re-write your story...

Home from a month long voyage. I needed this time away from my Vancouver life... my working life. I needed to stretch my legs and expand my spirit. I needed a visit with myself... check in and see what was going on. Sometimes it can take a while to process our experiences... to feel where we are, and how we have changed. I remember my father telling me years ago, that this anxious feeling I get every now and then can be explained as if I have outgrown the box I call my life. When I am not inspired, when I can no longer stretch my legs fully... I have changed, and I need to change my box accordingly. For me, this requires a bit of distance from it all. I need to disconnect from certain things... and reconnect with others. Sometimes, all the things that make us come alive get pushed to the back-burner... work emails have to be answered and bills need to be paid, right? This is reality. But my happiness lies in remembering... and living those other things. Like travel and adventure, great food and wine, connecting with friends and strangers, laughing and singing, feeling the ocean's salt linger on my body, feeling the sun warming my skin, driving along a road I've never driven... so many things! Don't get me wrong, there are so many wonderful experiences in my every day life that I cherish (and I am so very blessed!), but it's when I lose touch with all the other things that bring life to every cell in my body... that's when the box I call my life begins to feel cramped.

It's just a matter of remembering. And rebuilding. Rearranging a few things to accommodate this new place I have grown into. In fact, it's a very exciting place to be. Taking responsibility and initiative to create something new is empowering. The possibilities are endless.

Recently, I decided I was going to re-write my story. It's time to put it in writing. Tell the story not of my hardships, but of the opportunities and growth that came from them. Not of the losses, but of all that was gained. Gratitude. And more importantly, it's not about where I came from, but where I am going. I can't wait to write about that...

Instead of posting more desert photos (I know, enough already!), I thought I 'd post some inspiring quotes... some good reminders.

Good luck with re-writing your own story...

 

 

 

a dead sea and a dry lake bed

Here are some images from the latest excursion to the desert. Destination: the Salton Sea. Once a bustling recreational area in the 20's, it now exists mainly as an avian sanctuary, housing over 400 species of birds. The salinity is too high for most fish species, and many of the beaches are littered with literally millions of fish bones. Not so pretty.

Second stop: El Mirage. A popular dry lake bed for shooting editorials and music videos. We just happened to stumble upon a magnificent sunset. There is such a vastness in these areas... you can't help but feel the expansion inside you as well.

 

my father

Today is my father's birthday. We are most likely celebrating with a batch of brownies topped with a tealight candle... because that's what we do every year when we are in Mexico on this special day.

My father is a special soul. He is a wanderer, an adventurer, a seeker. He is a skier, a fisherman and a kayaker. But more than that, he is a father and a husband, a brother and a friend. He is a retired school teacher... and I know it would be a challenge to find one student whom he didn't change in some positive way with his spirit and love he gave so freely to all that crossed his path.

One of my favorite things to do with my father is go fishing. It's a rare time I get to be alone with him. My favorite spot is one where we have to walk across a big hay field to get to the cool river lined with tall poplars. In the background are rolling hills glowing golden in the late afternoon light. I remember years ago, watching him come through the tall grass, rod on his shoulder, straw hat on his head, whistling as he takes it all in... dog bounding ahead with a smile on his face. That to me is the core of my father. He is the one that taught me to suck every moment clean of the beauty and love, to cherish every precious second. To practice gratitude. Heaven is here on earth, in those moments. So as we stand in the middle of the river, the cool water circling our ankles and rushing over river rocks a million different shades... I feel so connected to him, because I know that he, too, is filled with so much... love for life.

Thank you dad, for all the precious gifts you gave me... xoxo

 

time for a pilgrimage...

It's that time of year again. Our annual family adventure. Some of us fly, some of us drive. We may stay for 2 weeks or we may stay a month. It can all vary, but one thing that doesn't is our commitment to spending time together... to slowing down our minds from the fast-paced lives we leave behind... to just being present with nature and each other. And of course the surf is amazing as well :)

There is no greater gift than being here with family and friends. Surfing and laughing, catching up on the life we've lived since the last time we were together. I treasure the time together and I treasure the solitude and peace. There is so much space, and whether you are aware of it or not, a shift happens. You stop reaching for your cell phone, you don't even think about facebook or the tv shows you are missing. Spending an hour watching the birds race along the beach feels like 5 minutes. Life is simple again- eat, surf, read, beach walk, surf, eat, sleep. And lots of laughter in between. Within a week, our bodies are bronzed from the relentless sun and strong from all the surfing. Eating only fresh food and spending hours in the ocean initiates a natural detox. Sleep is deep here, under a sky with more stars than one sees in a lifetime.

Although I find this experience incredible, it's not for everyone. However, I encourage you to take the time to find your own 'pilgrimage' to still your mind and clean your body. Be present with yourself and those around you. Connect and be in alignment with your truth. Give yourself this gift...

When this post goes live, I will have been there a few days. I can pretty much guarantee there is a smile on my face :)

Here is a blackberry video from our previous years...

 

wander-lust

The German equivalent, Fernweh, literally means "an ache for distance". Wikipedia's definition is 'a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.' 

I've got both.

It can be seen as both a blessing a curse. At times I yearn for stability and put some roots down, and others I have no problem leaving the garden I spent so much time tending. I know it stems back to the years of childhood travel, I know it is an integral part of who I am today.

And right now I got it bad. After a year of restricted travel due to an accident, I am ready to take flight. It has been a year of challenges and rewards and so much growth. To accommodate all this, I need expansion... I need to get out of this box I have been living in to process these experiences and formulate a revised plan for my future. I have changed, so my goals must change accordingly as well. 5 months of physiotherapy has realigned my body, now I need to realign my mind...

A couple weeks ago I took a short trip to Death Valley. A perfect place for expansion. At first glance the valley appeared quite barren. Oh how it proved me wrong. From sand dunes to salt flats, from dry lake beds to water-fluted canyons. It was spectacular. Here are a few from the trip.