And you fall asleep
Gazing at mountain tops, The tent walls that surround you, The roof of your car, The texture of a new bedroom ceiling, The seat in front of you on an airplane, The boards holding up a bunk bed above you - You fall asleep. Hoping You will find somewhere that tires you In all the good ways. Hoping Your eyelids will no longer be weighed down For reasons far too heavy. Hoping It will get easier to place your feet On the cold floor the next morning And face a new day. Hoping For the next breath To be a little less laborious. Hoping The dreams will be kind And go easy on you tonight. You fall asleep Holding on Never quite sure how to let go, Never quite sure of yourself - Just question marks floating in the dark. Hoping One day your feet Will find a reason to stay, But still have the freedom Of going.
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Human connection saves more lives than perhaps any medical intervention out there. I wrote this line during a dark time earlier this year and it's been ringing through my head for the past few days. This weekend, I witnessed the truth of it in front of my own eyes as twenty strangers came together and healed - as human connection saved lives. Twenty women walked into a weekend as strangers, bravely opened up and bared their souls to each other, cried together, laughed together, danced together, conquered fears, discovered their self-worth, and left with friends and memories that will last a lifetime. There were breakdowns and breakthroughs. There were moments of falling apart, and without hesitation, being built back up by the nineteen other women in the room. It did not matter if you were 19 or 63, who you were outside of this weekend, where you came from or what your life path had been thus far - being human was enough. Regardless of any "defining" factors, there were nineteen women sitting beside you, loving you unconditionally, giving the space and support needed to rebuild, and cheering you on along the way. Witnessing these beautiful ladies form connections, heal, transform and leave with their heads held high, radiating a new-found confidence and spark for life, was one of the most powerful and moving experiences I have ever had. It will remain etched in my memory for the rest of my life. Yet, words cannot do this experience justice. For some moments in life, there are no words. It can make the raw vulnerability of them incredibly painful. It can make the magic of them overwhelmingly beautiful. These moments can reach both ends of the spectrum of good and bad, happy and sad, making and breaking. But irregardless of where they fall, these are the moments that alter our life trajectories in the most powerful of ways. These are the redefining moments. These are the moments of self-discovery. These are the moments of realization, when we finally understand what it truly means to come alive. These are the moments when we see what it is to be human in this world. These are the moments when we see how barriers don't keep people out, they fence us in. These are the moments when bonds can be both formed and broken. These are the moments that can make us feel caged and suffocated. These are the moments that can set us free. This weekend, I witnessed twenty women be set free. I witnessed twenty women find their strength and their courage. I witnessed twenty women cry tears of pain and tears of joy. I witnessed twenty women realize they are enough. I witnessed twenty women come to understand how life is not so much about what sets us apart, but about the bonds we share that bring us together despite our differences. This weekend, I witnessed human connection save the lives of twenty women - whether we are talking figuratively or literally. This weekend, I witnessed human connection save lives. And while no words can ever do justice to what we experienced over our three days together, I do have a few on my mind - a few I wrote during that dark time, earlier this year. To the women I just met, to the women I have yet to meet, and to the people unsure of how to be in this world, what I will leave you with are these words. These words I deemed instructions for the future. These words I wrote in the hopes that one day people would be better - the world would be better. These words, which I realized, were also instructions for myself. I love you all. Each and every one of you I have and haven't met. Keep shining. Keep soldiering on. Photos by Digidel I hope you will travel. I hope you will experience other cultures with open hearts and minds. And open your hearts to each other. Love each other. Be there for each other. And don’t let go. The shadows are a scary place to be alone.
Climb mountains. Watch storms. Find peace in the chaos of the world. There is something to be said for high, windy places - they bring a calm I cannot describe, and I hope you when you find these places, you stay awhile. They are my favourite. See the beauty in the everyday ordinary. Search for it everywhere. In the words of Shane Koyczan, “Try to understand someone else’s sense of what’s beautiful. They may help show you something you didn’t see at first glance.” And seek to understand the lives of people who live or behave differently than you. Spend time with people both older and younger than you. Interact with people without judgement. We do not know the struggles others are facing. We will likely never know each other’s full story. We all have secrets, hidden pains, and things that are too difficult to share. Be mindful of this. Be mindful of everything you can. And remember not one of us is perfect. Next, I’d like to ask you to fight. Fight for the things you believe in. Don’t let your voices be silenced by this world. Fight for increased funding for mental health resources and coverage. Please. The system is incredibly oversubscribed and underfunded. Fight for women’s rights and equality. Everywhere. Fight to abolish rape culture and for a change in the discourse regarding sexual assault. And do not shame sexual assault survivors, making them keep their trauma to themselves. Believe them. We did not want this to happen to us. We did not enjoy it. It was terrifying. Fight for modifications to the education system to make it more sustainable for the students who endure it. Fight for girls education worldwide. Fight for access to clean water and sanitation, in both Canada and abroad. You’d never believe the way it could change the world. Fight for science and sustainable living. Fight for those who no longer have it in them to fight for themselves. Greet the broken and suffering with open arms. Take the time to learn about the lives of people who have experienced completely different things from you. Believe their stories. Pay attention. And listen. Really listen. Human connection saves more lives than perhaps any medical intervention out there. I know it has saved me many times. Fight to live a deeper, more meaningful life. Please, just fight. For me. For you. For everyone. Be advocates for a better future because the world is not okay. Especially right now. And please, remember this: we are not as different from each other as we may think. We really aren’t. When I was a kid, I was deeply moved by the quote from Lion King II, when Kiara says to Simba, “Look at them, they are us. What differences do you see?” It caused a shift inside of 6 year-old me, and may be the reason I walked away from the societal norm for eight months when I was older to travel and live abroad in countries much different from Canada. It may be the reason my desire to keep booking flights to new places exists. Because at the core of our beings, we are all the same. Despite any cultural differences, we all want love, belonging, laughter and hope. We all want to be happy. We all want to feel like we matter to someone - like we are needed. We all want to feel heard and understood. If you’ve never heard me before, then read this over and hear me now: fight like hell. This world is incredible and breathtaking - please take time to notice that - but it could be infinitely better if we were all a bit more mindful of when to use our voices and when to listen, if we all knew the time to fight for what is right is ALWAYS right now, if we were all a bit more honest, understanding and open with each other and those from different walks of life than our own. So please: Be kind. Open your hearts. And really listen. Believe people when they tell their truth. Instead of pushing them aside, hold them closer - our lives are all difficult in individual ways. Question the things which do not seem right in this world or could be better. Raise your voices. Be advocates for a better tomorrow. And to all you quiet, reserved people out there: what you have to say is so incredibly important and profound. You are the observers of the world, meaning you can articulate the truth in a way many others cannot or do not even notice enough to begin articulating. Speak up. What you think and have to say matters. SO much. You will be the people to change the world. Believe me. To everyone: Fight like hell. Please. Because I know your potential is immeasurable. Sometimes, I feel like I'm being crushed by a falling forest Or like I'm caught in an avalanche and can't breathe - The snow rapidly cementing around me. Sometimes, I think I grew up observing too deeply, Witnessing too much too young. Sometimes, I think I understood the weight of this world too soon, Losing my innocence in the truth of it all. And, I wish, I could save those who lived lightly - Those who were lost too soon. I could give them my oxygen, my organs, my blood - Anything that would save someone who should be alive Anything that would prevent happy lives from turning hard, From being tainted by the lens of loss. Take bits of me to save them And maybe then I will finally feel light - Hollow of a heavy heart and tired lungs, Just ashes in the wind, With pieces of me giving life to all of the people Who were pushed over the edge Before they were meant To fall. In memory of Mike Wynn, who lived lightly and was lost too soon.
http://canada.odmp.org/officer/704-park-warden-michael-wynn I grew up in a tiny village in the Rocky Mountains, where I had a really strong sense of community. My neighbours were my family. I was not only raised by my parents, but also my neighbours. They taught me some of the most essential lessons I know. They were a huge influence on who I am today. In African proverbs, they say it takes a village to raise a child, and it's true. Everyone was always looking out for each other. Everyone cared. And when my family moved away when I was 10 years old, I lost that sense of community - we all kind of did. And I think I've spent my life searching for it ever since. Something has always been missing. I've never quite gotten my sea legs. Everywhere and nowhere has always been home. But in the words of Taiye Selasi, "We can never go back to a place and find it exactly where we left it. Something, somewhere, will always have changed; most of all, ourselves." And it was an important move. I am grateful for it in many ways - it allowed me to experience so much that I wouldn't have otherwise. But there are things I've always missed. And as a result, I've searched for this sense of community elsewhere, in all the nooks and cranny's of the world.
I finally found it again 9 years later in travelling, amongst both local people and travellers - people who would care simply because you are a human being. People who would look out for you, help you, make sure you were safe, because you are human. That was enough of a reason to care. And that community of people is probably the most remarkable one I've ever experienced, from both the giving and receiving ends. Maybe it's rooted in the fact that there is no long-term commitment to bear the weight of others lives, to always be a shoulder to lean on, to always show up and care. It's possible. But I'd like to believe it's because being a human who has feelings and a story is enough of a reason to care. Enough of a reason to pause and ask yourself how you could possibly be a kind, compassionate individual in any given situation. Enough of a reason to treat complete strangers as equals; as people who deserve to be seen. And maybe these people, who are curious about the world and each other, are actually willing to recognize these facts of humanity. Maybe it's why we all want to leave the Western world and go somewhere different - go somewhere where people actually understand the meaning of life and what it is to be human; somewhere where community is the foundation off which society is built. And here, in whatever this "Western world" is, we aren't supposed to be humans. Our society is not really built for caring. Nobody seems to want to know the actual, entire human that you are and what has led you to become that way. It's the reason we label people with loaded terms like alcoholic, addicted, homeless, disabled, depressed, mentally ill, reckless, destructive, and the list goes on - we just pick a label and dismiss. We've all been guilty of it at some point. It's the reason our society is so divided. It's the reason we're all secretly kind of miserable. It's the reason we feel alone. Because if you acknowledge the raw truth of another person's human experience, it will most likely reveal some painful truth about ourselves or our own lives that is easier not to know. Because it's easier to push people aside with labels, with dismissive comments, or out of fear. It's much easier. It is also a much lonelier and much less meaningful way to live. At the core of our beings, we are all the same. We are all human. And the scariest thing of all, is those who are too afraid to accept that as true. Those who are too afraid to stop and try to understand. Those who choose the simpler route of walking away or dismissing the challenges an individual may have faced. And in a society full of "highly educated" people, still so few understand. They skipped the lesson on humanity. The fact that at the core of our beings, we are all the same, just never seeped into their bones. It was never absorbed in the rush of it all. I like the places where being human is enough. At the core of our beings, we are all the same. We are all human. And that should be enough of a reason to take the time to try to understand. To open your mind. To look out for someone. To acknowledge an experience or feeling foreign to you as legitimate. To accept. To not dismiss. To truly see people in all of their humanity. To treat people as equals. To be on someone's team. Being human should be enough. To all the women and little ladies out there: You are brave. You are strong. You are resilient through the daily fear, the assaults, the degrading comments. You are intelligent. You are light in darkness. You are creative. You are change. And you are so much more than enough. Thank you for the battles you brave every single day.
Today we celebrate us. And we acknowledge our allies. Our supporters. We are not here to practice misandry. We are here to speak our truths. We are here to bring down the walls of those who long ago removed the word feminist from their vocabulary in misunderstanding and fear of its meaning. We are here to celebrate all the wonderful things women do on the daily that go unacknowledged, miscredited, unappreciated. We ask to not be treated as less. We ask that our bodies not be objectified as playgrounds. We ask for recognition that there should be no need to give thanks - being treated as equal and with respect should be a given. That we should all be on the same team. We should all be on the same level. We appreciate those who celebrate with us. And we hope, that one day, our lives will not be a balance beam walk in a culture of scarcity. We hope, one day, you will all see us as enough, too. "What's the greatest lesson a woman should learn? That since day one, she's already had everything she needs within herself. It's the world that convinced her she did not." -Rupi Kaur Why did you choose to go to _________?
Picture this: a tent pitched on a deserted beach on the West coast of Canada. An evening spent around a beach fire, driftwood crackling, watching as the sky is painted like a canvas with the most brilliant colours you have ever seen. The sunset progresses, each phase a little richer than the last, then fades to black - but only to make room for thousands of twinkling stars. The perpetual crash and retreat of the Pacific Ocean soothes you to sleep. In the morning, the sun breaking through the fog casts a mystical glow on the beach and illuminates a pod of humpback whales passing by offshore as you cook your breakfast over a rickety camp stove. This is one of my most memorable experiences living out there. This is British Columbia. The magic, however, is not confined to the coast and the draw of the ocean. Each nook and cranny of our diverse province has something incredible to offer to those who not only look, but see. To those who choose depth over distance and explore beyond the usual. To those who wander through the extensive mountain ranges, the rolling grasslands, and the towering old growth forests. To those who paddle the hidden lakes and amongst the scattered islands, sending ripples across the water. These ripples are not the only ones created. A shift will occur inside of you when you explore British Columbia’s great outdoors. A ripple will run through your body, reminding you to take everything in and cherish these landscapes. Our province’s beauty has developed a culture of connectivity in our people - an appreciation for the natural world and its systems at a level I have yet to experience elsewhere. An understanding that although we call British Columbia “home,” we are only visitors, and must be mindful during our explorations of the natural wonders our province encompasses. While I have lived and travelled extensively across Canada, and fully appreciate the breathtaking East Coast, the endless boreal forest of the Arctic, the spectacle that is the Alberta Rockies, the rolling plains of the prairies, and everything in between, there is still something about British Columbia. The air feels a little different here, filling your lungs with peace and gratitude – filling you with a sense of completeness. You can see it in the smile that spreads across a stranger’s face as you pass each other on a long hike through the woods, in the helping hand pulling you up to solid ground after a challenging climb, on the calloused feet worn from days spent adventuring. The air is different here. The magic of exploring the outdoors is different here. Now, picture this: there you are - on top of a mountain overlooking plunging river valleys, hiking through the lush coastal rainforest, watching the waves of the Pacific crash into the shore with a thunderous roar, wandering through the rolling grasslands of the interior while the wind blows, canoeing remote lakes as birds fill the silence with their songs - living your life out there, where the wild things are. Pause. This is British Columbia. See it for what it is. Its natural beauty. Its great outdoors. The endless adventures to be had. Explore it. Appreciate it. Preserve it. Let it shake your soul awake, and know that before you lies a land of magic you are privileged to experience. The captivating coast, the mystical forests, the riveting mountains, the mesmerizing grasslands - we truly have it all. Take it all in. This is British Columbia - the best place on Earth. Galiano Island, British Columbia, Canada
There will always be people who try to dissuade you from doing things they are afraid to do or going places they are afraid to go themselves. Always. We live in a culture of fear, but do not succumb to it. Do not fear the world. Instead, fear the media, the politicians, and all those that instil terror in you of anything outside the walls that surround you and keep you “safe.” Fear the box you live in. Fear the rat race – the life measured by possessions and bank account balances, rather than experiences. Be very afraid of those things, but do not fear the world. It’s not nearly as scary as you think it is. I’m not trying to be ignorant to the fact that absolutely awful things do happen in this world. All the time. In every single country. But they are not the whole story. Every country has its magic – has something incredible to offer. Don’t listen to those who try to tell you otherwise. Please, look beyond the headlines and what the naysayers tell you, and do not fear the world. Instead, fear the way you are told to think about the world and the way you do think about it. Question it. And, maybe, try to change it. Copan Ruinas, Honduras
I took a class last year that involved examining the role of social media in our understanding of international issues. We looked at many social media frenzies like the one occurring right now, and asked, “Do we just share, like and comment to feel like we’ve done our bit of good for the day? Do these small actions really mean anything? Or are we just liking and sharing for the feel good factor, and not really educating ourselves on the underlying issues?” I have never had a class teach me to so critically question all the ways we can approach international issues, and I would like to urge you to think about how you are approaching them. Do you really care about them? Does the way you are choosing to care reflect your beliefs? Don’t get me wrong, I believe social media can be an incredible platform to convey messages, ideas, and initiate change – if we use it appropriately. All I’m asking is, don’t just do… think. Think about what you are doing, how is it contributing (positively or negatively) to the issue at hand, and are there better ways?
Eight months ago I boarded a plane to Tanzania and set off to start my travels. Eight brilliant months have now passed. People told me before I left that I was lucky. I told them it was a choice. I want to say that Canada may be a big, beautiful country, but it is also a part of a big, beautiful world. Please, go see it. Travel as far and wide as you can, but in the journey to new distances, don’t forget to aim for new depths. Be curious. You will learn the most valuable lessons. You will meet the most incredible people. You will have the most enriching experiences. You will live fully. The obstacles that limit us don’t really exist if we don’t let them. You have the power to make a choice, and at the end of the day our biggest obstacle is usually ourselves. Don’t let the obstacles override the dreams. It’s a choice, remember? You can choose. |