Inspired to Inspire
After a quick two week trip home for a wedding and to meet two new family members, we are now travelling around the top of the South Island. We spent nearly six months almost entirely below Christchurch and after we marked out our route on a map, we realised we still didn’t see everything! However, we must move on because there is still so much of this beautiful country yet to explore.
We have been pretty lucky with the weather since we’ve been back in New Zealand – I’m not sure if it is the change in seasons, our location or, the fact I have become accustomed to grey and rainy days, either way I’m not complaining! While we spent six months on the lower half of the South Island, we are now skipping through the top half in a month, before our ferry to the North Island.
I’ve come to the realisation my travel habits will need to slow down. With air travel being one of the main contributors to global Co2 emissions, it goes against a lot of what I work hard to practice and preach. However, to my surprise, I’m not feeling too sad about it. Let me explain..
The past two to three weeks have been overwhelming, but in a good way. I’ve met some really inspiring people who have reminded me of a few things:
Chase your dreams
You are never too old to start
Dream, plan, take action
Do what you love, love what you do
These expressions aren’t new to me, I’ve read books and listened to podcasts that regularly promote them. It wasn’t until I started speaking with real people, listening to their stories and seeing, first hand, what they had achieved, that these expressions sparked a fire in my belly. Whether it was seeing the products that were coming out of a small, backyard workshop; talking to the lady at the markets who decided to quit her full-time job, and start making her own products; or the older couple who moved their life to Golden Bay and created an incredible farm to share with anyone who wanted to stay. Each of them had a different story, all of them (and many more) opened my mind to what is really important and inspired me to keep pursuing my dreams.
I aim to be present and immerse myself in this wonderful adventure we are on, but I’d be lying if I said ‘what will I do when we get home’ hadn’t crossed my mind more than a few times since being here. Questions like - where will I work, where will we live, how will I adjust back into life at home? Well, the past few weeks have given me a few of those answers.
'The connection with myself grows deeper the more I connect with those around me'
I know I’ve said it before, but I really believe disconnection is a big issue in our modern world, and I aspire to change that. I’ve touched on disconnection from our resources here, but now I’m understanding something bigger - our disconnection from each other.
Growing up I played on the street with every kid who lived there and knew who was behind every door, but now, on that same street, I wouldn’t know one. I had to schedule seeing friends weeks in advance and dropping in for a coffee became unheard of because, if I wasn’t busy, surely they would be. Sharing life events through an app had replaced calling a friend to catch up on their week. While I promote a mindful lifestyle, to slow down and take care of yourself, I’m realising that the connection with myself grows deeper the more I connect with those around me.
Since house sitting the yurt I’ve realised I truly value physical connection and a sense of community, and now I want to create just that. I want to build a home that provides food, safety and warmth. A space that is welcoming and open to all friends and family. I want to learn, grow and reconnect with the land – to truly ground myself and see what is possible. I want to build a community that gives people the space to learn, grow and reconnect with each other, but most importantly, themselves.
I’m hopeful that all of this motivation and passion doesn’t fade – I’ve written down my goals and I will manifest them in the coming months while I continue to discover new places, get fresh ideas and meet new people. I have a vision and I’m excited to create it.
Until then, I will continue to absorb all that this wonderful country has to offer. I am beyond grateful for these experiences and for each person we’ve connected with along the way.
Love Han, xx