4,000 ft above sea level on a volcano I sought to feel calm above the lavender fields in the company of a giant Buddha. We had just had a sudden shake up of plans in our stay on Maui... resulting in some much needed peace and decompression. I'm gonna be vague with details on purpose and say that I'm still learning the act of letting go in lessons where things don't go as planned.
As humans we tend to hold tightly to expectations. Some of us more than others. The solution: If we could loosen the grip a little on our attachment to things, events, people and experiences then we don't fall as hard into disappointment. That sounds all good and well, I know! Applying it daily can be a challenge... On a beautiful spec of earth in the middle of the Pacific, I faced this lesson again. Pressure had been put on paradise to provide a certain storyline. This had been my dream in celebrating my 5 years post-cancer aliveness! There was a lot of weight behind my vision for this trip.
It got me thinking about why humans choose travel for pleasure... in my case to celebrate a milestone... We go to other parts of the world to experience, see and do the new. New places, people, things. To escape. To explore. To immerse ourselves in other cultures. To learn. To feel a certain way. Adventure. Joy. Freedom. Sometimes we're on a quest for inner peace... a soul searching journey... a pilgrimage towards ultimate healing.
While beautiful places might be a haven for all of the above and more... we are still in our bodies. Nothing outside of ourselves can truly provide that which we seek.
And so I sat pondering this, a tad light-headed from the thin air... taking in the beautiful landscape below. Remembering all of the ways in which I had pictured this time away. Recalling the intention I had set for this celebratory adventure. I knew it all along but had been blinded by the importance I had placed on this point in my life. A gorgeous setting can act as a facilitator for feel-goods, but that freedom and that joy and that peace is already inside of us all.
You don't find it in sacred sites of the world or on tropical islands. You carry and bring it with you. ❤✨
More images from the #5YearCelebrationTrip can be viewed here
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