Emptiness

Posted on by Miriam

A barren land
echoes in stillness
dust rises up
to meet a hued canvas.

In the distance
I see more of it
a vast expanse
consuming all my senses.

A sense of solitude
purifying, soaking
as nature reigns supreme
rejuvenating and recalibrating.

There is no lack
when wide open spaces
seeps into your soul
and renders you at its mercy.

Uluru in darkness (800x600)

Road tripping across the outback last year was the epitomy of Emptiness. Those infinite horizons and long dusty red earth roads that I wrote about in my last post was an adventure into the surreal. When I saw the theme of emptiness this week I couldn’t resist sharing some more pics and words.

Nothingness (1)

Before the trip I wondered how I would feel on those wide open, empty roads. Would I feel lonely, apprehensive, daunted?

I felt none of the above. In fact it was the opposite, I felt more alive than ever. When we crossed unfamiliar territory in the middle of nowhere it was like finding the best of myself.

Just like an artist languishing in front of a blank sheet of paper, before inspiration finally strikes.

Emptiness at Middleton

It’s in moments of solitude and stillness, when we connect to nature, that we often discover awakened passion and a burst of creativity.

Horizon on the Hilton (800x600)

In a landscape of emptiness lies infinite abundance and spaciousness. It’s all in our mindset and perspective.

It’s space to savour the stillness and let go of the busy-ness, expectations and stresses of the world, at least temporarily.

Middleton3 Horizon

A lack of distraction allows us to focus on just being.

Emptiness, a form of nothingness, is not necessarily a negative connotation. It’s like looking at the big picture, a sort of meditation and spaciousness that we all need from time to time.

In whatever form it takes, big sky, red earth, unending horizons, it’s space to find yourself. It’s like roads yet explored, new opportunities waiting to be taken.

Signs in the Outback

If there’s emptiness in your life, don’t fight it. See it as untapped potential, a cup waiting to be filled, a canvas waiting to be drawn, an empty sheet of paper waiting for the right words of inspiration.

“That emptiness inside you. Burn it as fuel.”

Love and light as we continue the journey.

In response to Pic and a Word Challenge: Emptiness

img_8112

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86 thoughts on “Emptiness”

  1. Your post struck me as almost one long prose poem. It resonated with me — not because I’ve been where you’ve been — but because of your profound appreciation of nature. I think it’s there that I most commonly find renewal.

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  2. It is heartwarming how to turned quite a negative reference to emptiness into something so positive and inspiring. Treating it as an opportunity and freedom to fill it with the choice of ingredients and create from them is the right approach and often ignored and misunderstood. Being alive is not just living but filling every void with something meaningful. And a special note for the photography; apt, relevant and interactive 🙂 .

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  3. Profound and very touching. Wise words on a potentially negative subject. I have to agree that sometimes the vastness and emptiness of nature can fill you with a sense of wellbeing and wonder.

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. Incredible pictures, Mariam!! I’m not sure how I would actually feel experiencing first hand that intensity of emptiness. But your images soothed my soul. The hugeness in that vastness reminds all of us just how small a “dot” we are in the overall scheme of things. I so LOVE what you wrote about emptiness … to use it as a fuel for creativity. NICE!!! Happy Travels!! 😘😘😘

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  6. I love this post. Your photos transport me and your words uplift me. Your understanding of empty space bringing a sense of spaciousness puts into words something I sense out in open spaces.

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      1. Yes I long to get out in the desert again. I don’t have a big vehicle or others to travel with and have been letting that stop me. Looking at your photos and reading what you wrote reminded me of the deeper reasons why I want to get out there. I’m thinking that if I can get some money together I’ll take a short trip in my little car to at least the edge of the desert next autumn.

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  13. Beautiful starting poem, great photos as ever. Wow you really are explorers. how do you not get lost and get home. With all the empty roads i would get lost, i get lost in new york and that just a grid… lol..

    I think all the space is magical and freeing. not squashed in. Then we realise the expanse of the earth and not just our small lives.

    Clearly your post and mine are a bit in sync today. I can imagine in all that space, you cant feel empty or lonely – well you have your family. but the point is, all that space is freeing for the soul to figure itself out and renew it self. well that is what the photos made me feel.

    happy sunday and rest of the week.
    Regards Bella

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    1. Hi Bella, thanks for your great comment. The roads in the outback are pretty straight so it’s actually kinda hard to get lost. We have maps and a GPS too so that helps! New York on the other hand, well, I’d get lost there too. Without a doubt lol.
      I love the outback and yes you’re right, all that space is magical and liberating. We were definitely in sync with our posts, I thought exactly the same thing as I read yours. Great minds hey? Enjoy your Sunday Bella as my week begins here in Melbourne. Hugs x

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  14. Well done Miriam! This post is full of beautiful words, photos and an evocative poem that reminds me of the potent power of being in wide open natural spaces. As you described so well, they help me come alive, full alive to the spaciousness and potential in life and myself. Thanks! ❤

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  16. Loved the poem to start this post. A different side of you.
    If ever there was anyone in this world who would be positive and inspired finding themselves in the middle of nowhere, I would have guessed it would be you. What a gorgeous post and photos. Life and the world are full of inspiration for all those who are open to see it. You have that gift.
    Very inspiring Miriam. Hope you and yours are well.

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  21. A beautiful big outback sky is breathtaking. I think I’ve felt much more emptiness and loneliness in a crowded city than a deserted outback! Being surrounded by nature is such a fulfilling place to be. Have a great week Miriam. 😊

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  26. Beautiful post… I guess I can relate to the “emptiness” at some level.. in fact, I have had a similar experience up on the Himalayas.. it was just “beautifully barren”…. something that can never be explained.. only felt.. cheers.

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  28. Write! Speak!

    This was far and far beyond perfection!!! The lesson of the post really stuck with me, and it reconstructed my thinking and geared it up the positive side!!!!

    I particularly loved (besides the amazing pictures) the quote at the end!!! It was well-thought out, well-written!!!

    “If there’s emptiness in your life, don’t fight it. See it as untapped potential, a cup waiting to be filled, a canvas waiting to be drawn, an empty sheet of paper waiting for the right words of inspiration.”

    Thank you for writing for us!

    Liked by 1 person

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  29. Hi Miri! I loved that poem. This part in particular
    There is no lack
    when wide open spaces
    seeps into your soul
    and renders you at its mercy.

    I just used those words…’wide open spaces’ yesterday in my post so it resonated with me.

    So beautiful. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

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  32. I can certainly see the appeal of the broad and open expanses! It offers the freedom from distractions and the opportunity to just be ourselves for a change…going in any direction! Thanks for sharing this, Miriam.

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  38. Pingback: Limbs ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #154 – Pix to Words

  39. Miriam I am soooo far behind with reading your blog – we’ve been travelling 7-8 months out of the last 12 or so months and were not long home (from the Arctic) before my other half went in for open heart surgery – a triple bypass! well that was a shock we would have rather not had but – he’s OK! I have been saving your blogs and posts for a quiet moment when there are no, or fewer, demands/distractions. This and your previous blog made me take a huge deep breath – I so love reading about your outback trips. We are planning to drive the Outback Way next year – if hubby is up to it (that’s after a month in Antarctica – can’t keep a good man down). Of course he will be fine but we are taking all those Big dirt roads so we both need to prepare physically. That is all by the by, I just wanted to say thank you for the breathtaking images and for sharing the beauty and poetry of our wide brown land. I love it.

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    1. Heather, it’s so lovely to hear from you. And I’m so sorry to hear about your husband. I’ve occasionally checked in with your gorgeous pics of your travels on FB but had no idea of your personal struggles. Hope he’s ok now and on the mend, it must have been such a shock.
      My dad had a triple bypass (many years ago) and lived for another twenty plus years so I’m sure you and your hub have many more trips in store. In fact I reckon it’s just the tonic: big skies, red earth outback roads, time in nature, there’s nothing better for the soul. But I’m sure you know that, having been to Antarctica and beyond.
      Take care Heather and thanks so much for reading and your awesome feedback. Means a lot to know how much you enjoy my posts. xx

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