Bouncing off the walls. Swinging through the trees. Dancing around a campfire. Sliding down the moon.
The earth is our playground. And while it is easy to get sucked into responsibilities and everyday existing, we must never forget it. Look at the nature surrounding you. See the flowers, the trees, the mountains, the seas. The little folds in babies’ faces, the wrinkles in old smiles. Even your boss is somehow intricately marvellous! This is not a place to just survive, it’s a place to fully appreciate and to thrive!
I forgot that of course, I got sucked into this dangerous zone of “comfort”. The “easy” life. After gypsying around the world, constantly having to calculate where to sleep, where to go next, what to eat, and how much I could afford to spend (or not spend) on food; “real-life” is something very different. Every night I know I have a bed to crawl into. I know where the supermarkets are. I know the brands and foods I like. I had a job. I knew that every month more money would materialise. And to make it even more comfortable, I chose to live in one of the safest places on the planet.
There is nothing wrong with any of these things in themselves. Or, even all together. The problem comes in when you start taking these things for granted. The problem comes in when you (and by this, I mean “I”) become boring.
It took a while and a lot of defibrillation to get my heart beating properly again. With the help of much laughter, good friends, many adventure, and time spent in nature, I finally feel alive again. Balance in life is important: adventure and community (and adventures with your community). Risk and safety. Socialising and alone time. European adventures and African ones.
I started the year with a few Eastern European adventures and then flew across the world to summer. And seeing as it was warm enough to be barefoot again, I can proclaim that there is no feeling quite as soothing as digging your feet into African soil. (Especially when it is where your roots grow strong!)
Friends, families, the beauty of nature, wild. I forgot how incredible it is to be WILD. To feel unrestrained. To believe that anything and everything is possible. To jump for joy and dance, even when it’s raining. Sleeping under the stars and in mountain caves. Playing in the Atlantic, catching phosphorescent glowy things (Whatever they were). Taking little walks that became hikes. Getting perfectly lost. Sunrises and sets. An endless sea of hugs.
South Africa won me over again. It’s a country fully alive! Yes, it’s rife with corruption and crime, but the good stuff midgets the bad. And that element of possible danger somehow makes life feel more alive. I will always be South African but the dichotomy is that Portugal has my heart too and trying to decide on one place to call home feels like it’s a bit too grown up; so I won’t, or at least not yet.
Instead, I want to be at home wherever I am. And I want my home to be wild and inspiring. I want to be constantly be reminded that I am alive! I don’t know what this year holds, but I want to fully be wherever my feet are.
Being caged is not good for anyone or anything! Not our hearts, not our dreams, and definitely not our beings. Concrete jungles do far less for our souls than real ones. And by walking, cycling, hiking, or sailing, you get so much more life joy than driving. (Especially when traffic is involved.) We are doing so much these days to make sure our food is free-range and wild, but what about us?
It’s been almost a year since I wrote a blog. Not because I’m dead, but because I have been busy living. And while I plan to continue to do so (and take it up a whole lot of notches) I need to write myself the occasional note/blog to kick my own butt into action. This is my note to self: Get wild!
