My gut was hit with something harder than a feeling, it was a sickness. On day 14, I decided that my microbes had adjusted to Mongolia and chose to eat fresh cabbage, tomatoes and cucumbers. My body was craving green, but my gut felt otherwise, I was green instead.
Leaving for the Gobi desert that morning, the rain had cleared and I was blessed with a sun rise that let me know that everything was going to be ok. Traveled by plane back to Ulaanbaatar and crashed in a cushy hotel, ordering broth that tasted like love was sprinkled in it. I begged that this would be under control by the time my taxi arrived to take me home.
My tummy decided to cooperate and my journey home was peaceful, calm and restful. Once I hit Chicago and boarded my plane to Little Rock, I started visualizing my kids and Chris. Knowing that I could smell their scent, touch, hug, kiss and snuggle with them. I had missed “touch”. I had experienced heightened sensations due to a new place that my eyes had never seen, smells that were foreign to my American senses and people who I learned to communicate with using my hands, as very little english was spoken. The Buddhist monks and their work that I was on assignment for, hugged by touching foreheads. Our days together would be filled with food and learning about their lives and beliefs, as well as many, many laughs. They are so joyful, it is difficult to not be affected with their contagious flow of energy.
Its true, whether you have experienced it or not, it is real. You can deny that it exists, or that the ENERGY of another human does not effect you, but it does. I am not here to prove this with science, philosophy or spirituality, only to share with you my human experience with it. It opened my eyes to how as a Westerner, even as I would consider myself open minded, I was still surprised how real it was. It was not a sensational moment that you will read me writing about, it was still and soft. I began to be more aware, of everything! I began to notice how I was being so very present without being conscious of it. Whatever I was doing, whether it was shooting a ceremony, eating with my colleagues or resting in my room.
The present could be described as this:
-not thinking about the next day or the future
-not having racing thoughts
-not having anxiety, at all
-seeing people’s needs quicker
-noticing that meetings were coordinated spontaneously, accomplishing more than if we had prepared for it
-all parties, being open and a true desire to hear and understand one another
-no overwhelming feelings when the plan seemed uncertain
Now, that I am home, I will share in my next post my real life challenges to remain in the present, but still live as a wife, mother, friend and business owner. Remember, that I am about real life, so I will commit to share the struggle, as one does exist.
aving Little Rock, I was emotionally, mentally and logistically ready to go. There were moments in the process leading up to boarding the plane that I had wells of joy spring up as well as moments of uncertainty on what to expect.
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