Sometimes life-lessons comes from the most unexpected of places.

When I was about to start the last few miles of my (amazing) trek in the Colombian Amazon jungle, we stopped at a Wiva village (the Indigenous people of this region) to be blessed by a shaman.

This was a trek I did on my first long solo trip, a six-month journey alone in South America.

During this 4 day trek in the Amazon, I had noticed that the indeginous Wiwa tribe had a very close relationship with nature, and connected this to the spirits of their ancestors.

Like before we entered the ancient Lost City, we made a stop to purify ourselves and our energy to make sure we did not bring any negativity into this, for them, the sacred and spiritual home of their ancestors in the jungle.

Not an everyday kind of procedure for me, to be honest.

But it really was a peaceful spot, it felt almost sacred to us as well, you know, the way you feel you need to speak in a low voice or whisper when you are there?

So, as we had left the Lost City and were embarking on the last part of our hike, we stopped to be educated by the shaman about the Wiwa outlook on life, or mindset, if you will.

He told us that to become a shaman in the Wiwa tribe, you are initially selected from a very young age.

Then you are assessed and evaluated as you grow up to see if you have the values and integrity needed to be a good spiritual leader for the people.

The values Wiwa has chosen to assess you on are things like your ability for compassion, your wisdom, and your comprehension of peace.

He then said that to the Wiwa people, happiness is a choice.

For the Wiwa, he explained, things in life do not happen to you, they happen for you, to learn and grow.

So if you choose to be happy and think about everything in life as gifts for you that you can be grateful for, the perspective of your life kinda changes a little, doesn't it?

How is that for a life motto!

So, I hope you enjoyed this little insight into the minds of this small group of people that I got to know a little while roaming the world by myself.

Like I said, valuable life-lessons (or reminders, maybe) can come from the most unexpected of places...

I hope you are having an amazing, happy week!

Much love,

Hege :)

PS: You can check out the G Adventure Lost City Hike here if you are interested, a company that I wholeheartedly recommend. I have done three longer tours with them, all top-notch!

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