This past weekend I had the privilege of visiting Machu Picchu with my Dad and a couple of friends. And it was magical. I felt like my eyes couldn’t handle the beauty I was seeing. I thought to myself this is the closest place I have been to Heaven; it is just so beautiful. There is a picture that was taken during the trip at Machu Picchu of my Dad and I looking out over the view of Machu Picchu and the town of where the noble Incas lived. For me, this picture sums up the whole experience and is incredibly symbolic.
To give you some background, my Dad and I haven’t always had the best relationship. In fact, it was extremely broken during one point in time- the time during my parents divorce. It had nothing to do with what he did, but more of the actions of others. When I moved in with him when I was 17, there were fights and arguments every day in the house. I was suffering really deep in my mental illness and we couldn’t seem to communicate well with each other. Day after day my Dad would hold me till I would calm down and tell me he loved me and that we would make it through this.
I share this with you because my Dad and I’s relationship is so symbolic to the journey to Machu Picchu. No one ever mentions that to get to Machu Picchu you have to take a train, that they say will be an hour and half but it is really 2-3 hours. Then you get there and have to take a bus up to the place where you hike. The bus ride in itself is an experience. The whole twenty minutes you are doing switchbacks up the mountain really fast only about a foot away from the edge of the cliff. Then you finally get to the place where you start hiking and it’s filled with tons and tons of people from all around the world taking pictures, stopping in the middle of the trail, and taking in the view. At first, it is hard to make your way through and adjust to so many people in one place. The journey is long, hard, and time-consuming.
Oh, but the view. The view makes it all worth it. And what’s even better is that you know that you worked incredibly hard to get there not just physically, but also financially. So, when my Dad and I stood on-top and looked out together. The moment was pure magic. Our relationship now is full of joy and truth and of course some small bickering too. We have grown together and loved each other through it.
One of the sweetest parts of the hike during Machu Picchu was when my Dad turned to me and said, “I’ve been dreaming of this ever since I was a kid. I use to read about Machu Picchu and all the history”. I turned to him in surprise and said, “Me too! I’ve always wanted to go here. I even did a report on it in elementary school.” It is such a small detail, but the small moments of love and endearment are what makes for meaningful memories and deep relationships.
So, here I am again sharing bits and pieces of who I have become and how I’ve gotten here. As an artist, I crave the magical moments. And I have those magical moments a lot while painting. I use to get so frustrated right in the middle of my paintings and worried if they would work out. But now I realize it’s just a stage in the process and I have to go through it in order to have the magical moment. I appreciate the journey and the mess that it took to get me there. Magical moments take hard-work, time, and consistent effort, but they are so dang worth it. Once you get there and you look out over the edge, you can’t help but feel an immense joy that overwhelms your body- a truly spiritual & magical experience.
