Finding Happiness in Myself

This photo was taken on a vacation to Oahu, Hawaii in January of this year. I had booked it with my girlfriend at the time; we had planned on going hiking, snorkeling with sharks, and meeting new people. She cheated on me a month before we went, so I booked rooms all over the island because I made a new plan to walk around the perimeter of Oahu to keep my distance from her. The first night there, right after landing and getting out of the Uber, her and I rekindled our old flame. I had fallen in love all over again with her and forgotten everything that happened. The morning was the same feeling, but it was different than our relationship everything was calmer and we wouldn’t argue about things that would normally be fights. Something was there, but that night she called the guy she cheated on me with while I was in the shower. I felt every emotion over again, and disappointed in myself for cancelling my hike around the island for it to happen again. I set up my hammock outside of the apartment and camped outside so she could have the bed. I got eaten by mosquitoes the first night so I laid a blanket under me the following night, but I then got rained on. The following night I set up a tarp over me and listened to the palm trees overhead; dreaming of living on the island and letting go of everything else. Throughout the days my ex and I would walk everywhere together and would talk about everything; we became fantastic friends and would look at each other knowing the feelings were still there, but she knew as soon as we got back home it would go away. I was still star struck by her until day 5. She had called him again and I decided I was going to go to the west side of the island on my own and hike 30 miles the next day to try to get over her. The Uber ride to the condo was amazing; I met one of the most genuine guys I’ve met in awhile and we talked about life and random things including how lefties have been treated in history. He made my night and I told my ex I made it to the place safely and goodnight. The next day I woke up and found a family of wild dogs within the first mile of my walk and gave them food and water. Along with the dogs I also saw a cat and a few chickens along my next few miles. I had my backpack, water, and music and I was determined to overcome everything. In the moment I got distracted by the beauty of everything around me, and I had finally found myself and the happiness in myself. This photo is of a moment I realized how beautiful this world is no matter how other people may treat me. I found myself on that walk and met some great people along the way, and once I got back to Alaska I fixed my sleep schedule to start waking up early to hike to see the sunrise. I eventually got over my ex and now I’m just working on getting over the relationship and our memories. Ever since this photo I’ve connected with four new genuine people, I work ahead in school work, and I got a new job that makes me happy. Thank you for this opportunity and just listening.