First solo trip.

Starting.

I have always enjoyed my own company. And I have always fantasised at the thought of exploring a new place all on my own. So on 6th July 2022, at 2am, I impulsively booked a train to the Lake District and an Airbnb for 2 nights.

I was excited to explore the Lake District as it is somewhere I had always wanted to visit. But, inevitably, the casual worry of loneliness crept in the background of all the excitement. What if travelling on my own was actually really boring? What would it be like to spend 3 days alone with my thoughts?

All the good nature can bring.

The walking, the nature, the water, the swimming, the thinking, the painting, the reading, the cooking - it all felt so good for the soul. In the midst of green, I regained my centre of gravity, a typically elusive thing in the hustle and bustle of London streets.

I was at peace, enjoying the happy accident of missing my stop on the bus and taking the long way round. All these mistakes were creating new opportunies of exploration. If I haven't of missed my stop, I never would have visited the Rydal Caves, which ended up being a trip highlight.

The city can often misguide us into living through what is next, rather than what is now. Getting lost and being out in the open, I was gulped into the weightlessness of the present moment.

Reflecting.

Being away from my every day troubles back in London got me thinking. It is so easy to imagine a version of yourself thriving in a life that isn't yours. To imagine that a change of situation of circumstance would automatically transform you into that person you've always wanted to be. But I cannot fully become this 'version' since we cannot ever escape the ever-present 'you' you carry around. And I realised, sitting on that little mound overlooking the water, that, while I may be away from home, I am still the same me I thought I'd left at home.

Any change I wanted to make for myself or for the world, could only come from the me I live in. Not the me out there. A lot shifted for me then. I felt both the freeing and crushing awareness of my present being in the universe.

Trip Highlight

Having two adult ducks and their 6 fluffy little ducklings swimming over to the side of the lake to say hello. The little babies got out of the water and started to kiss my feet! It felt like I'd accidentally teleported in the middle of a Disney movie. Check out the video below to see the cuteness. Sound on for the giggles.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/1b2f0e_671d0d5b34ea407bbd3576ae2d9674b7/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

I hope this post has inspired you to stop waiting on friends, family or significant others to go and visit that place you've been meaning to explore. Just do it. What are you waiting for?

Thanks for reading and happy living.

Love April :)