START YOUR JOURNEY
PRETTY MUCH AS SOON AS I CLIMBED ONBOARD the inflatable island and stretched out across the blown-up device, the wind picked up, with the two inflatable palm trees acting as sails pushing me along the lake – out of sight from my family. When I dangled my feet in the lake like rudders, the speeding island slowed down and when I lifted them out, I gained great speed. In truth, the adrenaline rush kicked in and at times I was laughing at the thrill of speeding along on this flying island. I was also aware that this unexpected trip may be causing some concern for those I had left behind on the shore. Eventually a jet ski driver came to my rescue and dragged me back to the shore but for a moment in time I felt so exhilarated.
Still on a high when I came across my family and their concerned faces, it made me wonder, when do we slow down our journeys in life and say, ‘No this isn’t right’, due to the concern and opinion from others, and when do we just keep going at full throttle? They bombarded me with comments like ‘This isn’t like you, what were you thinking?’ and ‘Were you scared, how did this happen?’. In truth, it felt great, and for the main part, I didn’t want it to stop. I wanted to see how far I could actually go, and the wind transported me to parts of the lake I had never seen before. It was a great adventure.
At what point do we consider that we should perhaps stop, or not start the journey at all? In this issue’s My Story, ‘A Life Torn Apart by Drugs’ (page 28), perhaps dabbling in something and seeing what that experience felt like was not the best road to take, as decisions made have left many lives wrecked and broken. One brother’s search finds his older brother turned to a life of drugs that is both heartbreaking and life- changing. Entering into a world that is so foreign to his family, the writer is horrified to discover the truth of what has happened to his brother. This first-person feature will, I hope, help families going through similar experiences to start conversations, and to feel a little less isolated.
Many people are vulnerable to loneliness at some stage in their lives. It’s a natural emotion, although it can become a chronic concern. More than any other time in history, we have become so connected to each other, with technology through different groups, and by sharing images and information – and yet as a society we are lonelier than ever, impacting both our mental and physical health. Studies have shown that people are afraid to admit to feeling lonely because of the stigma attached. In Charles Purcell’s feature ‘Only the Lonely’ on page 30, we learn how the UK government has a Minister for Loneliness and that an existing strategy encourages people to build and strengthen connections within their communities. It doesn’t matter what age you are – if you have strong connections within a community and shared experiences
“I was laughing at the thrill of speeding along on this flying island.”
with family and friends, reaching out and starting a journey, although perhaps difficult initially, may just lead to long-term relationships and new-found enjoyment.
If you are feeling overcome by your situation, you may need to reach out and ask for help. Try to step back from an unhealthy environment and ask yourself what is really important in your life. Our feature, ‘Emotional Freedom’ by Cynthia Hickman on page 44 gives us eight helpful steps to becoming emotionally free. Essentially, it’s connection and ultimately, love, that sets up great foundations and if for some reason this foundation becomes undone, we need to stop and reorient. No situation has to define who we are – it’s not the external situation but our reaction to it that causes heartache and in time, damages our wellbeing.
Speeding away on the inflatable island navigated by the wind and two blown-up palm trees with my feet as rudders, I had no idea where it was taking me, but the experience was out- of-the-box exhilarating. With the sun on my back, a path of water twinkling and shining behind me, for a moment in time I didn’t have a care in the world.
Make absolute emotional freedom this year’s goal. Get onboard and throw caution to the wind.