Gush

Truly Alive

I picked up the nickname Mountain Goat whilst trail running with a local running group because every time I see a hill I have the urge to surge, open my wings and fly. With each gallop of the ground my sense of feeling alive thrives leaps and bounds beyond the banal. The visceral vigour of every sense + motion of your body in full flight effervesces ecstasy as your spirit whoops, whips and wallops with euphoric bliss.

Nothing in life is amiss in these moments when one is enamoured by scores of seeds, trees, and leaves. The lingering petrichor soars through your pores as you roar through the wilderness. It is almost as if the Earth is serenading you for appreciating its beauty, and you don’t need to tell yourself you are alive because you feel TRULY ALIVE. Every moment you inhale you invigorate your mind + irrigate your body + soul.

invigorate your mind + irrigate your body + soul

as long as you’re respecting yourself and others and causing no harm, then I urge you to go for it!

Elicit YOUR Spirit

To #GUSH is to engage with + embrace moments or activities where you effusively experience a sudden deluge of intense fun, excitement or admiration. It’s all about impulses and sudden rushes: the energy we often think is OK to feel as a child but can neglect and let fade with age.

We need this energy, you and me, we all do! We need such fun, excitement, and happiness in our lives. Even if it’s a planned activity, you need to allow yourself to have spontaneous moments of surprise + stimulation.

we need this energy, you and me, we all do!

The form this takes is unique to you. What matters most is what it means and how it feels TO YOU. As long as you’re respecting yourself and others and causing no harm (safety may sound boring but is crucial), then I urge you to go for it!

Care little for what is considered ‘normal’, or that you are now an ‘adult’ (what does this actually even mean?), because you have only ONE life to live (as cheesy as it sounds, it is true) and everything else is just noise.

what matters most is what it means + how it feels TO YOU

Effusive Adulation

But the key to having #GUSH in your life is in the word effusive, defined as “showing or expressing gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner” . #GUSH isn’t merely about experiencing impulses and sudden rushes of elation, but it is also about adulation. Be fulsome in your awe + appreciation of these raw dispositions. Share, flaunt, relay your appreciation: feel and display! Wildly exude the sensations you have with fresh passion and innocence, like a child! You are human, so go play and let yourself be open + free.

Going back to the questions ‘was any of this rare or does it happen often? Is this enough?’ Find the right balance for yourself. There is no right or wrong answer, and that balance will openly oscillate across time. That’s a good thing, because at times in life you will want and need more, and other times less. For me the most important thing is being grateful for any opportunity that comes your way to experience #GUSH.

be fulsome in your awe + appreciation

Revised March 2022

#drBACKPACKsGUSH

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