Trust the world

It doesn't matter how many and how efficient my coping mechanisms are. There are days when I won't be able to fix myself. When I'll be cranky, moody, sad, disenchanted, low on motivation. And that's okay. Those are the days when all I want to do is to curl up in a ball and not budge from the sofa until it's time to drag myself to bed and not budge from there.

On those days I've learned to do the exact opposite. To trust that the world can heal me. The place I used to think of as unsafe, the place I used to run away from - yes, that place! It can heal me.

If you're not the best person to take care of you, then it stands to reason that getting out of yourself would be the best thing to make you feel better.

Sometimes it's going for a run when you don't feel like moving.

Sometimes it's opening your contact list and catching up with someone you haven't spoken to in a while or noticing an exciting new restaurant.

Sometimes it's starting a conversation with someone as you wait for the bus, or even just opening the door to a stranger.

Whatever it is, I open myself to however the Universe decides to surprise me. There is kindness and wonder out there. If you can't find it within, go look outside.

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Adventure time

I just came back from a holiday in Cornwall. We went especially for the Eden Project and spent the rest of the time hopping around from village to village. Today is my last day before returning to work and the weather is lovely outside. And this is what this post is all about. Outside.

I was not an adventurous child. I was a stay indoors by the books and television type of person. From a very early age I came to perceive the world as a scary place. You could fall down and hurt yourself. You could get robbed. People could be mean to you. You could get lost. The perils were endless. And so I stayed indoors, where it was safe.

Now as a functioning adult I came to accept and love the fact that I am a bookish person. A film fan. I love indoor activities from the comfort of my home.

But somehow, thanks to a consistent effort to make small changes in my life, I find that my views have changed. Throughout the past year I have immersed myself in books, TED videos, podcasts, meditation sessions and films that have inspired to be the person I am today.

The world is a playground. You know that when you're a kid, but somewhere along the way everyone forgets it.

That's from the Jim Carrey film Yes Man. I spoke about it in a post from last year (that you can see here). I don't think the world was never my playground. Rather it was a succession of death traps and broken hearts. But not anymore.

Now I am yearning to go. To go outside, run, explore, find a new pub with a beer garden, drive somewhere new, open my laptop and find a new destination, book a romantic getaway, find a trail outdoors, go (indoor) rock climbing. Let me write that again - the person who is scared of heights wants to go (indoor) rock climbing. The person who's afraid of hurting herself and getting lost wants to do a trail somewhere in English countryside.  

The world is a vibrant, wonderful place full of possibilities. And I am - finally! - all for adventure.