[en] hi peeps! standing on one of the highest
mountains in liguria, admiring the golden light of a setting sun
which left any photo filter unnecessary – this was one of the most
extraordinary (and most beautiful) moments of this years roadtrip to
italy.
it
can also be regarded as a boundary experience.
as
long as i can remember i have been suffering from an extreme form of
vertigo. thus it wasn't a given that i'd join my girls on this trip,
because, after all, it was the goal to hike up to a height of more
than 800 metres above sea level – exposure therapy, literally.
of
course i didn't want to join my travel mates at first. but they
persuaded me, nevertheless, and told me that i might regret my
decision at a later time ('the 3 big D's have to stick together –
and we're also in need of one last moneglia-selfie!')
i'm
glad the girls were able to change my mind.
it
was a life-changing experience – and that's in no way exaggerated.
it was a very
sponatenous decision to join my travel mates and thus i wasn't very
properly dressed for an evening on a mountain top (which can get
quite cold, even in summer). i can tell you that my tunic, shorts and
leather jacket weren't sufficient and because of that i spent the
rest of the night sneezing.
the climb was
exhausting, of course, but the sight of the mountains covered in the
golden evening sun, accompanied by italian rosé wine and omelettes
with parmigano reggiano made up for all preceding exertions.
the bestsellinggerman author hermann scherer says that 'risky' situations unlock a
bigger potential for feelings of happiness than so called 'soft
targets' or, in other words, targets which you can reach
effortlessly.
the experience
standing on a mountain varies whether you climbed there yourself or
were flown on top by a chooper or the like.
experiences
which take a lot of effort offer a greater potential for happiness.
this roadtrip
was full of confronting encounters, coping with anxieties of
different kinds and deep conversations accompanied by italian wine. you definitely couldn't call this a journey of relaxation, but i
don't care.
when i came back
i felt more free, open and bold than before.
when
I stepped through my front door i realized that i had changed. i realized that i could achieve anything if i only believed in me. i realized that it's worth stepping out of my beloved comfort zone to
dare something new (even if some kind of initial help is necessary).
no
beach vacation would have had the same effect onto my personality and
onto my personal views upon life – but i would enjoy one
nevertheless.
the day of our departure i also chose to quit smoking – after 10 very long years. i have tried to quit this bad habit several times before
but never succeeded.
and
now i can say that i did it, finally!
i'm
very proud that i was able to achieve that because it cannot be taken
for granted, if you look upon other spheres of my life which bring me
to my knees, time and time again.
and
now it's your turn: do you remember any occasion which caused you
some effort but which also made you very happy in the end?
i'd
love to read of your own experiences!
