Rift

“To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.” – Terry Tempest Williams

The silence in Iceland is deafening. There is nothing but the sound of my heart beating in tandem with Mother Earth. (Be. Here. Now.) It demands I be present with all parts of myself. The scientist versus the creative. The professional versus the wandering soul. (Will. You. Accept. Yourself. Just. As. You. Are.)  In the cradle of this ancient rift canyon, carved by the shuddering earth and the slow persistence of glaciers and water, I am finally present. I feel my resistance fall away, healing those rifts within me that had been at war.

Location notes: Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon is located on the south coast of Iceland near the town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. It is an easy turn off from the ring road and you can hike alongside this majestic canyon for 2 km. There was a time that you could hike to the bottom, but access was closed when I was there for natural restoration.