It’s Thursday night, and I’m doing something I’ve never done before on my trip: I’m starting to write my next post on my phone. In a tent set up next to a cemetery. How did I get here? What does writing here have to do with the purpose of my blog? I hope that by the end of this post, we’ll all have the answer to that question!
One of my last hikes
I planned to write three posts this week. Every Sunday I make writing plans for the following week. This week I planned to write one specific post each on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I usually plan to write every two days, simply because it is a rather time-consuming task, and I like to work with feasible, realistic plans. This time I planned it this way so that writing three posts a week would also have a purpose.
Today – just yesterday – Thursday, my friend Peti and I started our last hike.
Peti’s friendship is very special. He is a – already tamed, but still – self-willed person. He doesn’t accept just anyone as a friend, especially not as a hiking companion. He not only accepts me, but over the past few years he has expressed in words and actions countless times that he values my company, my friendship, our conversations and my thoughts. We have been hiking together for years. We started sleeping in the winter forest with him, sleeping outside on weekdays at night. We have already slept outside three times this year.
He is the one who said most often that he would miss me, the one who has been lamenting that I will not live in this country from the very beginning. We respect each other and now we know each other more or less like two brothers. Our spiritual and mental connection would be quite difficult to describe. I love you, my friend!
This is our last hike for an unknown period of time. Accordingly, we set off with sufficient ease. Despite the ease, today was terribly hard. The temperature felt like it was around 40 degrees all day. At least according to the internet. We think it must have been 100 degrees. Since we were going on a four-day camping trip, the weight of our backpacks was around 14 kg. We set off around 11:30, so in the hottest weather. We also realized that we are quite big animals. The heat took a lot of energy out of us. After walking for quite a long time on a bitumen road, we reached the trees, where it was only slightly cooler. But at least there was more shade.
After several rest stops, we arrived at a settlement, where we decided around six in the evening that we would not go any further today. Around eight in the evening, we were getting ready to go to bed. Peti was sleeping in a hammock, me in my tent. The bus stop is a hundred meters away in one direction, and the cemetery is the same distance in the other direction.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I was still up before midnight. It was warm, even though I hadn’t even put the outer layer of the tent on top of it, and even though I was only wearing a pair of underwear. I was literally cooking in my own juice.
I started writing before midnight, and then finally fell asleep around half past one. This calm state lasted until a quarter to three, when Peti woke me up because it was raining. We sought shelter in the cemetery, under the forecourt of the funeral home.
After that, we skipped the morning hike. Now I’m sitting here on a beach at Lake Balaton and writing. Soon I’ll lie down in the grass and go to sleep.
We have a nice and relaxed last hike!
Feedback Week
The tour is not the only reason I haven’t written this week. The first three days were a time for networking. Continuously.
On the one hand, I spent two more days at work. Here, naturally, the time for the last conversations arrived. On Wednesday, I received a farewell from the team I had been a part of until now. I loved being a part of this team and I told you for the last time that the fact that I am leaving this company now has nothing to do with the company itself. My decision is purely a personal decision. I received a whiskey that I tasted in the evening, and I was happy to note that my boss, who bought it, really liked it. I knew that he was an expert in the field of this drink, and he has now proven this to me.
On Monday, “My friend, Pista” was at my place. I started writing about this in another post while I was at home.
In the evening, a new acquaintance wrote to me. We talked to the lady about how things have been since the Nomad Cruise. At one point in the conversation, she wrote, “I’m so happy for you too. You’re so inspiring. And a fantastic conversation partner.” These are those wonderful moments when the experience of connection is embodied in words or actions. As I’ve recently discovered, I love these moments.
Last week, I spoke with a friend of mine from my father’s time. We used to work together, and we kept in touch after our corporate trip together. We call each other about once a month. This is the first time she’s talked about how special our relationship is. And that she considers me her friend. She has four friends in total – including me – like me. It’s a huge honor that she considers me worthy of calling her her friend. And then – all of a sudden – he said: “Soma, to be honest, I just listen to what you say and I learn from you. I hear such connections and thoughts that I think about my own life.” And all I could say was that I was very grateful for this feedback. He even said that he was very happy that so many happy things had been happening in my life for months. It was very uplifting to hear that a friend of mine could be so happy about my happiness…
Finally, I didn’t get far in writing today on the beach, because another friend of mine called me and we had a longer conversation. We talked about his current difficulties, and then about the experiences that happened to me. He also understands exactly what progress I’ve made on my journey, and then he expressed himself in such a way that he can’t even tell you how happy he is that I’ve made it this far. He also longs for the direction I’m going. He just doesn’t know how to go about it yet. He ended by saying that he feels I deserve the life I have now because he knows exactly how much life tormented me 15 years ago, 8 years ago, and last year. I don’t think there’s anything I deserve. I have no one to expect anything from. I owe no one anything. Still, it was nice to hear the joy of love.
And so far, I’ve written almost exclusively about feedback from men.
The male spiritual guide
Then there was a feedback in my days that I did not expect, and I never thought about the content of it. The writer of the words really touched me with these honest thoughts…
What I was trying to say became clearer to me. As you told your story, how you came to it, how you drew a line. And you made a decision… these are things that many, including me, have not yet developed. And that is why I looked up to you. You are attracted to someone you can follow, someone you can connect with. You are interested in them. The male spiritual guide goes on his way. And the woman can connect with this. You can rise up against this, but this is how the energies are restored.
I learned several things from the beautiful writer of the lines in a few days. I am grateful that I received feedback from her about this aspect of my journey and now. Thank you, sweetie!
We spent today on the beach until evening. We ate, slept, drank, bathed, and then started again. In the evening we went hiking. We didn’t walk too much. We came to walk, and we don’t regret at all that we were able to kick the unplanned plan.
Now I’m lying in my tent, which I set up in a corner of a Balaton train station. The day will soon be over.
And I probably won’t be able to sleep, because my head is spinning with all the feedback I’ve received among the many experiences. These seem to give me so much energy, which allowed me to only sleep about 8 hours in the last 72 hours. In vain! I’m daydreaming my life…