I love being out with Mother Nature. Those who know me well know that’s the place where I feel totally alive, where my heart and soul are filled up.
I often ask my yoga students to think of a place or situation where they feel like they’re the best version of themselves, and to carry that feeling through to the rest of their lives. For me, that is being in solitude with Mother Nature (sol·i·tude : a state or situation in which you are alone usually because you want to be) or with close friends or family, away from technology and modern life, in the wilderness.
I don’t mind being alone with Mother Nature, the solitude and quiet don’t bother me, and in fact I find it incredibly therapeutic. I crave that alone-time, to not have distractions, to give myself time to think and just BE. It means I can rely on myself and not be dependent on others for my happiness.
I find it interesting when people tell me that I’m “brave” for hiking or backpacking alone. I don’t see it that way at all. I’m just consciously choosing to do what I love to do, what recharges my batteries, and what helps me hit the reset button on the crazies that life throws at me. It’s simply me choosing to live my life fully, to know what fulfills me, and making it happen. There were times when I couldn’t physically hike or backpack or snowshoe or kayak. Sometimes I feel like I’m making up for that lost time.
It’s empowering for me to know that I can spend time in the wilderness by myself, carrying everything I need to survive on my back, and do it well (and safely). Alone time in the wilderness builds confidence, it’s incredibly freeing, and it makes me happy. I don’t see it as brave, I see it as actively choosing to live my life to the fullest.
What it boils down to is that I’m **choosing** to live my life. Live. My. Life. I know what makes me happy and fulfills me, and I choose to have that in my life. I choose to not have regrets later in life.
Are you waiting for someone else to invite you to live your own life, or are you consciously choosing to live your life well? (see quote below by Jen Sincero)
What makes you feel like you're living life to the fullest? ~~ Go do it.
What makes you happy? What makes you feel like the very best version of yourself?
~~ Don’t be afraid to go after it.
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“Life is short; I wanna live it well.“
~~ Switchfoot
“The Universe requests the honor of your presence at the raging cosmic bender through time, space, and infinite possibility otherwise known as your one and only life. What are you bringing to the party: your drab old pile of sob stories or your dancing shoes?”
~~ Jen Sincero
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
~~ Mary Oliver