“I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.” —Audre Lorde
“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” —Henry David Thoreau
As women, we often give so much of ourselves to those around us, without question nor complaint. I feel this is especially true as we grow into mothers. Whether it is for our partners, our children, or for our jobs, it is expected of us to put others first, constantly.
However, when we fill up the cups of others, without first checking to see if we have enough in our own, we can easily find ourselves drained and exhausted, in different ways—mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Sometimes, the fatigue is not so apparent to us, because it is shrouded under the guise of love. Of course we love to help those we love, but we should never empty our own cups to do so.
So, for my 60th birthday, I wanted to go on a monumental journey, one that would fill up my cup that I felt had been emptied out over these last few years of hardship.
It seems quite obvious that traveling is a way to discover the world, but on this most recent trip, I began to realize how much it can also be a way to discover ourselves.
When I landed in Kathmandu, I felt this wave of peace overcome me, this feeling of finally coming back to myself. Even after 60 years on this planet, I realized that we never really stop growing. We never stop experiencing life, but sometimes we just need to relearn how to pay attention to the things that truly matter.
Visiting Nepal helped me reconnect to my inner peace, particularly when I got to immerse myself at the base camp of Mount Everest (ascended through helicopter!). Seeing our planet’s highest mountain in person, I felt minuscule, but in the best way possible. I realized that, no matter how grand my problems may seem, especially in the moment, as things are unraveling—life goes on anyway. It’s quite a beautiful feeling to realize that the world does not revolve around us and our problems, but instead it just keeps on turning. And the best thing for us to do is to be here, now, regardless of the pain.
Spiritual awakening
I know my daughter Jordan felt similarly on her trip to the Arctic Circle last July, on a cruise trip organized by Corporate International Travel and Tours Inc. (Citti). After first meeting in Oslo, the group flew on a chartered flight up to Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost settlement. There, they boarded the Silver Wind Expedition, one of the luxurious expedition ships owned by Silversea Cruises. During the nine-day excursion, they explored the western side of Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic ocean. (Tel. 0917-1674404; follow @cittiexperience on Instagram and Facebook; e-mail [email protected].)Summer in the Arctic is magical for many reasons: the isolated islands, the quiet of the ice and cavernous glaciers, the chill of the sea breeze, and of course, the 24/7 sun. As Jordan would head to bed at midnight, she would step out onto the ship’s balcony into broad daylight, and be greeted by huge mountains passing by, the Arctic ocean below roaring.
Jordan took the opportunity to kayak whenever possible. She shared with me that she was so moved after every session that she would cry, so overwhelmed by the magnificence of the natural world.
It felt like a spiritual awakening of sorts, with her realizing that these massive mountains and glaciers have been there for many centuries. And that, despite climate change threatening to destroy them, these natural wonders will, hopefully, continue to be there after she—and most of us—are gone.
Magic of the Arctic
Humans are a tiny blimp in the timeline of our planet, yet corporations have done much to destroy it. In retrospect, our day-to-day inconveniences and interpersonal problems are a lot more trivial than we realize. It is more important to place our time and energy on the things that truly matter—like love and family.
Sometimes it’s as simple as that. When you remove all the intricacies and entanglements of daily life, the stresses, the burdens, the responsibilities, you realize that as humans, many of us just want to love, and to be loved in return. On the cruise, Jordan spent time with Dr. Vicki Belo and Dr. Hayden Kho of Belo Medical Group, and their daughter Scarlet Snow. Belo Beauty just celebrated 33 years last Aug. 8, but more notably, the power couple just celebrated 18 years together, with six years of wonderful marriage. No doubt they felt the magic of the Arctic on this trip as well.
What sets Silversea apart from other cruises are their top-of-the-line expedition guides and the fact that all guests get to go on guided Zodiac tours, both on land and on sea. The guides are experts in various scientific fields, and also offer enrichment lectures to those who want to know more about the nature and wildlife around.
The cruise also has all-inclusive dining and 24-hour room service, as well as an in-suite butler service. Coming up in the next exciting season is the antarctic!
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