The Day My Dream Came True: Elephant Edition.

“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to noticed how extraordinary it was.”- Ransom Riggs

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated with elephants. They are beautiful, loyal, gentle, and incredibly smart. I have dreamed of the farfetched day I would get to interact with one and witness their beauty up close and personal.

So you can imagine the emotions that go along with finding out this day was happening/my dream was coming true, actually going and interacting with the elephants, and the aftermath of it all. Basically, I was a weeping mess of tears for about 3 months, and I have tears falling again as I am writing this. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had and for the family members/friends that helped me make it possible.

(I wish I was joking about the tears, but here is actual photo proof. I was so overwhelmed with emotion. And yes, I also understand that I am an adult.)

I was blessed to fly to an AMAZING elephant conservation where these keepers truly love these animals as if they were their human family. While there, I got to learn about elephants, feed them, give them a bath (which the elephants actually smiled the entire way through they loved so much), listen to their constant “happy” screech noises, and take so many pictures. I learned that these elephants are basically big dogs that will do tricks to show off but mostly just like to roam the 60 acres of woods/lands.

(Feeding the cutest elephant named Patty)

(Patty was so happy during her bath that she was actually smiling and making this “happy” screech noise. The top picture was my surprise at how happy she was/how heavy her ear was!)

Even as I write this, I am currently sobbing in gratitude and awe of this day. We had so many things going against us, like only have 1 actual available day to fly to another part of the country to accomplish this and that 1 available day was supposed to be filled with thunderstorms/rain. But the day could not have been more perfect or have had more perfect weather.

Moral of this one: You are never too old for your dreams to come true and you’re never too old to stop dreaming. Fight for them, don’t give up on them, and constantly be searching in a stagnant world.

-BrilliantlyAverage

Get Away To Refill.

“People empty me. I have to get away to refill.”- Charles Bukowski

Life is a beautiful thing, but that does not mean that it is not exhausting. People, situations, and the constant roller coaster of emotions required to live can drain the body. Our bodies can be completely exhausted either mentally, physically, or both simultaneously. Therefore, it is our job to recognize when we need to make time for ourselves to recharge.

This can sometimes be a hard thing for people to understand. I am constantly reminding the people I love that just because I want time alone does not mean that I am depressed. Sometimes, I simply just want to be alone and do not feel the need to justify that reasoning to anyone. I value my time spent with my friends and family, but I have found that I function better when I pencil in time for myself as well.

At the end of the day, we are all we have. In this life, I aspire to continuously grow and end my journey as the best possible version of myself. In order to achieve this outcome, I need to focus on everyone that I love, including myself. We have to get to the point where we are not scared to reflect on our thoughts, decisions, and actions. Making a decision once is a mistake, making it more than once is a choice.

I use my alone time as a reflection period. I allow myself to do whatever in that moment would make me the happiest. If I want to sing at the top of my lungs, so be it. If I want to take a nap, so be it. You are not required to validate these decisions to anyone but yourself.

-BrilliantlyAverage