Moments of Serenity

If I were to choose a favourite month, June would probably be it. There is something about this month… Good things have happened to me in June, it often marked the beginning of beautiful stories, and it always filled me with energy and hope. It’s that time of year when everything feels possible.

By mid-June this year however, all I wanted to do was get away. In spite of the usual June energy and positivity, I was drained, I was angry, sad and overwhelmed. So I did get away. What was meant to be a fun getaway got postponed for a week, so I could deal with an unexpected situation. Then it simply became necessity, not just a whim.

I disappeared for four days. I visited a very close friend – some people never fail to be there for you and there’s solace in knowing that. In spite of everything else – or perhaps exactly because of everything else – I was determined to recapture June, that special sensation. One thing I’ve learnt over time is that my mind does not just calm down, tranquillity isn’t something that simply happens, at least not too often. One generally needs to work on it, to focus and to train one’s mind in order to reach a calmer, better mood. Getting away usually helps me; so does doing something that doesn’t allow me to overthink everything.

So that’s what I did. We hiked up a mountain, on a path that would challenge me enough in order to get my full attention, yet not so much that I would no longer be able to enjoy nature. I dragged my camera along, determined to see if I can rely less on my phone for taking photos and maybe try some new things; that would certainly take my mind away from other issues… Even away from home, even in the mountains, water has a relaxing effect on me, so a few small waterfalls and creeks were a great treat. We explored some interesting places in the region and we relaxed over dinner, drinks and nice conversation every evening. It felt like June, then it didn’t… I was still in my head a great part of the time, a lot more than I would have liked.

So I came home and decided to add a few more “disconnecting” days. Every summer I do this when I get a chance. I pretend I’m in vacation in my own town, since it’s a popular vacation destination for many – just go to the beach, visit some local attraction points, see what the tourist traps have to offer and secretly amuse myself with some of the ridiculous things people will do while away on vacation. The nicest part was going to the beach on three consecutive days and not even once taking my phone with me. Not only did I not miss it, but I even forgot to switch it on for hours after I got back one day.

Here’s my very convoluted point. We find serenity in certain activities or places… or people. But the effect might not always be instantaneous, as I got to notice this time. Once I got back to the “everyday” I realized my getaway did have the desired effect. I felt refreshed, relaxed, it had been what I needed, even if there were so many moments when I couldn’t detach myself from all the issues. Life doesn’t necessarily get better thanks to those serene moments, but they do provide us with energy, strength and perhaps a new perspective. I also realized that June did provide me with its special breed of positivity, otherwise it would have been more difficult for me to cope with certain situations and emotions.

That being said, I’d like to thank Tina (Lens Artists Weekly Challenge – Serenity) for finally getting me to write this June post, even in July.