If you do something that has never been done you will collect treasures that have never been found.
-Jenna Newton
So this past year has been a whirlwind! The last 365 days have led me to a path I never expected I would end up in… Never in a million years. For one, I never thought I would be opening myself to so many new things, experiences and risks. I’ve always been known to be one who has always loved things planned and laid out before me. I hate it when things take me by surprise. Perpetually in love with consistency and constancy, I actually cannot fathom how I was able to go through the past year without falling apart. For one, nothing happened according to how I planned it and I found myself lost in unfamiliar territory. Usually, when this happens, I usually run for the hills and resist the change… Kicking and screaming. Oddly, (and I don’t know to what or whom to attribute this paradigm shift happening), I welcomed things that were unknown with open arms. It took a lot from me to get where I am now and the road was difficult (and it would be an understatement to describe the process as such), but I know that right here, right now is exactly where I want to be.
One of the more easier transitions I made was how I decided to free myself and allow myself to take on new adventures. I always found a strange sense of relief in staying put but after doing some exploring— here and there— I found so much beauty that I would otherwise not have been able to expose myself to had I not gone out of my comfort zone. While I am still looking forward to traveling to a few countries in the very near future and as that plan is still in the works, I am more than happy to get the chance to explore and take on the many beautiful places in my own country. This particular photo, for instance, was taken when I went to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar… All the way in Bataan. The place was absolutely breathtaking and in a matter of a few hours and a couple hundred miles, I found myself warped into a completely new era. I had so much fun taking in the sights and sounds before me and it was refreshing to learn more about the past and how ultimately things were. It’s a funny thing, really. One vital lesson I got from this experience was a friendly reminder that as much as we want to deny it, the past is still important and we have to understand it well especially if we want to want to define our future by ourselves.
Ultimately, at the end of the day and after all the new experiences I have immersed myself into, I have come to realize this: “Before you can live a part of you has to die. You have to let go of what could have been, how you should have acted and what you wish you would have said differently. You have to accept that you can’t change the past experiences, opinions of others at that moment in time or outcomes from their choices or yours. When you finally recognize that truth then you will understand the true meaning of forgiveness of yourself and others. From this point you will finally be free.”
Photos by: Celyn
Dress: SheInside
Hat: River Island
Shoes: Zara
Clutch: Dior