San Diego Skyline

Lesson 3 may be a stretch, but there are a few ways you can amend it!

This lesson is one that I learned many years ago. When I was about 13 years old I visited San Diego, California for the first time. I didn’t understand why I felt so alive there, but I remember being a kid and saying to myself “I know I need to come back here someday.”

I’ve been back a few times since, and the last time I was there it was after a heartbreak.  A few months prior I had made a wise choice to leave a relationship. Even when you are the breaker-upper, it still hurts, but in a different way.

San Diego to the rescue!

It was the summer of 2005 and I was visiting my Dad, who at the time lived in L.A.  We were also scheduled to meet my cousin in San Diego who just happened to be west coasting it at the same time I was. I am not a huge fan of L.A. and I just needed to BREATHE. I convinced my Dad to leave a little early and hop on the road to have more time in my special place.

Within a few hours we were sitting at a restaurant on the water and my heart was at rest. When you are in a post-relationship phase your thoughts and emotions feel all over the place. Your soul is in need of rebalancing and it is up to you to do that. I believe places we love can heal our hearts when we need it the most.

I realized on that trip that it wasn’t just the water that I loved. Yes, it’s a city but this place never lost its soul. While other cities sold out, San Diego stayed true to something you can only truly get when you are standing there. There is an energy there of innovation, culture, people who care about stuff that matters, and a vibe that makes you feel that you are in rhythm with a part of life that operates at a different frequency.

Within just a few hours I felt all the chaos quiet itself. I was at peace. I think I was only there for 48 hours but I left different. Sometimes I just know that I will end up there someday but not just for a visit. One can dream!

A close second…

The view from my balcony

This time around I didn’t have the luxury of hopping on a plane to visit my magic place. I have the beautiful opportunity of living on the Hudson River. These past few months I have walked and ran by the water dozens of times, stood on my balcony to watch the sunrise over New York City, or just let the rain fall on me at times.

In lieu of Pacific Standard Time, the Hudson has been very good to me. The sound of the water at night gave me back some of the rhythm I’d been missing. For this, and for all lessons learned I remain eternally grateful.

The lesson…

Go to your happy place. As you heal your heart do whatever you can to put yourself in settings and atmospheres that will help restore your balance. Your heart is a treasure that cannot be healed by shear will. You must let the outside world in to nurture and restore you and your heart to the state of rest it deserves to dwell in. Wherever that is for you, go there. Now.

Healing and Happiness,

Steph