When I set myself the resolution to travel to a different place every month this year, I didn’t quite realise what I was signing myself up for. I love travel, so it seemed like a healthy challenge. To encourage myself to step up the adventures a notch, just a little more than I had done in previous years. What I expected was one thing, what I received was another.
The year started well, traveling to Germany, Poland and Italy. I was traveling simply because I could. I wanted to see more of the world around me…seems like a reasonable thing, right? What I didn’t expect, was my thinking and viewpoint about travel – and in turn, life – to change and develop with every day that went past.
I remember when the shift began to occur. I was in Scotland. At the beginning of April I booked a few days away to Aberdeen by myself to stop and pause, away from the busyness of normal day to day life. At the time I didn’t really think anything of it. It had been on my travel list for about a year and it fit really well into my schedule. But looking back, I realise it meant more than I thought. The middle night I was there, I discovered a ‘hidden track/monologue’ on a new album I had been listening to on the plane up to Aberdeen. Little did I know that this would be the catalyst…and in turn my ‘heart cry’ for the rest of my year ahead.
This monologue was penned by Luke & Joel Smallbone, brothers and musicians from the band ‘for King and Country’. The monologue appears at the end of the last song ‘O God Forgive Us’;
“Run wild. To risk everything. To hold nothing back. To lay it all on the line- your reputation, your success, your comfort. It’s that moment when fear is overcome by faith. Live free. It’s not the liberty to do whatever you want whenever and wherever you want. But rather it’s living in accordance with the Author of humanity, and finding freedom by connecting with the Creator who conceived you. Let the light flood into your eyes for the first time, feeling the blood course through your veins, finding the truest version of yourself by knowing the One who knows you even better than you know yourself. Love strong. Because you were first loved. Because without love, we all perish. Because the earth and the stars can and will pass away, but love, love will always remain.”
The more I traveled throughout the year, the more it resonated…and the more it began to shift my view of travel and exploring the world around me. So, here is what I’ve learnt through travel this past year in relation to that.
Run wild. Don’t hold back. Live each day as if it were your last. Take chances. Say ‘yes’ to new adventures, even if your terrified. Be brave, you owe it to yourself to try, even if you fail sometimes. Some of my favourite moments this year have been when I felt closest to the wilderness of nature. Life isn’t perfect, but in those ‘bigger than me’ moments life seems to pause and I can’t help but stand in wonder and catch my breath. Standing on top of a mountain range, the wind blowing my hair into knots. Being the only person on a coastal beach for as far as the eye could see and not being able to wipe the smile off my face. These small ‘pockets’ in life showcase the wild side of this existence, and I can’t help but answer the call to keep running.
Live free. Live in the moment…wherever you are, be all there. We live in a world full of constant distraction…everything is vying for our attention. Turn off your phone. Get lost in an amazing new place…let the pulse of the city lead the way. Stand for an hour on the side of a canal in Amsterdam because the sunset is too breathtaking for you to look away. Stay longer than you planned in a small Santorini town because the ocean is calling your name. Have more pizza in Naples even though you’re full, simply because it’s too good that you can’t stop eating.
Love strong. Love without consequence or regret. Pour yourself into relationships, strengthen them. Encourage a friend, treat someone to a cup of tea, ask someone how they are doing…how they are actually doing. It will mean more than you know. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best when he said “The only way to have a friend, is to be one”. Everyone wants to be loved, valued and accepted.
Dear friends…a lot can happen in a year. For me, I completed the challenge I made for myself. It wasn’t easy, but it was worthwhile. Twelve months and fifteen journeys later, the lessons learnt wouldn’t have happened if not for pushing myself to stay on track, and the people I met wouldn’t have crossed my path if I didn’t step outside my comfort zone and take a chance on something new.
So, here’s to 2016. A busy, crazy year. Full of lessons and adventures. Firsts and lasts. Hellos and goodbyes.
What will 2017 hold for you? As for me? …well I don’t really have a plan yet…but you will probably find me on a mountain top. My hair in a hundred knots, with the biggest smile on my face…does anyone have a spare hairbrush?
Sending hugs & smiles,
Vanessa
