Therapy, Tidying, Perspective

There's something very therapeutic about tidying, isn't there? I always find that an hour or so spent clearing out old junk and tidying the remains clears my mind way more effectively than most other ways of doing it. Since coming back from Croatia (are you starting to get sick of hearing that line yet?...) I've found that my mind itself is much more tidied than it was when I left.

For instance, stupid things that mattered to me before no longer matter at all. I feel like I've achieved peace of mind on matters that I should never have let bother me as much as they did. At the end of the day, things happen whether we want them to or not. People do things and say things that affect us in both good and bad ways - but is it really worth spending days, weeks, or even months being hung up over them? I kind of used to believe it was. Deep down I knew it was stupid spending so much time on it but I never had that thing within me that just said "OK, enough is enough, get over it now." Perhaps I should have done...

When you've climbed a mountain and kayaked across the sea despite breathing problems and a fear of deep water (more specifically...falling/being plunged into deep water), you begin to realise that these things really are not important. You even start to realise just how much time you wasted - which isn't much fun but it's good to get a handle on things.

I can't really say "if you want to get a good perspective on things, sign up to World Challenge, raise the funds and go on an expedition" because it's not exactly a practical solution to all of your problems. But, I suppose what I can say is that if you get the opportunity to do something you'd never dream of doing - do it, because it will teach you the exact opposite of what you expect. That sounds a bit crazy, I know, but for me - that was exactly what I needed. I expected lots from the expedition but I never expected to achieve peace of mind with things that I always imagined I'd never understand...

But that's also the point - I've realised that you don't need to understand everything in this world to appreciate it or enjoy it. I don't understand how I managed to climb a mountain and kayak across the sea - but I am beyond proud of myself because I did it. I don't understand how I managed to spend 8 days away from home in a foreign country but I know that somehow, I did, and that's all I need to know. I always used to waste time searching for the meaning in absolutely everything...but I kind of wonder now what the point in that actually is. I never, ever, found the meaning and I spent ages trying to - so why not just leave things as they are and just enjoy them? It makes much more sense to me.

I suppose the link between "Therapy, Tidying, Perspective" is that a) Croatia was very therapeutic in ways I never realised or imagined it was; b) my life is much more tidied and in order since I've come home and I like that fact (a lot) and c) I now have a good perspective on things. And now I'm rambling, so I'll sign off now...

Besos ♥
Rachel