the last couple of months cannot be described as anything but foggy. I’ve often felt as though I have been stumbling through a density in the air so visible I couldn’t see much else beyond it. As you already know, I’ve got a little lost, I’ve slowly been trying to navigate my way back to clarity. But I wonder perhaps, that maybe all this fog is trying to stop me from going back. i’m not sure ‘back’ exists anymore and that’s a slightly terrifying thought. ‘Back’ felt like such a safe, nurturing space. I knew who I was there, who I was choosing to become. Here, I’m not so sure. I’m starting to think that there is a lesson I’ve been missing, buried within all this fog. A lesson on knowing when it is time to close one chapter and decide to begin writing a new one. the chapter I’m currently residing in feels like the penultimate one before the story picks up pace and becomes thrilling. A chapter that is still setting the scene. Until now, the story has been about discovering who I am and what my place in the world is. And I’ve learnt so much. I’ve come to understand myself in ways I never had before. I’ve developed a skill of sorts that allows me to identify the parts of the story that are my own and what must be rewritten. I’ve dug relentlessly into the past, I’ve dreamed of what the future could be and I’ve learnt how to reside fully in the present, albeit fleetingly but I’ve learnt how to all the same. But there’s only so much setting the scene and introducing character before the meat of the story must be written. all this fog that I felt somewhat suffocated by has finally begun to reveal its purpose to me. It’s time to stop stumbling around blindly trying to find my way back. I have to choose the path forwards and follow it with the faith that it will lead me towards clarity. ‘Back’ is a place that resides only in my memory now. I must focus on where I’m going next.

it’s a difficult realisation to face that you’ve allowed yourself to become complacent about your life and welcomed stagnancy into it, either consciously or not. It’s difficult to face the fact that you’ve been playing small, dreaming but not taking steps towards it anymore. I’ve gotten comfortable, too comfortable perhaps. I did a big scary thing, uprooting my life and moving to Copenhagen. it took me a minute to build solid ground beneath my feet once I landed here. I needed time to adjust and discover who I was and what life would be like here. Now I’ve had that time. A year of it. What a year it’s been, filled with exploration and discovery and I feel as though I have finally found my feet. which means it’s time for me to decide to move forwards. To find the edges of this new comfort zone and slowly expand it once more. The fog I felt so confused by is finally starting to clear and a path forward is beginning to reveal itself to me. The thing is, finding the courage to take it is almost paralysing me. I have never been so aware of being on the precipice of an expansion before and it’s unnerving to say the least.

so I find myself presented with a choice that each and everyone of us will be given time and time again throughout our lives. To stay where we are or to step out into the unknown to discover what we might be blessed with next. amidst uncertainty and the fear that accompanies it is the magic of possibility. It can only be discovered and explored once that choice to step out into the unknown is embraced. TThere is an order and predictability within our conversations that feel safe and welcoming but staying there guarantees that things will forever stay the same. As anaïs nin once said, ‘in chaos, there is fertility’.

Only by stepping out into the unknown can we truly discover all that life has to offer.

I hope we all find the courage to go out and explore.

if you want to hear more about my journey towards a more authentic existence, follow me on instagram @the.authenticity.project and on medium . see my photography work on instagram @s.ophiea.lice and connect with me on linkedin.

big love to you all x