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Hakuna Matata Happy

Explore. All of my mind was focused entirely on that one word.

A whole island…to explore.

“The first thing I usually do when I get here is check out the whole place. Just explore everything.” My aunt who comes here every year for her birthday was already walking fast. I followed in her footsteps because that’s exactly what I wanted to do.

I really don’t even know where to start. Where to start explaining what I explored. The beaches, the rocks, the forests, the cabin, the sand, the water…I kinda took it all in at once…each element wouldn’t have been the same without the others. I guess maybe I should start at the beginning? Well, the first thing I "explored" was the outhouse. After the long boat ride, I kinda had to go pee. But I really don’t want to tell you about what I found in there…

Not to far away from that lovely throne I found something quite a lot more pleasant. A huge fishing net was holstered about ten feet up in the air to probably 8 trees. A ladder suggested that it was meant to be climbed on.

& Thus the forest immediately intrigued me.

A net to hoist me even higher into it sealed the deal. I guess I don’t have to tell you for you to know that I did climb the ladder & daydream into the tops of the trees & into the sky. But I do want to say that it’s simple moments like these that give me peace. Moments like these that give me time to appreciate life & all its beauty.

Ok…enough mushy stuff. You know what else was in that forest? A rope swing.

A pretty fricken awesome rope swing. It went right over a ledge… a surprisingly high one......SoOoo... like if you fall…you’re kinda well…

(like who the heck would want to put one there? In such a dangerous spot? Someone with a sense of adventure maybe? A little crayzayness… maybe someone like me... *GULP...A little stupid but stupid in a wonderful awestruck way… if that even makes sense.???) (Wow do I really sway from the subject this easily?) … anyways it was still awesome. I was lead to it when I heard my uncle’s “whooohooos!"

The light was gleaming on it through an open patch of leafless branches. My eyes opened wide. I may have fell to my knees it was so beautiful. I felt like a kid.

Weeeeeee! Went my uncle again. & Then he handed me the rope. (ok so my uncle may not have actually said Weeee just because he is quite a manly man...being a ranger and all...but that is what I heard at the moment in my head because I usually process things with sparkles and twinkles in my eyes...he was probably giving off more of a Tarzan vibe and like the swing was like one of those vines he swings ridiculous lengths off of and...ok I'm getting off track here...) Let's Just continue on with the story.

~~~

Well here goes… my uncle pushed me off & I was even higher up in the forest than I had been than on the net. Adrenaline of course was filling my veins when I looked beneath but I tried to keep my balance on the small disk shaped seat below me & focus ahead. My hands were glued to the rope. Like… super glued. Focus Victoria. Focus on the beauty all around you instead of the horror of a stupid thought…that you could fall & get a few bruises.

Remember those birds I was telling you about on the boat ride over? I kind of felt like all of them. Happy & Free & in Love. In love with this excitement! The moments in life that really make your senses come to life. Moments in life where you’re literally pushed off the edge with no choice. Where you can either enjoy the thrill or shy away from it. When you can take hold of the opportunity to feel the air as you fall or fear the bottom.

Whoosh!

Moments when you can just let go (not literally I hope) & forget about everything!

Weeeee!

Now it was coming from my own throat. Moments where you find yourself in its most exhilarating state. Haha! The cutting rush of air felt so good! There was no one around me anymore but I was laughing. Because well…

a little rope swing can do all that?

(Ok I hope I’m not getting too mushy again… or metaphoric.)

The spinning world around me became clearer although I still remained dizzy as I wobbled off and onto the soft, damp earth. I took a deep breathe with my smiling mouth. And closed my eyes for a second. I probably looked like an idiot just sitting there & smiling. But no one (other than my dog) probably noticed. & If they would’ve…I wouldn’t have cared. All that mattered to me was that I was happy for the moment. Not a single care. No worries. Completely happy. Like Hakuna Matata happy.

And then I began to feel around me. Feel the dirt. The flowers. The dew. (As weird as that sounds…e x p l o r i n g t h e d i r t ? Ummm ewww. I’m a 17-year-old girl sitting alone in the middle of the forest with my eyes closed & a huge grin as I play in the dirt… its sounds even weirder as I type it. Like weird enough to make me sound like I need psychotic help.) But like I said…I don’t even care right now. Back to the dirt.

Although I enjoyed exploring the air in a giant fish net and on a hazardous swing…I think I was ready for some ground time. & Let me tell you…it’s a whole ‘nother world down there.

But, let's just focus on Hakuna Matata for now.

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