This past weekend I finally made it down to Big Sur and it was pure bliss. It has always been a goal of mine to spend a weekend camping there and thanks to co-workers lending us gear, my gal pals and I were able to make it happen. Since it was dark when we got there on Friday, waking up on Saturday morning was incredible. Stepping out of the tent and seeing the light stream through the grove of redwoods all around us was pure magic. We spent the weekend hiking in Pfieffer State Park, driving Highway 1, wandering down to hidden ocean coves, traversing across streams to beaches and getting lucky enough to see the sunset from Pfieffer beach. It felt so good to get away from the city, to turn of my phone and just exist in nature for 3 days. I forgot how much weekends camping, surrounded by the outdoors, a sky full of stars and adventurous promises refuel me and make me so deeply happy. It was an amazing weekend, spent with people that I have gotten very close to this semester and left me re-centered and refreshed.
Side blurb: In yoga a few weeks ago we talked about finding your dharma. Dharma is a Sanskrit word that loosely translates to righteous living. It means that by fulfilling our life purpose, we will also in some way be contributing to the greater good. In short it is about finding your destiny and that by following the things that feel right and fueling our passions we are accepting our dharma. Everyday we see people living their dharma, doing something that seems so engraved in their soul that it makes you stop in your tracks. It may be singing or painting or working with children or public speaking. A lot of the times when you see someone else in their dharma it inspires you to want to do whatever they are doing. I can't count the times when I have seen someone be good at something and said to myself "ooo I should try that". Yet that is not our dharma. Your dharma comes from following your soul and listening to the things that make you feel at peace and content. By asking yourself - What is it that I am most passionate about—what makes me come alive when I am doing it? No matter where you are in your life, your soul has a way of taking you back to these places of content, you just have to let it lead. For me I have always felt like I have been searching for my dharma. I want to feel so deeply invested in something that it oozes out of me and inspires others around me. But through that yoga class and doing more research into dharma I know that I have to stick to what I feel is right and what makes me happy and that will lead me to my dharma. Following my love for photography, the outdoors, education, design, people and travel and by asking myself each day what I am grateful for. This will allow me to stay grounded in gratitude and love for what I have and help me realize the amazing opportunities I am given each day. This gratitude will help me find my dharma and play a huge role in how I look at my life and the quality of my life.
Here are some photos from the weekend, which in no way do it enough justice (musings continued after):
3 campfire meals, 4 hikes, 1 river crossing, 2 sunsets, 2 skies full of star, 1 sun burn, 1 weekend, 1 touristy waterfall, 7 avocados, 4 gal pals, 1 tent, 1 banana slug, 3 state parks, 4 surfers, 3 apples, 8 hand stands, 2 shared PB&Js, 3 polaroids, 1 disposable camera, 2 golden retrievers, 1 close encounter with Mandy Moore and 2 nights later I am feeling so thankful and refreshed. Here is to cherishing my last week and a half in California and soaking up as much sunshine and positive vibes as I can.
Cheers - keleniak
#heckyaSF