I had a similar revelation last year. I took a 3 month break from a high stress career to drive and camp along the Baja California Peninsula, hoping to restore my sense of self and wellbeing. Just prior to leaving my mother died, and then I broke my foot and could not walk for 4 months. The challenges I faced during that time certainly changed my experience - some bad, some good. I thought traveling would allow me to recover and be ready to jump back into my world at home. But with not being able to walk, I was forced to get still. No running on the beach or swimming, just camping on the beach, enjoying the views and letting the days pass. Two and a half months in, struggling to take my first steps on crutches, and still in a cast in the deep beach sand, watching the tide rush the water back and forth in front of me. I had a moment of clarity, humility, awe, and surrender. The power of the universe and the life that it sustains is infinite and immensely rich and it is here without our intervention or summoning.
I realized that there was nothing more I needed to achieve or learn or overcome or control to find joy and contentment in life. Just be present and observe the world unfolding all around me. I can find awe and inspiration of the natural rhythms of the world and the miracle of all that exists - that which is beautiful and welcoming and that which is foreboding or unknown. Taking that trip was a huge dream of mine. But in that moment, I realized that traveling doesn't have to take you to that place you are seeking. Being connected, rooted anywhere, is the amazing secret to getting there that we unknowingly keep from ourselves. It remains one my most valued lessons in this chapter of life.
Thanks for sharing your perspective and inspiring us all to do the same.
"it is here without our intervention or summoning" -- wow. Thank you for such a beautiful comment. You articulated it all so wonderfully: the ways in which so many of us are searching high and low for something of substance, how we will make sweeping changes and travel far and wide to find it, and while surely some of these changes can be deeply beneficial to us, the truth is that what we're searching for is always, always here, right in front of us, hiding in plain sight. It is more often simply an adjustment in the *quality of our attention* than it is anything else, and once we see that, it blooms in curious, tiny places all around us, all the time. Thank you for your note, and also, we lived in the sea of Cortez for a year and it remains one of my favorite places on earth. 💜
ALL of this spoke to me. I want a DEEP live, I crave a deep life, a deep life has been calling me - and it’s also a life that I know I can build myself. I don’t have to buy anything for a deep life, it is mine to claim. Thank YOU Taylor for verbalising a life I’ve been struggling to find the words for.
Thank you Laurie, I love hearing how this resonated with you! Shifting from looking out to distant horizons to rooting down into all that's right here within and around me right now has been one I'm finding very enriching, building bridges to places I didn't know existed. You nailed it: what we're searching for is here, hiding in plain sight and it's ours to claim. Thank you for reading!
Wow what a note -- this brought a big smile to my face, Suzanne. I am so pleased to know this one spoke to you. Thank you for taking the time to read and for sharing such kind words!
I find what you are describing comes more naturally to people living in rural communities rather than the cities. We are less wired into the consumer expectations of the modern world, more grounded in nature.
You might be right about that, especially in regards to being more connected to nature! Where I live now is more suburban than rural, but I’m trying to bring a lot of intentionality to this new place, and retaining some of what I learned (who I became?) while traveling by sailboat for 4 years. My (hopeful) belief is that all of these various portals IN can be cultivated and sharpened, no matter where one lives — and that they all have endless facets to explore and can always be deepened. Are you in a rural area?
I love reading your writing! Thank you for sharing <3
Gah thank you Matilda! Needed those words today. 💜
I had a similar revelation last year. I took a 3 month break from a high stress career to drive and camp along the Baja California Peninsula, hoping to restore my sense of self and wellbeing. Just prior to leaving my mother died, and then I broke my foot and could not walk for 4 months. The challenges I faced during that time certainly changed my experience - some bad, some good. I thought traveling would allow me to recover and be ready to jump back into my world at home. But with not being able to walk, I was forced to get still. No running on the beach or swimming, just camping on the beach, enjoying the views and letting the days pass. Two and a half months in, struggling to take my first steps on crutches, and still in a cast in the deep beach sand, watching the tide rush the water back and forth in front of me. I had a moment of clarity, humility, awe, and surrender. The power of the universe and the life that it sustains is infinite and immensely rich and it is here without our intervention or summoning.
I realized that there was nothing more I needed to achieve or learn or overcome or control to find joy and contentment in life. Just be present and observe the world unfolding all around me. I can find awe and inspiration of the natural rhythms of the world and the miracle of all that exists - that which is beautiful and welcoming and that which is foreboding or unknown. Taking that trip was a huge dream of mine. But in that moment, I realized that traveling doesn't have to take you to that place you are seeking. Being connected, rooted anywhere, is the amazing secret to getting there that we unknowingly keep from ourselves. It remains one my most valued lessons in this chapter of life.
Thanks for sharing your perspective and inspiring us all to do the same.
"it is here without our intervention or summoning" -- wow. Thank you for such a beautiful comment. You articulated it all so wonderfully: the ways in which so many of us are searching high and low for something of substance, how we will make sweeping changes and travel far and wide to find it, and while surely some of these changes can be deeply beneficial to us, the truth is that what we're searching for is always, always here, right in front of us, hiding in plain sight. It is more often simply an adjustment in the *quality of our attention* than it is anything else, and once we see that, it blooms in curious, tiny places all around us, all the time. Thank you for your note, and also, we lived in the sea of Cortez for a year and it remains one of my favorite places on earth. 💜
ALL of this spoke to me. I want a DEEP live, I crave a deep life, a deep life has been calling me - and it’s also a life that I know I can build myself. I don’t have to buy anything for a deep life, it is mine to claim. Thank YOU Taylor for verbalising a life I’ve been struggling to find the words for.
Thank you Laurie, I love hearing how this resonated with you! Shifting from looking out to distant horizons to rooting down into all that's right here within and around me right now has been one I'm finding very enriching, building bridges to places I didn't know existed. You nailed it: what we're searching for is here, hiding in plain sight and it's ours to claim. Thank you for reading!
This is the post I will credit for saving me from many wasted years, and a life of misery and pain.
Thank you so much, Taylor.
Wow what a note -- this brought a big smile to my face, Suzanne. I am so pleased to know this one spoke to you. Thank you for taking the time to read and for sharing such kind words!
I'm forever sold on Substack now :) Thank you soo much Taylor!
Today I put the inspiration into action and built a blog, and also posted it to Substack.
I will join you on what I see as the crusade for our consciousness.
https://suzannebeenackers.substack.com/p/everything-lost-is-meant-to-be-found
I love this!
Love this so much Taylor
Thank you Holly, this means a ton coming from you!
I find what you are describing comes more naturally to people living in rural communities rather than the cities. We are less wired into the consumer expectations of the modern world, more grounded in nature.
You might be right about that, especially in regards to being more connected to nature! Where I live now is more suburban than rural, but I’m trying to bring a lot of intentionality to this new place, and retaining some of what I learned (who I became?) while traveling by sailboat for 4 years. My (hopeful) belief is that all of these various portals IN can be cultivated and sharpened, no matter where one lives — and that they all have endless facets to explore and can always be deepened. Are you in a rural area?
Yes, in a rural village in Scotland. I’ve lived in the vicinity for nearly 40 years. Four years on a sailboat sounds like a wonderful experience.