I was almost there- in the turquoise waters surrounding the island, on the soft beach, watching the crazy windsurfers on the big waves flying to the horizon and back.
The idea of the island kept me going for the next few months in 2016. I was dreaming about the sunny weather, the nice and hot sand under my feet, the delicious food that was being prepared there. I wasn't really satisfied at work. I just started and my results were pretty good, even compared to the colleagues that were working for a longer time.
However, this was not my dream job, far from it. There was a lot of stress and I was just learning how to cope with it. I am not sure if I can still do it at all times, but I am definitely handling some situations better than before. Well, experience is a crucial part of it as well and learning from it too. The images that I had of a being under the sun and swimming in the ocean, while in my home country the temperatures would be below zero, were an elixir of endorphins for my brain.
I was feeling well, very well actually.
It is then when I realised that just an image can change the way you think. I mean, it wasn't even close to the departure date, but there I was- feeling like I was already there, fulfilling my dream. Maybe all those positive thinkers out there were right. Maybe it is indeed true that our condition and behaviour can be influenced by the pictures that we create in our minds.
Moreover, I got to be a bit more confident, already knowing that I am on the path of making my dream come true. I was attracting more good things and positive situations in my life.
For example, a close friend of mine suggested going to yoga classes. We thought it would be a good idea to get together and use the time efficiently by trying something new. It was already in the middle or in the end of the summer when I first when to the yoga studio, that would later become one of my favourite places in the city.
I wouldn't say that that exact class changed my life. But it was the one that provoked me and that go me interested in doing yoga in the first place. The teacher was actually pregnant and she was showing us somewhat easier exercises and postures. But the interest was there. I was already hyped of going to the next class, even before the end of this one. I started going to yoga classes 2-3 times per week. I was seeing only the advantages of the practice. Even now after 5 years I could not mention even one disadvantage of being active.
The one thing that made the greatest impression on me was the concept of "ahimsa", i.e. non-violence. It is the key principle in the Buddhism teachings . It means that you can do whatever you want, just as long as you don't harm yourself in any way or the others. It also means that if you cannot do a certain posture or exercise on a certain day, it is okay. You will do it next time. And that is also okay. You just have to keep trying. It made me understand that the body has its limits, which is what it actually means to be a human being.
I began processing the concept and I also started applying it in my daily life. I could say about myself that I have always liked challenges. Whenever I learn how to do something I began to look for another dare and another and I keep doing it. I like diversity and I am interested in everything. Maybe it's because I am a Gemini or it is that I am very curious by nature. So I am enthusiastic about new challenges of any sorts and on top of that I want to be good at them. So I tend to criticise myself sometimes, when I don't do something as I have planned to. But its not always about one's will. There are so many other factors that can influence a situation. One should accept that some things can't be forced, can't be changed and they should be left as they are. Without any pressure or "violence". Just let go. It will be better next time, or next day. In the end you will be able to do the impossible posture, you will succeed in your undertaking. Sometimes times is what we need.
Time teaches us patience. And by doing so we appreciate the things that happen to us even more. Challenges and difficulties are meant to be there, for the sake of the sweet taste of the prize. The more obstacles one can overcome, the sweeter the achievement will be. Because only by working hard during the day, one can feel the real taste and the bliss of the sleep at night.
Of course now that I understood it I wanted to be more patient about my vacation to Bonaire, but I couldn't help it. I was getting even more excited day after day.
