01/01/2025: Cabin Day 4 (Cynthia)
Though I always feel sad when our time in nature is coming to an end, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss my home. I’ve practically been living out of a suitcase for the last couple months and it’ll be nice to put everything back in its rightful place and for my clothes to smell like my own laundry detergent again.
I’ve got a lot of work waiting for me upon my return, but on the brink of a brand new day on the first day of the year, I’m trying to be optimistic. I know it’s time to buckle down and put in the hard work for a while, and that’s equally exciting and scary. But I’ve proven that I can do it, and it’s time to raise the bar as I make my way to the next checkpoint.
As persistent as the cardinal currently flying into the window of our cabin right now, trying desperately to get inside, I’ll be steadfast in my goals and follow through on them even if I come across a dead end or an impossibly huge mountain. I’ll do my best to find a better route, or I’ll make sure I have the tools and the means to tackle that mountain the next time I face it, with new knowledge and experience than I had before.
The amazing thing about life is that we can choose to learn and grow as much as we want. Nothing is really stopping us from achieving our goals, except, of course, ourselves. Time and time again, we make ourselves out to be that insurmountable mountain, which leaves us to wonder: How can I climb any mountain when I can’t get out of my own way?
It’s so hard to give ourselves patience and grace in the face of adversity; we are easily convinced that any effort is futile. What does this all matter anyway? Well, I believe that everyone deserves to have a purpose, and they also deserve to be loved.
If you can find that thing that makes your life worth living, that love for yourself or for another that warms the heart and soul, then I think you’ve accomplished an amazing feat that so many never do. It’s wild how loving oneself can make those mountains seem so much smaller, those dead end paths not so world ending. And so I hope that you can find it in yourself to take some time to make the life you want this year. It’s the hardest work, but it’s the best work.