End of year post and misc cheese things
A few days ago, a friend told me what she learned this year and thinking about the same thing I said that this year I learned that “♪♪life gives you surprises, surprises gives you life ♪♪”
This year I was not at my house for about 4 months and when I returned to see my friends they said “Adri you’re traveling everywhere”, or “you went to a lot of places”, or that they had seen my photos on Facebook and the one that made me think the most was “Adri you’re fulfilling one of your heart’s desires”.
When they told me that, I did think about all the joy that traveling had brought me, how happy it makes me to discover new things and do things I had never done before, and then I said, is it my stubbornness with this standard? And of course, the excitement of the first times and it’s addictive and with few things to compare, but beyond that, those experiences meant changes in how I see life.
As a friend’s daughter said, who had overprotective parents, she was basically always thinking about the terrible things that can happen, risks, dangers, possibilities of dying and other unbearable pains that life has, however on my trips I learned that that is the least of the times and if I don’t do anything for fear of those terrible things, nothing good will happen either, I won’t enjoy anything, I learned that you have to give yourself the chance to live.
I also learned that sometimes the best way to overcome fears is by experiencing them, for example starting to go down a wall over 100 feet high, when I had already had a panic attack and couldn’t go down another wall, I fell and ended up upside down where no one could see me, being upside down in a matter of seconds I thought… well it’s over, what I was so afraid of has already happened and nothing happens… I’m still alive without any problem… get in the vertically correct position and go down… and indeed not without hyperventilating more or crying like a baby… but I managed to go down… that and 5 more times… and so many things in life that one says if x happens to me I die… x happens and one says.. look I’m still alive and I’m better, I’m not afraid of x anymore, I know I’m brave enough to overcome it.
The same goes for the fear of ridicule or the desire to do everything right at once or the fear of failure, sometimes those “failures” are really fun and are enjoyed almost as much as success hahaha that’s what I thought while falling for the nth time on the bunny hill learning to ski, going down on my butt was really fun and losing the fear of falling and falling calmly and laughing like an idiot on the floor thinking that skiing was like dancing… on the ground I was really good but when they lifted me up I didn’t know how to balance myself :P I managed to learn to go down the bunny hill, I think if I had stressed about the falls I would have ended up sitting with a bitter face (which was always like that).
I think I discovered that my desire to travel is also due to what St. Augustine said that the world is like a book and that he who does not travel reads only one page, one always has an idea of how the world is and how it has to be lived… when one realizes that the same environment can force him to live in another way without the option of how one thought was the only way, when he knows places that he never imagined, that beliefs and upbringing determine our customs, that other ways of living are totally valid and one’s own are totally questionable, makes accepting and respecting differences a much easier task as well as growing and getting to know oneself through questioning the things that were believed to be written in stone… as one can see the world with different lenses.
Finally, and no longer related to travel, this particular end of the year life brought me the surprise of much affection that I really did not expect and I am infinitely grateful for that. Socializing has never been my thing, I must confess, but despite saying that it is difficult for me, that I do not like being with many people and my stubbornness of being “independent” I think the universe told me that I must have done something right, really so much help, so much love, Merry Christmas messages, prayers, company, good vibes, love, words of encouragement and the desire to see my dreams fulfilled in the eyes of the people who love me, are priceless… really to everyone who may read this, thank you very much for being there and the feeling is mutual.
In short, 2012 was very good and hopefully 2013 will be better for everyone, kisses and hugs!
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the face of happiness and peace says it all