Here's a tip: if you get the opportunity to drive to the Highlands of Scotland, do it. Drive. Don't hire a bus. Drive, and let yourself be engulfed by the beauty that is Glen Coe, Inverness, and Loch Ness. the mountains literally take you away from it all, and suddenly it's just terrain and sky.
And so you think, can you get closer to peace? Can you feel more in touch with your natural side than at this moment, where the car is bouncing (literally) down the narrow streets and your stomach is dropping every fifteen seconds? Or when the boat sails past Urquhart Castle, and you're reminded of the fact that these things have been here for more than 800 years? And the easy response would be to feel either really insignificant, really small, or to push yourself away from feeling any bit of connection to these moments. But I chose the road less taken (again, literally). I let myself experience the natural connection I had to these moments. And it occurred to me that this is something I don't let myself do very often.
I'm the kind of guy runs back to say that thing one more time. I'm the kind of guy who likes to surprise people, and maybe once surprise myself. And after the week i've had, I have learned a very valuable lesson about being abroad and having this experience: not every day is going to be amazing. In fact, most days might just plain suck. And i'm starting to think that the graph we were shown at pre-orientation is completely accurate: i'm slowly falling into the lull of it. But you keep your head up, and you say to yourself "it gets better". Running back won't always help. That's just part of the experience. And it would be incredibly easy for you to let that ruin it for you. You could let all of that stuff bog you down as you pass my the mountains, the Loch, the pubs. (HINT: don't pass by the pubs).
But I didn't. I lived in the Natural Wonder and relationship that formed. And it hit me; i've only recently felt that a relationship could be so natural. I look back on the types of relationships i've had, and very few came without struggle. Very few came without complications. Very few came peacefully. And i know that we naturally fight for what we want most in life, but I can count on one hand (minus 2 fingers) the number of relationships that just WERE. They say if you want to be happy, you have to just be. And I like that, and I think it applies here as well. If you want the relationship to work, if it's something worth fighting for, you won't have to fight at all. Just be in the relationship. And let the natural wonder of it rush over you. It's pretty incredible.
So keep driving on. Breathe in the mountain air, take another look for Nessie, and be present.
More things about Scotland:
-Weekend trips, while exciting and amazing, are exhausting.
-I can now sleep on any mode of transportation
-Highland Cooooooos are the best. But they pick their nose with their tongue.
-BC Eagles are really good at pub quizzes.
-The MacDonald Clan was a ruthless, heartless bunch. Hoping I didn't get too much of that heritage in my blood.
-Castles are beautiful, but impractical. Very little insulation.
-Don't be stupid at a Pub Crawl. Just don't be stupid.
-Running back isn't always the best option.
-Try to be the person you'd be if you were going into an audition. That way there's no difference between the guy who makes the first impression and the guy who rehearses.
-If given the information that the Bomb will cost the same amount as the Shot, always go with the Bomb.
-The Loch Ness monster is real. No matter who tells you what.
-There's something to be said for believing.
Until later,
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