Fin del Mundo, Principio de Todo
Cerro Guanaco, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego
The end of the world has a starkly romantic & poetic ring to it, which is what drew me to Ushuaia in the first place.
From the minute I arrive, everything I could have hoped to find in this land was far exceeded. I roll the taxi window further down so as to not let a single moment slip out of my grasp. This masterpiece rolls past me, swiftly & slowly at the same time.
It’s a land covered in mountains from all angles. They stand tall & broad like shoulders & elongate outward like arms as if reaching out to me in a warm welcome, beckoning me to them. It’s the homecoming I didn’t expect, yet needed more than was in my conscious awareness.
I express this budding feeling of awe & contentment & the taxista tells me,
“The mountains in this part of the world are very special. The end of the Andes Mountains. Some would say the beginning.”
The world gently pauses as I savor the richness of his words.
El fin del mundo, principio de todo
The end of the world, beginning of it all.
I hadn’t considered what comes after the end? With only my final destination in mind, I forgot that the world is, indeed, round, & not flat like once believed.
By fault of my excitement or naïveté, a lesson of old, sacred knowledge slips my mind. The life-death cycles that escape none, come to find me. It’s where finality meets rejuvenation. Where things come not to die, but to be reborn. Where bittersweet relief is traded in for inspiration for hope.
The air in this part of the world is of a purity I’ve never quite experienced. It has this robust complexity that penetrates deep into my soul. The air is saturated with this life force that revives my spirit. This bounding energy exponentially multiplies as I exit the cab. I somehow stand taller & expand upward. I can feel my body & the entirety of my being open up to possibility.
It’s the start of yet another awakening & it’s nothing short of electric. It’s soft yet decided & it insists I open my eyes to things I pretend I don’t see.
The path forward is illuminated & my desire to stay where I was stuck is disregarded. It is a firm, yet supportive, push to stop using futile coping mechanisms to handle the stress & anxiety of life.
It encouragingly says, “this way, not that one”. There is no ensuing shame, just a sense of relief, of lightness, of sweet solace knowing the way forward is sure-footed.
Where there was once immobilization, I become unstuck & unfrozen.
Through the thaw, there is expansion & life that was only once imagined.
