By msparks714
I close my eyes and breathe in deeper than I think I ever have before. It doesn't really matter though because the deepest black I've ever experienced is fully engulfing me. I can feel the rush of the wind coming from the left side of me, off of the glacier, full force nipping at my nose. It doesn't matter though, this is the purest air I think my lungs have ever had. My ears cry out to be next...it's a creek maybe; waterfall? I can hear the water rushing through the forest. As for my physical body I'm standing, five layers of gear deep, in the middle of a ice covered field. After I let the senses take everything in, I tilt my head back and open my eyes. I'm speechless, I don't know how to share everything I experienced. The Stars. They were brighter than I think I've ever seen or that I'll ever see again. It was as if someone had turned on a switch and every constellation had just gotten new bulbs so they were brighter than ever, closer together than I'd ever seen...Am I actually just in a simulation, when do I wake up?
Just as I'm turning in circles taking it all in, breathing as deep as I possibly can, I look out of the corner of my eye and I don't believe it's real for a second. Sure enough though, that's it right? It has to be it, or? But it is. The soft white, powdery blue colour graces me with it's presence. It begins in one part of the sky and then it slowly moves across 180º until I'm almost in a theater. It's faint, it's not like what the pictures tell you it is, but it's there and the energy I feel when I see it is unreal. It continues dancing across the black background in swift and yet smooth controlled motions. I feel like someone has the brush and is moving their hand is soft, flowing strokes; the light and colour following wherever the tip touches the sky.
I'm freezing. My toes later, upon inspection, are blue, my nose a red colour that only comes with these conditions--but I couldn't be more unaware. I want to just lay down in the frost and sit here forever. Suddenly I realize there is no question in my mind why people would come here, settle, and never want to leave. The weather most of the year is unbearable, especially to people who have only ever lived near the Equator. There are two weeks a year where the sun never shines, but there are also two weeks a year where it never sets. This place, this country--it doesn't know but it's teaching me so much. The call it the land of 'Fire and Ice' and now I understand. Sure the glaciers and volcanoes are the main reason, but the ice all around me is only held in balance by the powerful fire that's lighting up the sky.
I can't help but think about double meanings, what the people hundreds of years ago would have thought when they saw these lights, how similar or different our lives and experiences may have been, what they may have felt or what they thought about this phenomenon. I am feeling very connected to this space, it has an energy. It may be in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a forest but I feel relaxed, there is currently no fear. And then it stops. A few clouds begin to form from above and work their way down onto my personal show. That is alright though, that's how nature works...that's how life works. We all know what good is because we know the opposite is bad. I know that I'm feeling happy and at peace right now because I have also experienced stress, sadness, and unease.
My time in Iceland will forever be an unexplainable experience. It was a time of worry-free careless gratitude for my life, the people along the ride with me, and the beautiful planet I have the pleasure of living on. I get back to my seat and we blast the heat, I take off three layers of pants, five sweaters and two pairs of wool socks. The feeling slowly starts to come back to my body, but I think that's the point--being out there, in the middle of nature, in silence; you don't need your body. I brought my senses and I brought my spirit with me. That's what Iceland is, that's what the lights are. The strength, the pride, the simplicity of making something beautiful appear out of nothing, of being proud of being strong, and enjoying the most basic things that are around us always. Even when our day can get cloudy and it's more difficult to see the good and the beautiful, it's always there--you just have to feel it.
Photo Courtesy of our Guide at Reykjavik Excursions