Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Photo of the Month: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

I was talking with a friend today...she and I both started dieting about a month ago.  We're both struggling, because, well diets are stupid.  We're also both tired of being fatties, so I suggested that we need to come up with a rewards incentive - after losing specific pre-determined benchmark pounds, we reward ourselves with something that we likely wouldn't get otherwise...like "Treat Yo-self: No More Fatty Edition".  I told my friend that we need to make our rewards list visible, so we see it everyday as a reminder of why we can't eat those pastries that I love sooooooo much.

I'm a visual person and believe that if you see something everyday, you'll get it.  Sometime last year, I decided to cover my work locker with photos the places I've been wanting to visit for years now.  It included Machu Picchu in Peru, the Tiger's Nest temple in Bhutan, the Troll Tongue of Norway, and Uhuru Peak on Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.  With no plans in the near future to visit any of those, I figured they're at least gorgeous photos that help reduce my stress at work, even if it would be years before I visit one, let alone any of those locations. 

Then suddenly, very last mintuely (that's a word in my world), Peru happened.  I got to see Machu Picchu after dreaming of that beautiful citadel for over a decade.  And that's when I became a real believer in the visuals.  I honestly did believe in them before, but nothing ever really amounted from my visual boards (that includes marrying Thor and winning the lotto...apparently you have to play to win.  So inconvenient.).  I had a few magazine cutouts of Machu Picchu dotted here and there around my daily routine, without really believing I'd visit any time soon - I had a lot of other places I wanted to visit, so Peru kept getting shelved.  After a horrible August at work, I decided to book a last minute trip...I wanted somewhere warm, and beachy, but then realized warm and beachy places were full of couples.  Seeing them would be depressing, so I decided somewhere adventurous instead and BOOM!  I found a great deal to Peru and MP happened.  Visual boards work :) 

I was going to make this Photo of the Month a green, lush photo of Machu Picchu because of the vision board conversation today, but since I've skipped a few Photo of the Month's, the last one I posted was literally Machu Picchu.  So instead, since I'm sitting here watching the Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and aching to go back to Iceland...this month's photo is brought to you by way of Iceland.  There's no way that Iceland can disappoint.  That wee country is Ah-maz-ing.

I was tentatively planning to go back to Iceland this year, but since my vacation isn't until November, I'd rather go somewhere warm.  Probably Southeast Asia.  Maybe Bhutan...that little kingdom has been randomly popping up in unexpected places in my life lately, hopefully it's a sign that it's going to happen!

But until then, here's Jökulsárlón, the beautiful glacier lagoon in the south of Iceland.

Jökulsárlón...pretty dope.

To see the world
Things dangerous to come to
To see behind walls
Draw closer
To find each other 
And to feel
That is the purpose of LIFE

Happy Trails!

And because this song always reminds me of Walter Mitty and Iceland...