Adventures Abroad - Don't Give Up on Your Dreams

 Ever since I was a child, I had a deep longing to explore. As I got older, my knowledge and awareness of the world around me expanded. I learned of spectacular, amazing, exciting countries and locations. My eyes were opened to a wide world of opportunities. So much to see, would I ever be able to see it all?

Ireland, one of the first countries I discovered through a film I watched, captured my heart. Being a fervent fan of all things historical and mythological, the wealth of folklore and rich history astounded me to the core. Europe in general interested me, but not as much as this beautiful land.

I had just become a teenager when my high school history teacher taught us about heritage. We were given an assignment on family trees and instructed to do some research on our family history to be included in our project. Needless to say, I was incredibly thrilled to uncover that some of my ancestors had migrated from the gorgeous, green lands of Ireland. Ultimately, this inspired me even more. My first destination was set in my heart. It became my wish, my dream, my goal.

As the years went by, I did not for one moment let go of this vision. Although life brought me a multitude of distractions and many peaks and valleys in my journey, my desire to travel abroad remained strong.

Many years later, both my brother and sister along with their respective families, emigrated to Ireland in search of better opportunities. How I wished this could have been me! Their tales and photographs of all the wonderful places they visited in their adventures reignited my life-long hope to do the same. So many years passed, and still, I had not found the means or opportunity to make this a reality.

Finally, after several years of waiting for my opportunity to arrive, I was blessed with the means to travel abroad. A generous, awesome gift and just in time for my birthday too. What better way would be than to celebrate with my family after so long, and in a different country? The time finally came when I was jetting off to a marvellous, magical place. My whole being was filled with pure joy, thrill, and wonder as I realized it was all finally happening for real. 

Though I saw so many phenomenal places and had not seen all there is to see, it is but a small fraction of the possibilities out there to experience. The castles, ruins, monuments, ancient locations, and stunning landscapes I explored are forever etched in my mind. I left a piece of my heart in Ireland, but I remember it with gladness and I know I will be back someday. This was an adventure I will never forget, the first of many more yet to come.

You may feel that your dream or goal may never come to pass, but do not give up! You never know what the future may bring or when your moment will arrive. So keep dreaming, keep on believing, and most importantly of all, keep working towards what you want to achieve. With enough perseverance, positivity, and patience, you will get there. 

      

Making Time for People and Priorities

The other day I was speaking with and encouraging a friend who has been going through a difficult patch of her life, when I came to realise that what we were talking about was this exact lesson I have learned in totality in this last year of my life. We were discussing the concept of time, the making use of the time you are given right now, and the fact that so much of it is wasted on the wrong things, activities and people. We need to have a balance, we agreed. As I have said in the past on many an occasion, time is not guaranteed to us and the ever-ticking clock of time stops for no-one.

For a while now, I have been focusing on what is truly important in my life. There are a few things that brought this on. For one; the constant reminders when speaking of my goals and dreams to friends, family, colleagues, etc. and realising I have not achieved a lot of them … yet! This along with the realisation as I approach my next birthday, and thinking how crazy it is that it is just around the corner again. It has been a busy year. However, this is not much of an excuse. I read something the other day by American Author H. Jackson Brown Jnr, where he speaks about this very thing in his book entitled, “Life's Little Instruction Book.” These are my favourite quotes, which have such relevance to this concept of time and life:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”

This got me to seriously start thinking on many things – things I think we all ponder on at times:
• What am I spending my time excessively and unnecessarily on?
• Am I being wise with the amount of time I have and doing the things I love doing (and better be doing, working towards my goals and dreams)?
• What can I do to simplify my life and focus on that really matters?
• Am I wasting time by doing too much of something that does not have much value or procrastinating when I could be doing other, more meaningful stuff?
• Is there anything that I still let bother my mind and overthink that causes me stress, and wastes my time letting problems / worries / people / work cloud my mind when I could be focusing on positive things that keep and make me happy and motivated?
• Are there any people I am ‘running after’ who aren’t bothering to make an effort – in other words, always texting / calling / trying to make plans when I could be focusing my attention on those that really want to be there (instead of saying they want to or will be, but then don’t)?

There is always room for improvement here. I don’t think we can fully master it, but we can get pretty close. We are only human after all. In my own life, I have made tremendous progress with this way of positive thinking over the years. Sometimes though, I find myself slipping off the edge of this high road I have climbed up for so long, only to find a good friend that’s been walking next to me reach out their hand of encouragement and hope – and I am back, stronger than ever. This visit with my friend was one of those times. We sat there talking about the wrong things and people taking too much of our valuable time. And so, like the proverbial light bulb going on above my head, I remembered that I originally had learned this lesson many years ago and this was just another one of those moments reminding me of this!

From what I learned this far through my own experiences and the lives of those around me, is that it really is not worth wasting your precious time on anything which is not contributing to your life. If you do not start prioritising now, before you know it, so much time has passed (and wasted) where we could be doing the things we love and work towards our future. Similarly the same is true if there is anyone who doesn’t go to the effort to spend time on you as you are trying to invest in them. Perhaps you find you are chasing after them by contacting them all the time and there is no reciprocation, no reply or no effort at all. This is when it is time to say goodbye and focus on the ones that really want to be part of your life and keep in contact. This is why, on almost all occasions, I withdraw myself and go silent for those type of people. People say a lot, which is why I watch what they do, and it will show if a person’s intentions are true because the two will match up. Why should any one of us always make all the effort, when it takes a mere several seconds to send a simple text if you cannot call or spend time with them. There is something that is called self-respect and loving oneself enough not to allow yourself fall into this trap. It is too easy, especially for us that care too much about those around us. We need to keep reminding ourselves of our worth and knowing that every type of relationship requires effort from both sides – no matter who you are. Don’t give up your time for the wrong people!

Tomorrow is not certain and it we should be using our time wisely and usefully. In the end, there is only so much of it! I have become very aware of my mortality over the years, especially after being in a few motor accidents, as well as having had a few friends and family pass away too soon. Once the time has passed, our window of opportunity closes where we had an opportunity to do something, go places, experience an adventure, spend time with someone important (especially family), or even to be with someone you want to share your life with. Once this moment or period has passed, it has passed! There is nothing you can do to go back. Make the most of whatever opportunity presents itself to you. Cut out anything or anyone that is wasting your time, effort, and affections. Don’t waste any more time. The time is right now, it is all we ever have. Dare to live, dare to experience life, and dare to make this your best life possible.

Be Adventurous!

Upon the work desk, my phone buzzed – a notification – it was my best friend who sent me a voice note. As I listened intently, I could hear the excitement in her voice: “My friend, you are the proud winner of a weekend away to Splashy Fen, a whole four days with me!” After a few seconds of the mind-numbing news, the realisation hit me and excitement filled my being. This music and arts festival is one I have wanted to go to for many years and is held every year over the long Easter weekend. Since I was younger, a lot of my friends had had the opportunity of experiencing it. Now it was our time. Finally. I had not ever won anything in my entire life, yet here was my friend making that a reality too by inviting me along after winning two tickets to go. This was to be a time I will never forget. “We’re going on an adventure!” I exclaimed back enthusiastically in a reply voice note, in true Bilbo Baggins style (if you have read the book or seen the film ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.R. Tolkien, one of my favourites, you will understand the comparison). Our very own adventure, another of many which we enjoy so much together.

The days and weeks passed, rather slowly at times, as is the norm for anticipated events. But the day finally arrived, after much planning, discussing – and waiting. We were ready to go! Road trips are always a favourite of mine, travelling to different places you do not normally go and all the sights and smells to behold. The fresh air especially, when going into the countryside, is the best. Stopping along the way at another good friend of ours, we visited to say hello, and got spoiled with a delicious healthy smoothie but then were back on the road. The road was easy but fun, and our destination: Underberg. Set in the lower foothills of the Drakensberg, beautiful route, stunning venue and countryside where we found ourselves. Four days of camping, watching live concerts and acoustic performances, as well as arts and craft stalls to see, yoga sessions in the mornings to wake up and start your day the healthy way. Especially for those who had just a little bit too much to drink the night before. There were many of those. Some nursing hangovers or sleeping in from a late night the night before. Not us though, we were there to enjoy our time to the fullest. Let us not forget too, most importantly, time together and with the friends we ran into whilst there. Happy days!

Through this adventure I was reminded how vital and healthy it is to experience life in this way. It is so necessary to grab hold of opportunities and experiences that come our way, because these fill our being with joy and fulfillment. After all, we only have so much time to do them, or do all the things we love. As I have spoken of in the past, we never know when our time is up – so make it count. Go to lunch with your friends, call or text that friend you have not spoken to in a while, choose to take that road trip to your favourite beach out of town, get away from home and take a trip somewhere for a weekend, do spur of the moment things, step out of your comfort zone - even if just a little bit. The opportunities are endless. Similarly we could also decide the opposite. Perhaps today is the day we are staying in (instead of getting out as usual), and end up staying in bed (alone, with our partner, or with friends, and watch movies all day (especially during rainy weather, my favourite type). Whatever the case is, take the opportunity that is presented to you. Be adventurous! Explore, experience, enjoy! You won’t be sorry you did. You never know if the opportunity will present itself again.