I have been reminded this week just how incredible my fulfilling life is. I will be honest, I was going to use the word "lucky," but I remembered a story I heard from a wonderful family we met in the caravan park this week. They were sharing their story with us, how they came to be here, and their life. They used "lucky" to describe their life and stopped mid-sentence, retracting the statement. They are often told how lucky they are for their work and travel, but they don't like that word. It suggests that luck fell upon them to have this life. But the reality is that everything in their life, and ours, has been orchestrated, curated, and worked hard on. It should be celebrated, not reduced to mere luck.
There is a scene in "Eat, Pray, Love," my favourite go-to feel-good movie, not just for Julia Roberts's incredible smile that warms my heart and makes me believe I can be her. The message I get from it is profound. It is a memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert, who changed her life and travelled worldwide. At the movie's start, she mentions how she was part of the life she had in front of her. She took part in hand-picking every item in the kitchen, all the ornaments, cushions, and throws. She was fully present during each decision and moment in creating her life, but something was missing; she was still miserable. Until she started to create the life she wanted, living by her rules and not others, living to her boundaries and lessons. She worked hard, fell, and got back up to create the life she travelled around the world for—it wasn't luck.
I love this moment when Elizabeth is in Italy. She says:
"We all want things to stay the same. Settle for living in misery because we're afraid of change, of things crumbling to ruins. Then I looked around at this place and the chaos it has endured—how it has been adapted, burned, pillaged, and found a way to build itself back up again."
So, is it luck when people talk to us and others about their lives? Was it luck that found them this life? Or did they step into the unknown, curate their lives, stumble, feel scared, watch their lives burn down, rebuild them, and live their way?
I have heard myself use the word "luck" way too many times, and hearing someone else defy the word as they described their life has really made me appreciate each human's world around me. When I say how lucky someone is, I believe I say it with kindness. However, if I sit long enough in this reality, I know some envy or my ego is trying to make me feel worthy.
Ego is a funny thing. It creeps in when we need to feel important like we matter. But each time I have let my ego take hold, it often is, as I describe it, a "rotting emotion" designed to put myself before others. I get my worst thoughts and am most overwhelmed when my ego comes to pay a visit. I feel the tightness and restraint it holds on my body and the stories it weaves through my mind.
To create our trip around Australia, I had to let go of the life I had, tell my ego we didn't have to keep fighting and allow things to be scary and uncertain.
So, what does our ego hold back then? I think sometimes we believe our ego will make us speak up and fight, but I also think it makes us small, cripples our ideas, and keeps us safe. I am working hard each day, learning to genuinely love other people's lives, to see them and feel their joy, to hear their stories - honoured to be part of them - while setting my ego aside. I am so overjoyed with family news, their success, and dreams. I work hard to be present when they speak, feel love and kindness towards them at each point, and enjoy being part of their story.
"The Bhagavad Gita—that ancient Indian Yogic text—says that it is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection." — Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)
I have learnt that we do not simply have luck; we live imperfectly perfect lives with all their colour and story. We all have an unrivalled willingness to believe in our dreams to fight for what we want to create, and although when in the thick of living (even in a caravan), we can forget, become jealous of the setup of our fellow caravaners or their journey, I remind myself that my ego can rest. Each human around us is on their own epic journey, and we have the privilege of hearing their stories and sharing ours.
So, is luck really shaping our lives, or is it our unwavering courage to face the unknown, our relentless pursuit of our dreams, and our willingness to embrace every twist and turn along the way? As I sit here, reflecting on the stories shared and the journeys embarked upon, I realise that our lives are a testament to our resilience, choices, and spirit. Let's celebrate each other's paths, honour our own, and remember that the true magic lies not in luck but in the beautiful, deliberate dance we perform daily.
"Ultimately, it's not about being lucky but brave enough to create the fulfilling life we love."
- That's my quote.