A BREATHER : unedited version from my journal

They say to keep rolling and continue on the road of life. But what we sometimes forget is to take a moment to appreciate our surroundings, the people we meet, and the opportunity to live a fulfilling life. In our regular bustling existence, I lost my sense of belonging during rush hour. A sensation that is vital to one's ability to relate to life. So I accidentally took a breather, which I should have done sooner. This breather was not purposeful, planned, or strategized; rather, it just happened, and after experiencing it, I realized how important it was. Unfortunately, the universe had to force me to take that breather three times before I could truly appreciate and embrace its significance. This was a much-needed break. To clarify, this is a symbolic breather.

THE FIRST BREATHER

After a long night's sleep and still feeling completely exhausted, I decided to get out of bed and explore Charlottetown on a Sunday. Well, the local exploration was limited because all of the stores were closed. So I went to Leonhards, a local café, and ordered eggs benedict. And I must tell you, it was quite tasty. Anyway, that's not the point. This was not a breather. I went alone and enjoyed the chai latte I ordered. There was an elderly lady seated next to my table. I was taking a picture of my chai latte, setting the appropriate angle and placing fresh flowers next to it, when she said, "It is a beautiful chai latte and deserves a picture to be taken". Just her voicing that statement signaled the start of the breather. It led to a two-hour conversation. We discussed everything and nothing. That entire conversation still feels like a dream to me because it is so vivid in my mind. The topic mostly focused on living life, not altering who you are, being mindful of what you don't want in your life, being compassionate even when the world rejects you, and how parenting is a full-time, never-ending work. After two hours of chatting, we eventually exchanged names.  Then she gave me a gentle hug, adding, "You need this, this motherly hug, come here". That single hug made me feel so good. It reminded me that there are still decent individuals in the world. And just because you experience negativity from others does not imply you have to respond in the same way to them. This was the first time I took a deep breath; all of the grief, loneliness, and thoughts about fairness that had been bothering me since I awoke that morning vanished. I was ecstatic and felt prepared.

THE SECOND BREATHER

Recognizing that most pathways must be walked alone and that the best adventures are had on your own. I decided to explore this completely new city on my own. Went to every beach. There was no one on that beach as far as I could see. Nothing but waves, shells, stones, pearls, red sand, dunes, red sandstones, sunbeams, and me. I began going along the beach from one end to the other. And there I spotted a red sandstone. This was unlike any other red sandstone. It was stunning, had a shape, and spoke to me. It was calling me, saying, "Hey, I'm a little cliff; come climb me." There it was, just residing in the sea, being touched by the waves, with water splattering over it, and standing in a lovely position surrounded by water. It may not take you long to figure out that I climbed that little cliff to get to the top of that sandstone. And simply being on top of it was a fantastic feeling. I'm not the only soul that exists. The red sandstone and I are the only two souls that exist there. The waves hit both of us; it was touched by sea waves, and I was touched by euphoric waves. One could even argue that it was maddening of me to even consider doing so. And they would probably be correct. Finally, who cares? I'm just delighted I got to see nature's beauty, connect with it, and take the shells and stones it left for me as an offering. I took a deep breath on top of the red sandstone rock and screamed, "Woohoo!"

THE THIRD BREATHER

The greatest approach to getting to know a town is to visit its local stores and shops. You never know what you'll find or who you might run into. Each store has its beauty, charm, and gems to offer you. When I see these beauties in front of me, how can I resist? Crystals, sage, rings, aromatherapy, organic soaps, body scents produced from red sand, personal development books, spices, local coffee, and organic tea. Yes, you heard me correctly; when I mentioned all of them, I went to collect them. I visited every store that was known to be on the major streets. But when I was coming back to my hotel, I noticed this one store tucked on the side of the street. So I walked inside. I am very glad I did. The aroma in the store was resinous, spicy, pleasant, and peppery. There were several sorts of sage, crystals, and candles. Not only that but candles are produced with bee wax. Then, next to the crystals, I discovered mood rings. My curiosity has reached new heights; what the hell are these mood rings? I approached the cashier and asked her what these were and how they worked. And I heard a person behind me explain how they operate. He offered me a turquoise crystal and said, "Hold this; turquoise changes color and becomes more blue as it absorbs moisture from your body." And he was right; it worked. Soon after, we had a lengthy discussion on auras, energy, creativity, sentiments, how to manipulate your thinking to be creative, and healing, and the science behind it all. It was such a wonderful moment. Two of us stood in the middle of the store, completely engaged in our chat, talking for approximately half an hour, unconscious that we were in that store. I'm convinced that the store had the purest ambiance. And once we finished our talk, I took a deep breath and proceeded towards the aromatherapy aisle.

Anyway, that's all I got to write about today, toodeloo. I'll be back soon.