I returned from my Circumnavigation about a week ago and am still processing what an incredible, amazing, & life-altering experience it was. 3 months alone taught me that I love spending time with myself! I laughed, learned, and cried a lot!
I am still processing one of the more challenging elements from the trip that brought forward some tears. My last day on the island Koh Samui in Thailand, I planned to spend my day at the Namuang Waterfall.
It was gorgeous! I spent the first 45 minutes reflecting on my journey around the world and processing how lucky I had been on the journey. I had gone through the journey relatively unscathed and was very proud of my willingness to lean into new experiences.
I moved spots, so that I was sitting in the sun and closed my eyes. While meditating, I heard a crack and then a series of screams. I was facing the opposite direction but I realized a tree was falling. I turned around and looked up to see a tree, quite literally falling directly on top of me. It seemed as though the tree was hanging above me, floating. It was a sight I realized very few people have probably seen. My flight response kicked in and I started to run. Although the upper branches did take me out and a woman had to fish me out from underneath them, I was mostly uninjured. Yes, I had some serious bruises, but I was acutely aware of the severity of the situation and how things could have gone very differently had I been asleep on the rock or unable to respond as quickly as I did.
The odds that I was at that waterfall, at that moment, sitting on the rock underneath the tree was just complete chance! There is no way I could have prepared for what I have now nicknamed the "tree incident." There was no wind, no storm, nothing but luck that it fell on me. And nothing but luck that I was not seriously injured.
I left the waterfall feeling shaken but extremely grateful for the people I have in my life and to have had this experience. I have since decided that a life lived in bubble-wrap, is not one worth living. Yes, preparation is good. Yes, a healthy sense of anxiety can be constructive. But being governed by a fear of chance denies us so much of life's joys. That waterfall remains one of the coolest things I saw on my trip and although I wish I had picked a different spot for my meditation there are certain things that we cannot plan for when travelling. I am still learning how to live with risk, so this experience definitely brought up some overwhelming emotions for me.
At the end of the day, I just am so grateful to have completed my circumnavigation and that the scratches along the way are as instrumental to the story as the beauty of the waterfall!
Today, I am grateful for the woman who pulled me out from under the tree and then helped me find my flip flop. Tomorrow, I will be grateful for finding the courage to live my life without bubble wrap.
