I was not going to write this on the blog, but it was a note on my personal Facebook page and so many people felt touched by it that I thought I would share it - after all, if I could inspire people a little bit then I should go for it.
My apologies for lack of imagery - I usually try to add at least one image for each post but this was just a case of random thoughts that came to my head after my recent trip. Here goes.....
Peace. Love. Joy. Camaraderie. Respect.
These are all things that I have been craving and did not realise I had been missing.
I wonder how long? Because I cannot remember the last time I had all of these.
Last week on my trip away I felt them then. And their effects are hanging on still because I feel them now and they are marvellous.
And I wept. Because it was like my long lost friend had suddenly rushed into my front door and as if nothing had changed and our friendship had never been put on hold.
My trip was one of those trips where you just get perspective, you know? As I walked or drove past the huge volcanos, breathed in the fresh air on the black sand beaches, was awed by the ferocity and sizes of the cold ocean, brought to giggles while tromping through knee deep yet pristinely white snow, exhilarated by the speed of my snowmobile as we drove into the arctic sun, amused by nature's light show in the sky or blown away completely by the beauty and vastness of the visible-to-the-eye Milky Way....God made me feel small in a good way - my problems felt insignificant and all that was left was just peace. The much needed and craved for peace that I have been missing. I did not realise how long I have been missing it, if I ever have had it to this extent.
And it made me weep - because it was pure relief. And it made me weep because I had not felt so good in so long. And it made me weep because I realised that I was responsible for not being happy. It made me weep because I can now see that I chose my unhappiness and now I see that I did not even realise it. It made me weep because it made me feel like a lost child who had just been found by her parents again. Pure. Relief. Pure. Peace. Pure. Joy.
Iceland was so different and refreshing and renewing that it helped me out things in perspective. I feel positive after so long without hope. I saw some things that were unbelievable, experienced things that were exhilarating and crazy but oh so so wonderful and met people who will always have a special place in my heart whether or not I remember them twenty years from now. Iceland gave me a much needed rebirth that I was very much craving and now I can face the world again, because everything here that is going on right now...it's minuscule compared to the beauty and joy out there. And you can have it too, you just need to forget your fears, open your eyes, reach out your hand and grab it...and then something magical will happen.
You'll feel light.
You'll feel a calm that you could not even imagine.
You feel excited about life again.
And that, my dears, is an accomplishment and a relief for anyone in any difficult or challenging situation.
Don't ever underestimate that power. And when you grasp it, glorify in it and never forget.
It's what you deserve. It's what you need to live. Just surviving is not enough. You need to live.
Peace. Love. Joy. Camaraderie. Respect.