I’m joining today with the Five Minute Friday community of writers who write for 5 minutes about a one-word prompt.

Today’s writing prompt is AWARE.

The coast of Maine made me intensely aware of how badly my body was craving rest.

It had been three years to the week since my husband and I had taken our last vacation and I feel that, since that time, we had been running on autopilot.

Of course, there were moments within those three years that were restful. But what I discovered during our time in Maine was that travel and adventure are two things that make me feel most like myself.

Emily P. Freeman in her Saturday email this morning asked the question, “In the past week, when did you feel most like yourself?“

I sat down this morning on my couch, now home in Indiana, and journaled for an hour and a half. The way in which I so desperately needed to unpack this question surprised me and brought my soul great relief.

Towards the end of my journaling time, I came to the solid conclusion that I feel most like myself when I’m leaning and living into how God created me.

He created me with a desire for adventure and travel. He created me to be both bold and soft; strong-headed and bendable. He created me with a deep love for creativity and writing and the desire to soak up others’ creativity through movies, books, and tv shows.

He created me with a love for the sea and a longing to pursue an inner stillness — an inner peace.

I’m convinced that my awareness of how intricately I am woven by the hand of God and living into that directly correlates with how well I feel most like myself.

Famous philosopher Aristotle once said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” I think perhaps that seeking to understand ourselves leads to more of God; the created becoming one with the Creator.

I understand now that for me, disconnecting from the ordinary mundane sometimes and traveling to new places makes me feel alive. It brings stillness to my soul and peace to my mind.

So, I think I’ll honor how God created me and make travel and adventure a priority at this time in my life. I’ll listen to the still, small voice within me that invites me to rest in Him and rest in Who He created me to be.

Doing so is its own act of worship and praise.

“For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.” – Psalm 139:13-14, ESV

xo,