A Break from Everything!
“I lie here all alone on my favorite rock. Not just any rock, no, truly MY rock. Basking in the sun, I feel the warmth on my entire body, I relax and listen to the constant murmur of the river. Just nothingness. Something that’s so easily achieved here and then, suddenly, a thought crosses my mind. I hear my father shouting and my mother screaming. They call it verbal violence, as I now know. I see myself sitting, scared at the top of the stairs, listening to whether my parents might ‘finish each other off’. Oh, how long I lived in fear. A bird flying over me brings me back to MY rock. I am HERE again and feel grateful. I feel the peace, I feel growth and the aid of nature. How glad I am to have found this, this place, by setting out on my journey. A break from everything, a break from the pain. I am in the HERE and NOW. The water rushes on, my life in a flow.”
Focus
There were times of unbearable pain, like the fierce arguments between my parents. As a child, I was very scared of them, fearing they would seriously harm each other. At one point, I also became too afraid to speak, fearing it would spark an argument. I was always walking on eggshells, completely tense.
Years passed before I could travel without my parents. I found my happiness in kayaking and canoeing holidays with friends. The beauty of these trips is being amidst nature, and nature helps us. My fear of being underwater (why am I so afraid remains a big question) meant that on the water, I needed my total focus. Because, well, I didn’t want to swim, and if I started looking around or daydreaming, that’s exactly when I’d capsize. So, focus was necessary.
The beauty is that when you’re fully focused on something, sometimes even in a flow, you forget the rest. Time, place, people, and your sorrow. This way, I gradually took a break from everything, away from my parents’ situation, away from the arguments, and away from the pain. And with that, I brought myself into a situation to get closer to myself and to grow.
A Different Environment
Getting closer to myself especially happened in places where I was totally away from everything. Away from my village, away from school, and away from my family. The places that help me the most are by the water. It could be on the beach of Terschelling, the lakes of Vinkeveen, but especially the rivers and the mountains are for me the ultimate places where I’m truly, really away from everything. The more nature, the better it is. Flowing water aids in this.
The river has been a source of life since time immemorial. It carries away your sorrow, helps you relax, and gives you new energy. It nourishes you. Water is a basic element; it is the foundation of life. It is cooling, detoxifying, and cleansing. Water is the conductor of energy. You could say that water is the calming element for humanity and for its planet. And that water, that river, that environment made it possible for me to slowly get away, a break from everything. And from that departure, forward movement began.
Every journey, every holiday, I took step by step closer to myself. The water helped me in this. The mountains and the river are the places where I can grow. A break from everything is the way to yourself. Often a faster way, let’s say a rapid, than if you stay in your own place in your own environment. You just learn and discover faster.
Will You Step Out of Your Environment?
Placing yourself outside your own environment can be very easy, with small steps. Try the free challenge ‘out of your comfort zone challenge’. A fun exercise that you can do yourself and see what it can do for you. If you’d like guidance with it, then join us on the Touch of Flow or discuss the possibility of a small or larger journey with Pauline.
