The Island Incident
I still remember wiggling uncomfortably on my mom’s lap as she Google image searched “beautiful tropics,” in attempt to build her own calendar. Getting impatient as she scrolled through the images continuously, I was about to hop down when I saw the one. The picture burned an image in my mind like a branding iron: An impossible, beautiful island… Looking like a gigantic steep rock, somehow managing the balance not to fall over. I didn’t understand it, but I absolutely loved it.
“That one!” I shouted, almost peeing on her lap from excitement.
Not only did she make this picture the one for my birthday month (April), but she printed me off a copy and let me hang it in my room. I had no idea where this island was located, but I liked that it was a mystery island. I hung it right above my bed, and as I lay there at night I would dream of being at this island, all alone. It was my personal oasis:
I imagined breeze, salty air, my toes in the warm water, and the sun tickling my skin.
Zzz….
Twelve years later, I find myself sitting on a rock in the south of Thailand. I was reading a book, slightly wishing I was doing something more exciting, when a Thai man and his little daughter offered me a ride on their boat.
“Where to?” I asked.
Trying to understand his answer was like trying to decipher ancient gibberish. I tend to live life on the edge, and this felt right; I excitedly nodded my head and stood up after them.
As soon as I stepped foot on the rustic sailboat, I was greeted with the warmest of smiles. The day was great; the boat was full of happy people, the sun was shining, and I could feel life smiling at me pretty dang hard. We were sailing through so many captivating islands. It happened in an instant, however, that one island in particular caught my eye.
Focusing closer, and quickly flipping through “island files” in my mind’s eye, memories of my childhood starting flooding my awareness: I remembered when grandpa yelled at me and I ran to my room, laid on my bed, and stared at the ceiling for hours. . . I made the connection. I realized that this island was the one, the island of my childhood dreams. To add to my amazement, we were sailing straight towards it.
I leaped out of the boat before it even docked, making huge splashes as I ran up to the island. I was seeing the same image my mind had seen for years. The breeze, the salty air, the feeling of my toes in the water, the feeling of the sun on my skin… All felt the same as they did in my dream. The only detail missing was that, in my dream, I was always the only one there. Alas, in this reality, there were people everywhere.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and once again imagined the dream.
My chest inflated.
Shortly after, I felt the wind gaining speed, and saw clouds quickly forming and spreading themselves across the sky. The wind got so strong that my skin started getting attacked by the sand, and the clouds began dumping water that crashed down on us sideways. I could hear people yelling and frantically searching for shelter, but my legs wouldn’t move me from where I stood. The storm was so fierce that I could barely see, but I remained married to the island. I had already made it this far, I couldn´t bare to turn away and hide. . . No matter how piercing the spikes of sand felt.
By the time I could uncover my face, I looked up to see that everyone had run back to their boats to hide. It all had happened as quick as lightning takes to penetrate the ground. . . Amazingly, the storm had completely stopped, and somehow the sun was already shining.
I was completely present. Standing there, looking at the island, feeling the now calmed breeze, smelling the salty air, feeling the water around my toes and the sun hugging my skin… I was there alone.
It was then that I had recieved my first dosage of awestruck ecstasy. In that moment, I took another deep breath and I could feel the Earth breathing with me. The wind whispered to me that my eyes not only saw, but projected; that the inner workings of my mind were what ultimately created my reality.
Following the island incident, my mind has become an incubator of dreams, turning them into realities. A cornucopia of magical experiences, initially created by my dreams, expectations, and desires, have weaved their way into my life.
Now, my question to you is: What kind of life are you dreaming?
Natasha is a cheery nomad with a passion for inspiring others to life the life of their dreams. You can probably find her dreaming in a tree, fire dancing on a pirate ship, or talking with strangers.
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