A Year in a Life - II

Continued from Dec 27th 2011

Walk in London - London, UK

October 21 2011 - To be Happy 

To be happy

To live in the moment not wanting to be anywhere else, not wanting to change a thing

A state that seemed so rare and unattainable at times

Yet here I am felling happy for just being

Realizing that so many, in fact most of the aspects of my life are far from perfect

But still falling asleep with a grin

November ? 2011 - Untitled

Fact, the human body forgets pain

Physical, but mental/emotional pain too

When you get hurt, you think you've never been hurt like this before

But maybe you have

The good part?
You got over it and can't even remember what it was like to hurt so much

I guess that's what makes us take a leap of faith again
And again

A year in a Life

Sunset - Jervis Bay, NSW, Australia

A year can go by so fast, but yet so slow. So little can have time to change, but sometimes it seems everything changes. I gathered a few stories I had written throughout the year but had never shared. Put together, it illustrates how things can change in only a few months...

Clichés

Cliché - Here's a word that I believe is very often misjudged. 

What's so bad about clichés? Why does everyone make them sound so negative, like they're a bad thing? 

Well, I like clichés. And I do want to include them in my adventures.... it doesn't mean I never get off the beaten track...

Typically Greek - Santorini, Greece

But why wouldn't anyone want to:

Eat gelato in Italy
Go rafting in the Grand Canyon
Go bungee jumping in New-Zealand
Go for an African Safari
Try surfing in Australia
Spend Oktoberfest in Munich
Attend a Luau in Hawaii
Attend a yoga class in Bali
Ride an elephant in Thailand
Ride a camel in Egypt
Listen to La vie en rose in a Paris café
Share a gondola in Venice
Have tequila shots in Mexico
Order Cosmos is New York City
Have sushi in Japan
Learn to tango in Spain (or Argentina) ?

If that's what clichés are about, all I have to say is: Bring it on!

Biggest Challenge

Deep Blue - Santorini, Greece

I take a deep breath. I've worked hard for this, for over 10 years actually. And it's still a burden now. Nowhere near as hard as it used to be, but still it would be too easy to fall back to what it was before, to what I used to be. It's all about never stopping, always pushing my limits. 

So I take a deep breath. Close my eyes for half a second and make it up the stairs, into the semi crowded room. Ready to be looked at, to be questioned, to be judged. Ready to face the unknown. Ready to defend my presence, my purpose there and in life.

Some times are harder than others and it takes longer to settle into a new comfort zone. In those times I do think about giving up. I wonder why I'm doing this to myself. Why I keep fighting for something that so clearly doesn't come easily to me. I consider hiding back in what I used to be. A shadow?

But soon enough, after I've pushed through the wall, it all becomes worth it. I remind myself that I can chose who and what I want to be. And I smile to myself... thinking of how far I've come.

Did they tell you so?

Funny how you can get your head around an idea, a hope, that seems uplausible for everybody else but you. No matter how much you want to believe that you're right and they're wrong, you end up giving up.

That's until things turn out differently and you realize you would have been right all along.

You shouldn't have to change your mind if you don't want to.

Don't let others bring down your hopes and dreams, no matter how small they are. 

Just believe whatever you like!

Hidden Rainbow - Quebec, Canada

What if

The more you do in a day, in a week, in a month... the more you wanna do. The more energy and will you have.

The less you do, the less you can be bothered to do...

If I stay here long enough, will I just settle for less? Manage to be content and let my urges, my needs for adventure fade away...?

A nap on the beach - Oahu, Hawaii, USA

Everyone needs to realize...

Reflection of BC - Canada

To everyone who thinks I've actually been around the world or who believes I've been away too much, seen or done enough... think again and consider this:

I've never been to: South America, Africa, Eastern Europe or Asia
I haven't seen half the states of the USA, half the countries of Western Europe
I haven't seen more than one place in Central America, more than one place in the South Pacific
I haven't seen the highest mountain, swum in the deepest water, gazed at the brightest night sky or photographed every wonder of the world

There will always be more to do and more to see - And hopefully never a reason to stop