There’s nothing like travel to make me feel all introspective. Now, a little over a week into our 101-day trip to Southeast Asia I’ve been thinking on life. And more specifically the type of life that I’m wishing to live. And of all things it has me thinking of a piece of artwork.
A dear friend of mine bought me this beautiful painting for Christmas one year with a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote:
“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air.”
I have always loved that painting and have had it hanging on my wall for almost three years now, but, to be honest, I’m not sure that I really got it until my last week in Cambodia.
After spending a little over a week in the more urban-style cities of Siem Reap & Phnom Penh, Stacey & I escaped to a couple smaller towns and took time to get outside. In Kratie we biked 22.5 miles to go see Irrawaddy River Dolphins & we watched the sunset over the Mekong River. In Ban Lung we stared at & bathed in waterfalls, we swam in a lake made from the crater of a volcano and did a 12 mile trek through the jungle to a river. It was magical and I felt fulfilled.
I think that this is the definition of what it means to be “drinking the wild air”. To say yes to experiences, to be moved by moments and to bask in the glory of what the earth offers up to us. It feels so great to have gotten away from the hustle & bustle and got a bit more reacquainted with nature. There are more details in longer posts about each of these experiences now linked above, but for now just a little update and a reminder to live the life you want!
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2 Comments
breezenthrough
March 24, 2015 at 9:33 amLovely quote, I actually have it hanging up on my wall as well. If you complete it, the end is actually “Drink the wild air’s salubrity.” It threw me off at first, but now I like it better. I’m happy to hear you fully understand the quote now, I hope I have a moment like yours!
PaigeBrown
March 26, 2015 at 6:08 amOh, that is a bit unusual! I’ve never read it in its full context, just from the painting my friend gave me. Honestly, I was just excited that it made her think of me. 😉 It has been so wonderful to get to experience so many things, I know your moment is coming- just be ready for it!