salt of the ocean. Both heal. Both cleanse. Both remind us that freedom is found when we surrender to the waves of life.
And me? I’m freer than I’ve ever been.
Life doesn’t always unfold the way we expect it to. My Bali journey wasn’t the move I thought it would be—it was something greater. It was the beginning of a new remembrance. Salt cleansed my wounds, and freedom stitched them into wisdom. If you find yourself in the in-between, trust that it, too, is part of your liberation.
Julie Renee