The Sling Diaries, Vol. IV // Everything Shines: Adventure

"I'd like to repeat the advice that I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." - Jon Krakauer, Into The Wild

To us, life is either a grand adventure or nothing at all. We feel called to the outskirts, to the daring, to the roads less traveled and walked upon. Something inside of us beckons to be awakened, to see the sun and trees anew each day. Through seeking adventure, the sleepy soul currents within our body fade and we find ourselves alert and awake, experiencing life in our most vibrant state. Adventure is defined as an unusual or exciting, typically hazardous, experience or event. With confidence I can say that every life-defining moment has come after the willingness to dive into the great lake of unknown, where the heart can soar and burst free into something we could not have foreseen. Whether it has been through how we chose to bring Luna into this world, or how we continually choose to pave our own way in parental society, or how we have abandoned the status quo in terms of spirituality, health and economy; our family has been formed from one adventure to the next, and we hope for this to never change!    

Adventure is where the soul takes shape. It brings out a richness in life that no amount of security or comfort can replace. As parents we are given the most exciting and vital opportunity for influencing a life, and it doesn't matter what we say to our children, it's what we do that will make the most impact. Luna will look to us and follow our lead in action, and it's for this reason that we are seeking adventure! In doing so, we hope she will come to feel vibrant and awake, comfortable in her own skin, her spirit and her path. To question everything brought before her, to go boldly where her spirit calls, and to listen ultimately to her heart, especially in those times when it speaks in a different tone than most. As individuals and together as one, Oscar and I are looking to abandon our false senses of security and to truly live in adventure. To not hold back, to go for the daring, the courageous, the brave. And to teach Luna to do the same. 

We know the road ahead will always be an adventure with you, our sweet little moon! We are grateful and humbled for this opportunity to walk the green earth together, to witness the bright sky, purple flowers in bloom. To experience love, the unusual and exciting, hazardous and wonderful, adventure called life! Thank you Sakura Bloom for this wonderful opportunity to reflect and document over the past six months. Being a part of the Sling Diaries has shaped my first year as a mother in such a special way. We are grateful to all of those who have followed along and helped shape our journey. May the adventure continue infinitely! 

This post was part of the Sling Diaries. I am wearing Luna in a simple linen sling in Lavender.

The Sling Diaries, Vol. IV // Everything Shines: Listening

From mountaintop trees to crashing waves in the sea, we are listening. Under star bright canopies, between golden sunlight rays, we are listening. Through cracks in the pavement where wildflowers grow, while studying colored lines of the brightest butterfly wings, we are listening. By fireside, through desert domes, through fields of sage and wild oaks, we are listening. With eyes open, eager and wide, we crane our necks towards the sky, to observe, to absorb, and to listen.

Luna is our great teacher in this art, this magical act of listening. She hears with ease the messages from all these beautiful, voiceless things. She knows the words of her brother, the wind, dances to the voice of her sister, the leaves. Recognizing the harmony between all living things, she follows in the path of her father, sweet sun, and her mother, bright moon. She knows when to rise, when to fall, when to laugh and when to rest. She takes in every breath as an instrument for love, breathes in all the wisdom given freely from the earth, and breathes out into the world her part of the whole. She knows it all through listening.

The voice she hears and teaches us to hear, is one of great intuition. It is the language spoken through the patterns in the natural world, the patterns weaved within us all. With Luna by our side, we remember to appreciate and rely on this sacred gift, and we learn to listen. The answers are there, laid around us and buried in the earth, hidden in the depths of the sky, and painted across our hearts. We need only to listen. So we move into forests, we move into seas, we study the flowers, and we learn how to be. In silence, in stillness, in gratitude, and by following our child's path, we learn to hear the voice in all the beautiful, voiceless things. And forever, we are listening.

This entry is part of the Sakura Bloom Sling Diaries. We are wearing Luna in a simple silk sling in Sandstone. Thank you so much for following along! Love & hugs.