It was an incredible adventure to climb towards waterfalls that were connected with a volcano or something like that. At the beginning of the day, I said, "I want to explore this island, it seems so beautiful to me," and I was very excited. The activity I was going to do was a bit of hiking and a bit of enjoying the waterfall. Innocently, I embarked on this adventure, but I never thought it would be so extreme and challenging in the sense that you're there with nature just as it is, in its natural state, without much human intervention.
Upon arrival, to where the waterfall was quite high up the mountain. You still enter a kind of stream where the water falls, it's like pure stones, and everything looks so reachable, but when you start to climb and climb and climb, you feel like it's never going to end, and it became for me an analogy of life and a very interesting exercise because at first, one, passing through the surprise, not knowing what I had gotten into. Two, once you start to climb the path, it depends on the person, but for me, I prefer to go until the end of the consequences after a certain point. As long as it's not a major risk, right? But as I spent more time, I began to realize... I don't think I can get out of here without getting soaked, right? Because you start to see the nature of what you're getting into. And well, there are so many rocks and water. Not a river as such, but a nearly completely unpredictable path. After climbing a long path for a good while, I'd say about forty minutes maybe an hour because it's rocks upon rocks upon rocks, some dry, some wet. Sometimes you step and they don't seem slippery and, oh surprise, and vice versa. Sometimes you need someone's help and hand, but you start to DISCOVER that... everything has a way of being achieved, right?
Most things have a shape, a solution, a way to reach the goal, right? And well, the goal was to get near where the water falls because there was a thermal water and then another area of cold water, and it was wonderful, I mean, you put one foot on one side and it was cold, on the other it was hot, natural. And well, yes, it seemed impossible, and what I discovered or the learning I had is that when you face the action of life, the roughness of life and the necessity, is that #1 you only take one step at a time. You don't overwhelm yourself with everything you want to achieve but you take a step, one thing when you're doing it, and you're there in that moment, #2 You can always investigate how it's done. I immediately looked for someone who told me, "you know what? many people try to use only one part of the body and here what is required is that you use the whole body." When he gave me that basic concept, I started to operate with it, and honestly, you start to develop skill... I started to remember how my cats move, how they do everything, and the truth is I learned a lot because I realized that well, it wasn't and it isn't IMPOSSIBLE. It did cost a lot of work, from scraping my knees, the palms of my hands and my elbows, and I slipped several times, not serious although it was a little risky activity, but after a while you say, "Ok I'm willing to give myself a few bumps and some things that are part of the activity." Yes, well, you have to get your hands dirty, you know, you have to pick stone as they say.
And well, stone by stone, step by step, we arrived, and there were quite a few people. Some found it harder than others, but we all achieved it, and the truth was worth that moment. That little while that wasn't very long that we were there, was enough to taste even all the effort, to taste life and the MOMENT that you were living, since you yourself caused it to happen.
Then going down was another CHALLENGE, it was just as difficult as going up because it's dangerous to go down with such a steep place, downhill, with slippery rocks, holes in the water, different heights. It was very interesting but well, it was fulfilled; we all achieved it. I learned to use my whole body, to crawl, to slip, to fall like with calculation, to use my whole body as a kitten would do, being malleable, being flexible, stretching, being fast, being slow,
using all the resources you have in your body. And remembering that the body is a tool, that YOU are not a body, that a body is like a car that you use to live (and you also have to take care of it obviously) but also, you have to live with it, you have to use it, you can't stay static in life. You have to have ACTION in life to have HAPPINESS and good things.
I leave you with that, a moment captured from my adventure in Dominica. I love you all very much. Whoever is READING this, THANK YOU! I wish you ALL THE BEST!
With Love,
Brenda Marie
