Growing up, the closest I ever got to a jungle was looking forward to piling up in the living room with my family to watch “The Jungle Book.” I loved how Mowgli’s skin was brown like mine. While I can’t deny that it felt good to see a deep hued main cartoon character that stood out from those typically featured on my Saturday morning TV lineup; it was the exotic jungle location that would draw me in again and again. Mowgli’s pal Baloo was a fun character, but I couldn’t relate to his laidback personality in the same way that I connected to Mowgli’s determination to stay in that jungle.
During a recent stint in a real-life jungle, I was chatting with a friend who mentioned how going with the flow gets her what she wants. Having found success in taking charge of the things I want to do in life, I had a hard time relating to this statement.
I can’t help feeling like saying just “go with the flow” is often a cop-out that lets some people off the hook from being accountable for taking the steps at all. I do believe that focusing on what you do not have leads to giving your personal energy to what you lack, only causing more sorrow. Instead of railing against those things, I have always found it more productive to turn my attention to the things I can do something about. Keeping in mind that while I can’t change some circumstances, I can take steps to make a difference in my own life, and that of others.
My recent trip to where the jungle meets the sea in Tulum, Mexico had very little to do with going with the flow and everything to do with my determination to make sure I aligned everything that I had so that I could take the steps to “make it happen.”
Tropical forests and coastal jungle cover much of the state of Quintana Roo on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The ultimate bohemian adult playground, Tulum is a town on the Caribbean coastline of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Home to the coolest art, yummy exotic eats and an abundance of adventure; being swept away in the waves of Tulum’s famous turquoise beaches and exploring the well-preserved ancient Mayan ruins I eagerly embraced the way I was choosing to lean in as the world is experiencing a massive shift. Part of the Ancient Mayan philosophy focus is to determine the nature of the spirit or self which is the center of everything.
“The jungle is dark, but full of diamonds.” - Arthur Miller
