It matters

Recently, I have been pondering a question.

"Why do some people, places or events impact us more than others?"

Here is the story of how I found my answer:-

At 616am last Friday morning, I was wandering around an abandoned unfinished hotel overlooking the sea in a tiny cove at the top of the island.

It faces east, and I was there in part to see the sunrise, but mainly because this location has become an unofficial art installation for local and international graffiti artists to display their art, and I wanted to see that.

It took me a while to find anything out about this place, but apparently, it was started in the '60s, and the architect got into some spat with the government and was exiled, leading to a halt in construction. The architect died not long after, and it has remained in its part-finished state for the last 50 years or so.

A few years ago, people started to paint the walls with their version of street art. It's a special place. And the fact very few people know about it or visit it makes it even more special. I only found it because I took a wrong turn on the road.

The local government tried to stop people from getting in and banned the artists. They erected fences and chained it off. The artists cut the chains and continued with their art. Ultimately, the government got fed up and let them use it as they wished. The artists beat the government. I like that fact.

There are no tour guides, no ticket office, and you do not have to exit through a gift shop. You won't find any claims that it is anything but a derelict building that the public should avoid for safety reasons, but for me, it's an art gallery like no other. It is raw, it is edgy, it is abundant with soul, and it moved me. I will never forget this place.

I watched the building illuminate as the sun came up, and with the sunrise, the full impact of the colours and the artwork hit me, and at that moment, the answer to my question came:-

"We are impacted the most by what moves us."

So what has this got to do with you?

Well, I guarantee if you are reading this, you will have things that move you and make your soul sing.

And I also guarantee most of you will not do those things as often as you would like. You see them as some luxury, reserved for when you "have time" after doing all the mundane stuff you believe you need to do.

The problem with this strategy is we never seem to find the time. And our happiness and wellness are all the worse for this. Our lives can quickly become a series of boring routines.

Maybe it's time to rethink your view on what your priorities are. I know I am rethinking mine.

If it moves you, it matters. And you should do more of that stuff. It's not a luxury. It's a necessity.

And one final thought: some things that will end up moving you the most may well be found when you take a wrong turn.

Take Care

GB