Page 2 of The Daredevil

I had thought the two years with my ex-boyfriend, Julian, had stabilized me. But when things ended, I fell on my ass, bruised, shocked, and ashamed.

Breast implants would make you look hotter. I’ll pay for them.

That dress will look great on you if you lose five pounds.

Why don’t you add another workout day to your schedule?

The numerous comments from Julian replayed in my mind. How did I put up with that jerk?

He knew about my body insecurity and yet he stabbed me right in the open wound—one that had been healing since I was a teen. Not only did he pour salt all over it, but he also ripped it open even wider.

I wished it was all his fault, but I blamed myself too. Why did I allow him to hurt me like that? Why hadn’t I seen the ugly character beneath the handsome face?

No more. No man would ever do that to me again.

I was grateful when I caught him on a date with another girl while I was out at the same restaurant with my friends. Sometimes it takes a shock to wake someone up. No one should depend on another person for their self-worth. I understood that now. Most of all, no one had permission to make me feel worthless.

Stop thinking about that jerk. Focus on the future.

My body relaxed as I switched my thoughts to why I was heading to Iceland. A thrill rushed through me at all the new possibilities. The adventure would remove my mind from the monster living in my psyche—the monster few knew about. I’d be spending two months in this beautiful country documenting NewYou Beauty products. They’d hired me to blog about their unique products made from volcanic mud. With my worldwide following, I could help launch their business globally.

Besides the regular salary, they’d also paid for my flight, hotel, and housing during my stay. Though the pay itself wasn’t great, it wasn’t important. This was an opportunity to explore the land while I worked. The last time I was here, I’d been rushing and didn’t have time to fully discover this country.

I glanced back at my laptop screen, which displayed my latest post on my blog,Finding Life’s Treasures.

April 5th

On my way to a new adventure in Iceland!

This is my second time in this beautiful country. Have you ever been to a new place and felt a connection you couldn’t explain? That would be me with Iceland. The first time, I only stayed for a week. I’m staying longer this time, hoping to find out what that connection is. Perhaps there’s a treasure waiting for me.

Have you been to Iceland? Any suggestions on things I should do? Let me know in the comments!

May you find a new treasure today,

M

I closed my laptop, put it away inside my roomy purse, and made a mental note to post again as soon as I was settled in my apartment.

Leaning back in my seat, I thought about my first visit to Iceland—a college graduation gift from my mom. She had asked where I wanted to go, and I chose Iceland. Why? Iceland was a country I didn’t know much about, and I had picked it on a whim. Spontaneity could be a good friend. Sometimes it was best to let the universe guide the way because some choices I’d made in the past had been wrong for me. Julian’s face wanted to pop into my vision, but I stopped him.

Go away.

I loved to travel and spent a lot of time on the internet browsing all the wonders of the world. I’d startedFindingLife’s Treasuresin college, documenting my life. It was like my diary, though I didn’t put personal stuff on there. Just my thoughts on places I’d been to. The blog took off, and I expanded to other interests besides traveling. I talked about life and everything that was important to me. It humbled me that people liked what I had to say.

I couldn’t help but think about this second visit as a symbol of my renewal. The first time, I found the courage to reclaim my life from my mom. Parents had a grip on their children in unimaginable ways. They shaped their children’s beliefs—their lives. Mom was no different. I had grown up under her wing. What she didn’t know was that I also developed a monster that changed my life forever—an illness that could only be numbed by seeing new places, meeting new people, and experiencing new things.

That was why I traveled, but no one knew this, and I wasn’t ready to share it. Even my close friends Audri and Kiera didn’t know this about me. Certain things were better left in the dark.

Now I was ready to reclaim my life from the “monster.” No, it wasn’t my ex-boyfriend, although he made the monster bigger. Julian didn’t have that much power.

Was there such a thing as rebirth? I supposed people deserved as many chances to remake themselves as life required, right? In my book, they did.

A woman with blonde hair walked down the aisle with a pretty girl about eight years old. She carried a book about volcanoes.

“I can’t wait to see the geysers, Mom!”

The mom whispered, “Honey, keep your shoulders and back straight while walking. I don’t want you to forget your good posture. We have that pageant coming up. The judges will look at everything.”

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