After a sunrise session on the beach, the rest of our first day in Mexico was spent at Xel-Ha. Xel-Ha is an all-inclusive eco park filled with all kinds of adventures. As I’ve mentioned before, January was a hard month at our house with illnesses that ended us up in the Emergency Room 3 different times. I was exhausted. This workshop I attended couldn’t have come at a better time for me. And no sooner after I got my bags unpacked at Aventura Mexicana I got a call from my mom who was supposed to be at the hotel when I returned from Xel-Ha that there were some issues that meant at the very last minute she could not come. It’s an awful feeling to learn your best friend won’t be able to come and experience the trip with you that you’ve both been counting down the days til the trip for months. Even more importantly, to be in another country when you get a call that makes you feel helpless about a situation that at the time was quite worrisome. Concerns were alleviated over the course of the next couple days and she was able to reschedule her flight and make it down for a long weekend. I wish she could have been there longer but her arriving at all meant things were better so for that we’re thankful.
Anyway, I left for Xel-Ha with our group feeling tired, worried and a bit preoccupied. After arriving we snorkeled, swam in caves, swung on ropes, zip lined into the water, swam with dolphins and a whole lot of other awesome stuff. And you know what happened…. I started to come alive. You know why? Cause I said yes! I said yes to fun. I said yes to laughter. I said yes to things that terrified me. I am not a fan of heights at all. A couple of the other gals without hesitation jumped off a cliff (okay, that might be exaggerating a bit but it felt like a cliff to me). It came my turn and I chickened out the first time. I got to the ledge, grabbed on to the post and swung back around to safety. Ashton, who was also afraid of heights had already jumped. She was now waiting in the water below for me. I tried again, and this time I ran and jumped. I screamed. I got butterflies in my stomach. I didn’t die. Better than that, I felt totally exhilarated by doing something that I was afraid of. I conquered my fear.
When you stop pushing yourself past your comfort zone, something happens. We stop living to our fullest. After I jumped off the cliff, my soul was feeling alive again. Our days on earth are numbered and we’re doing ourselves a disservice to not live each and every day to the fullest. I’ve gone through periods of life where I’ve been doing less than my best, living as if we are guaranteed tomorrow, being ok with just ‘being ok’. I’m sure everyone has at some point.
I want to encourage you to be challenged by your fears…. face them and conquer them. I was fortunate to travel to Mexico for a week long experience to find myself. But you can find yourself in a quiet corner of your house while reading the Bible, finally speaking up in a situation that leaves you vulnerable but is necessary, having a heart to heart with your spouse or friend exposing the deepest parts of your soul, making a decision in your business that is frightening. Waking yourself up from a slumber can occur in many ways. I challenge you to wake up and live! So, what’s your next step?
Anyway, here’s photos of the fun we had at Xel-Ha. If you’re ever near Playa del Carmen or Cancun, I encourage you to go to explore, relax and have fun! Say YES !!!
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~Heather
Heather is the owner of Sweet Lemonade Photography and Sweet Darling Weddings. Life gave her a bunch of lemons (you can read a little more here) and by keeping her focus on God, finding the positive in each day, and surrounding herself with supporting, loving and encouraging people she has turned those lemons into the sweetest lemonade. This blog has been created to share her heart, her adventures and find ways to bless others. You can contact her at heather@sweetlemonadelife.com.
