Listen, in the past few years, I have experienced more traumatic experiences than I have in my entire life! If you have not previously read my story, allow me to quickly review:
These events changed me. I no longer felt the happiness and joy I once had. Of course, I strayed away from any social activity with family and friends. I experienced a deep darkness I never felt before. I wanted desperately to get back to my joy and happiness. So I explored several avenues to help me achieve what I’d temporarily lost. Of course, my first step was to talk with a professional therapist, which helped. However, I needed more. Therefore, I tried art therapy and began painting again, which was soothing. Yet again I still needed more, I mean I was SO far away from my authentic self, I had to pull out all the stops. I was determined to reclaim my joy and happiness.
One of the methods my professional therapist used was to recall all of the fond memories of my childhood. Doing this helped me balance my emotions of grief with happier emotions. Oh, I had so many fond memories of my younger years. My mom, dad, two brothers, and I were extremely close. My parents were the epidemy of love and affection, which may be the reason why I was so lost when they passed. We did not have much in terms of material possessions, but what we had was much better. We had two loving parents that would move heaven and earth for our happiness.
Even though we didn’t have much, my parents found creative ways for us to travel still. Our church would always visit different churches in different cities, so we would go with them. It was usually just overnight, but it was still a different city away from home. Additionally, my dad’s family is from Alabama, so we would travel for family reunions. Those were typically weekend trips. Also, my great aunt and uncle lived in Campbellsville, KY, on a farm. So we would usually visit during spring break. It was only about an hour or so away, but it was away from our everyday life and in a different environment.
Once we got older, we still kept traveling as a family. Of course, as adults, we had more means. So we would actually have family meetings to plan our vacation. Our vacations had to be within driving distance because my parents did not like to fly. So we would load a 15 passenger van, which we jokingly called it the church bus. My husband, son, grandmother, uncle, both parents, both brothers, their partners, nephew, and I would head for the open road. Nashville, Atlanta, Virginia Beach, Myrtle Beach, St. Louis, Hilton Head, and Savannah were just a few places on our list of trips. We were even on vacation in 2005 when we had to evacuate from our beach house because Hurricane Katrina hit. I may share some of those pictures in a future post.
After completing the memory recall exercises my therapist recommended, I really did start to feel better. Just thinking about all the good times and experiences we had traveling created this beautiful healing energy for me. I thought if I can have this much joy just thinking about my travel memories, then wow, physical travel may just be what I need.
During this time, I was regularly attending full moon drumming circles. Each time I went, the hosts would always talk about how they could not wait to move to Sedona, AZ. They described it as one of the most peaceful and spiritual places on earth. I had been searching for peace for the last three years, so Sedona seemed to be the answer. I do not believe in coincidences. So I knew it was a matter of the right place and the right time for me to heal. I mentioned previously, I remembered a girlfriend of mine moved to Arizona, so I asked if I could come to visit for a few days. After she said yes, my life changed forever.
I had never been on vacation alone before, but that didn’t scare me. I knew that merely being away from all the chaos would soothe my soul. The planning began immediately. Now keep in mind, when we traveled as a family, we would stay within a 12-hour drive. This meant we never visited out West. So I knew that I wanted to see as much as I could because this would be my first time on vacation west of Missouri. I jam-packed my vacation with stops in Sedona, Phoenix, Southern California, and Las Vegas. Listen, this was the best trip of my entire life. Of course, I missed my parents, but I also got in touch with my soul and began healing. Which is why I called it my travel therapy. Not to be confused with a physical therapist who travels. No, my therapy is traveling.
There you have it, my travel therapy backstory. So, now you get to live vicariously through me. My travel therapy stories will now be a regular category. I will update the series at least once a month with posts about my actual adventures. The next post will consist of photos and descriptions of the first leg of my trip out West, which I named “Anywhere the Wind Takes Me.” This post will include my travels from Black Rock Canyon, AZ to Sedona, AZ. So make sure to check back soon!
My frequency is shifting, which has awakened my inner goddess. Divine guidance is now leading my journey. Therefore, I am sharing my knowledge and life experiences.
I hope you find the information I provide on this site useful and inspiring. I also hope you will be able to discover your bliss. Following your dreams is a huge part of elevating your joy. Each day you live in that elevation, brings you closer to a living a divinely elevated life of happiness.
If you would like to rise with me, by being an active participant, I invite you to contact me via social media or email. Additionally, if you would like to receive updates when I post, feel free to subscribe below.
Let’s encourage each other and choose to live our best lives in light, love, and happiness!
***No information provided on this site is intended to serve as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment***
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I finally read your story. Thanks so much for sharing your story and your journey. It is so very inspiring and will be an inspiration to so many to begin living their best life. God bless you and your family.
Thank you so much Ms. Vicki!