The butterflies’ secret.. a tale by a city girl

Northern Thailand, the countryside with its ever lasting green lands, I take a deep breath of real fresh air and admire the surroundings. We just landed at Sakon Nakhon’s airport and we’re driving to my mother’s friends family house. I’m sitting in the box of the pick up truck and relishing every second of it. Living in a big city, rarely do I get to enjoy that kind of scenery, vast green plains, very few other cars, not even a cow in sight, just us and the road. The wind is making my hair dance, while “The Pixies, Where is my mind?” is playing in my ears. I suddenly press pause on my iPod and ask myself the question for real; Where is my mind? I am pleased to realize that since we got in that car, my mind has been here, fully present. I’m taking the moments in as they come, instead of going over the many things I have to do when I get back or even what could my next profile picture be among the many great ones I took so far.. I press play again and smile, meanwhile I can’t help but notice the many butterflies following the car almost as if they were trying to catch up to me to tell me something. In their quietness, I still manage to hear their gentle whisper, they’re asking me a question, but fly away before I have the time to answer it. They asked me this: “Who do you live for?” Not what, not why, but who… I keep repeating this over and over in my mind, aware that deep down, I very well know the answer to that question, but may forget to live by it every now and then. As I gaze into the empty green fields, I feel a weight lifting off my shoulders, like my worries are being blown away by the wind, and many of my concerns in life now seem irrelevant, because this is my life and I live for me. I LIVE FOR ME!! I don’t live to please others, nor do I live for a job and unfulfilling relationships. I know that sounds somewhat selfish, and it is, to a certain extent, but in a healthy way. What I mean is; those external elements don’t define us and are simply a choice we are making and we shall choose only what will enhance our selves and our lives for the better. Most of us aren’t forced to suffer or settle into something, for suffering and settling is also a choice. And in that occurrence, it would mean that we are choosing to live for other people and what they want, rather than for our own well being. Which is completely absurd when you stop and really think about it. Now when I start feeling overwhelmed or unsure, I simply remind myself that I live for me and make my decisions accordingly. I find it simplifies what seems complicated, it brings me back to what and who actually matters in my life and it reassures me that as long as I put my well being first, all will be okay! 

So there, I think that’s what the butterflies were trying to bring to light. Now, I know we’re not supposed to divulge secrets, but that one was too good for me to keep it to myself.

On that note my lovelies, always Travel Smart and never forget who you live for, YOURSELF!!

Madeleine xox