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My chest is pounding like I’m running a marathon. My heart is speaking to me through steady beats. I want to give up, but my spirit will not let me. Spirit is leading the way to finish this Pacific Crest Trail hike. My shoulder blades become further away, feeling ripped apart with the fifty pounds on my back. Creating silence in the noise is something I can do. I think to myself, how amazing it would be to silence my mind in the wilderness of surrounding trees and wildlife. That much silence in the wild can create a tornado of noise in the mind. As my soul waters my body with tears, I am reminded of how powerful words can be. “I can’t do this” now becomes, “I can do this”. I open my eyes knowing another day through pain is another day closer to getting out. My feet are my company. My breath is within me and my heart is my melody. My spirit and God are my strength. I whisper to my heart, "God, let me see water today." The sea is where I feel the most comfort and at home. I know that my soul has lived in the sea once before. As I turn on the path filled with rocks, I think, “oh, how I hate rocks”. Then I think, rocks come from dirt, sand, and other forms of nature that I love so dearly. Trees feel like my family and the sea feels like the comfort of my bed. I look to my left and see an opening of trees where other hikers are resting on benches. It leads to a path. I think in my mind, “maybe I can just give up,” and my spirit whispers back to me, "you can’t, Jessica." I inhale deeply and feel the pain flowing into my legs and back. “Accept, love, and let go,” I remind myself. In order to be truly free, you must love the pain as much as you love to love. I follow the path and it leads to a creek. The stream of water is slow and small. I wait patiently, as others fill their bottles. My heart fills up with overflowing gratitude for finding the water in divine timing. Nearby is a beautiful man with eyes so green they blended with the colors of the pine trees behind him. We exchange words as we share from the same stream along the creek. His eyes widen big, and he divulges how inspiring I was to him that my first hike is on the Pacific Crest Trail. His words struck my heart as I held them for my strength to continue. My feet and the ground are not as beautiful as what is straight in front of me. The path now seems smoother to trust, and to enjoy the view ahead. I feel a soft breeze against my skin, and take it all in. I hear not only my heart being the music but now the trees sway as they dance with me. I smile, and turn the corner to meet up with the hiking tribe. Taking the last step to enter the next site for the night, I am surrounded by an aqua-green lake. My soul home is the water. My family is the endless trees hugging the body of water. The home I needed to be reminded of. This is the moment I have felt the most comfort during my biggest life-changing experience. It wasn’t just strength from my spirit that carried me through this hike. The support came from the trees, water, the hiking tribe members, and the wilderness. This is the experience that I will reflect on every day when there is a struggle in my life. Months later, my heart shattered like glass from heartbreak. I knew it was going to be a journey like the pain of the hike to piece my heart back together. Now my heart is composed with marks that will never leave. True beauty breaks again and again. The scars and imprints we feel is what creates the beauty in life and reminds us of our strength. The imprints guide us back to love.