Ancient excitement.

The skies were grey and the heath thick and ruggered. I was well and truly in Highland country.

Hairy cows and long bearded sheep scattered the countryside. They were hilarious! Wild, unruly and looking positively unkept, they suited the scene perfectly! Pine scattered across the rocky mountain ranges as spontaneous lakes would lay in valleys perfecting the picture. There was space here. Wild, wonderful space.

Something in my soul started to stir. Something was awakening. Medieval ruins littered the expanse as character-filled villages and homes popped out of the woodwork. It was wonderful.

Rain lashed down from nowhere and everywhere. It enhanced the dreary setting with dramatic flare. I couldn’t help but smile with delight. Toasty in my seat, content from getting a touch of sleep, excitement started to course through my being as we sped through the countryside.

I’d woken into a dream itself.

It was changing, the pine thinning. There was a bite in the air. I could see it. I may not have felt it on my skin, but the sight, the feel in my bones told me otherwise.

To live out here… What would it be like to live out here?

It was hard to fathom as I sat in the double decker bus. It was still so bizarre that I was travelling in this foreign land…

My being had been swinging from a state of being charmed to armed, from being free to laced in captivity. The transformation could happen in an instant. It was rapid, quicker than a blink if the conditions were right. It was what it was.

Here, change was different. The diversity was definitely experienced in the weather, but the ancient land stood as it was. It seemed to hide mythic mysteries and secrets.

Villages would poke through the ranges. They were blessing in the midst of the wilderness. So quickly would we pass them - the villages. We had a destination to reach and a time to honour. How often did I pass them in my soul? The ancient inner villages that housed keys, that housed ancient wisdom? Would I stop to let them teach me, or would I fight to maintain control doing things 'my' way? Would I ‘power on’ to reach my inner destiny as well, or explore the secret towns?

I knew not.

Rays sliced through the sky. It appeared creation approved my revelation.

Locals joined the journey. I couldn’t understand a word they were saying! The language may have been the same but the lilt in their pronunciation and the sprinting of their speech definitely didn’t help. I loved it nevertheless.

Too tired to translate the mumbled messages, I politely excused my lack of responsiveness. Closing my eyes, I listened instead… Then I thought,

Sarah. I’m to see my sister soon.

The comforting thought cut through the chatter. It warmed my soul.

Who would have thought it would be easier to see my sister in Scotland, then at home on Australian soul? How humorous! Excitement was then coupled with fear. The swinging nature of my being, of my soul was embarrassing. She hadn’t seen me since it’d started. Not like this. How would she respond?

Hoping I wouldn’t embarrass myself in-front of her partners family, I started to disembark the bus. It was time to find out.

Her love, her embrace, our smiles say it all.