There is nothing that puts life into perspective, quite like travel and loss. When you choose to leave everything that feels safe, familiar and comfortable, climb on a great big machine with wings, fly over rivers, oceans and lands, hundreds of thousands of miles from home, on your return, whether you  want to or not, you will be forever changed. Travel naturally boots you out of comfort zones, stretches you beyond your own edges, expands your boundaries, and tickles your mind. New tastes, smells and flavours will hint at the possibilities of all there is in the big wide world yet to be discovered and experienced.

As you journey, you imbibe new words in a different language by osmosis, strangers easily become friends, you see things you have never seen before that have you marvelling at the creativity, ingenuity and genius of ancient inventors, architects and artists, and have the wheels of your mind spinning to answer the question ‘how did they do that?”. It invokes curiosity, engagement, stimulation and soul nourishment, challenging you physically and logistically, testing your planning and problem solving skills and transporting you to a place where you feel truly alive.

Fulfilling a travel dream adds another layer to the experience, a sense of achievement, accomplishment, fulfilment and heartfelt joy – that you did what you set out to do. The more specific the dream, the more heightened and intense the pleasure. I set out to capture a photograph of a place that I painted a picture of 10 years ago. That dream pulled me into an incredibly rich adventure that I could never quite have imagined the reality of. The impossible dream, whatever it may be, is an entry point, a catalyst, a gateway into a magnificent life adventure and I did it! Living this dream has given me a taste of a delicious slice of life and it leaves me pondering curiously ‘What else is possible? and ‘What’s next?’

I start contemplating steps to be taken like, maybe a new language to learn? Definitely a focus on my health, body and physical fitness to empower me for future adventures. International connections made to be followed up on and nurtured. What else could this lead to? Like I said, forever changed, enriched and expanded.

And then together with my impending return, the prospect of coming home to a different life. One that is strangely familiar, but with something distinctly missing. I can’t even wrap my head around what it will be like to return to a reality that is without my dearly beloved furry companion, Milo. But as much as one might want to, one can’t avoid and escape the difficult feelings forever. At some point you have to face them head on, to process and integrate the memories, the loss and the love between you. As you honour a connection that spans across time, space, dimensions and realities, holding their memory deep in your heart, with fondness and appreciation, you will begin to feel their eternal energetic presence and that all that remains is – only love.  

And the inevitable return to ordinary, everyday life. Waking up in the morning to the mundane tasks of chopping wood and carrying water, remembering to practice moment-to-moment gratitude each day, to stay humble and open to receiving the blessings that transform an ordinary life into a precious life, a wholehearted life, that overflows with magic and miracles.

Living a wholehearted life is about holding and appreciating it all, navigating the highs and lows, embracing the most exciting adventures, accepting the most devastating losses and still being able to appreciate the beauty and magic that lies in ordinary every day happenings. The secret to whole-hearted living is cultivating the ability to be authentic and vulnerably human, riding each and every wave with deep presence, courage, curiosity, humility and grace.