FORGIVENESS

As I grow older and have more and more years of various experiences under my belt, I'm realizing that one of the most difficult things we as humans have to do is live in harmony with one another. It's not easy! We're all completely unique and different due to genetics, upbringing and all those things that happen in life called experiences. Being so very different, there's no way that we're all going to have the same opinions, values or morals. It can be hard to get along! In my life, I've been hurt many times and in return, I've probably caused pain and hurt to others. This past year has been a crazy one and I've had quite a few disagreements with various individuals. It's part of human nature yet sometimes it's very hard to let go of those hurts.

This blog post comes from a very real place that I have recently experienced, a place of real, true forgiveness. I was sitting at a bar with my boyfriend drinking a few pints. Out of nowhere, I felt the urge to reach out to a few friends that I have had differences and grown apart from over the past year. I expressed my love, my willingness to forgive and move on. I wasn't thinking about the response I would get from them. Rather, I was thinking about how reaching out to them made me feel. I felt so relieved, so empowered and so happy in that moment. I was somehow, and I'm still not sure how, hit with the knowledge that yes, we're all very different, but at the same time we are at the same. We're all human beings and we all do make mistakes. We hurt one another either intentionally or unintentionally, but holding onto those hurts only suppresses our ability to thrive and reach our own personal potentials. They bog us down. Letting go of the anger, bitterness and pain that has built up over a span of 26 years has freed me from the chains that were binding me. It's time for me to put that energy somewhere else, perhaps into spreading love, kindness, and letting my own light shine.

I've always been a fan of Wayne Dyer, a spiritual teacher of sorts, and I found a video of him speaking about the topic of forgiveness. I've shared it here with you because he explains the act of forgiveness in such a beautiful way. I have always looked up to him and aspired to reach his level of awareness and ability to love. Having reached a point where I've felt what it's like to forgive and to love the human race as a whole, I feel like I'm finally getting there.



More on Wayne Dyer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRAewRQl_ZY

"Atlantis"

Before heading to Pheonix for the holidays, my boyfriend and I (and the dogs) went out for some highlining. There's a really cool place one of my good friends discovered that has a beautiful view of the Green River and multiple highline set-ups at different lengths. I had been out there once before and wanted to go back to rig another one of the lines. I really wanted to challenge myself more than usual so I rigged it with threaded tubular webbing, which is a lot heavier and more dynamic than many other webbings out there. This means that the lines will be a lot more difficult to control, loose, and wobbly. It's a lot scarier being out on the line when it takes a lot of work to control it! The line was about 80 feet long and I fell on the first couple of attempts, but then once I got in the groove I was able to walk it multiple times. It was so nice to feel challenged and scared; when you get good at something sometimes the thrill goes away. I love getting to the other side after feeling terffified, it's so relieving and exhilarating! Mark gave it a bunch of attempts and struggled. He hasn't had too much practice on highline's and this line was particularly difficult, so I told him not to be too hard on himself. It takes a lot  of courage to even get out there! Overall it was a great day of rigging, playing out on the line, watching the dogs enjoy the outdoors and exploring the area!

Putting on my Chacos, or rather, "Sockos" for the cold weather :)

Rigging! Gear by Balance Community Slackline Outfitters

First walk! Such a gorgeous place, one of my favorite highline spots.

Busting out some tricks

Chacos on the line! 

"Double drop knee"

Loving my Oakley Women winter clothes! 

Mark getting ready to give it a try

Go  Mark!! It takes a lot to get out there, I mean it!

One of my favorite shots from the day.