3 Month Thoughts…
12/1/2022
Sitting in my hotel room in Madrid, my last stop before returning back to the U.S. after 3 months in Europe and trying to wrap my head around the whirlwind of all my adventures. 4 countries & 31 cities! I am doing my best to try to eloquently describe my journey thus far and all the emotions that have gone along with it. To be honest right now I am feeling a bit dazed and confused (for lack of better term) and a loss for words with so much on my mind…especially with Christmas looming. I tend to be an over thinker and it absolutely can paralyze me from creativity and productivity. But here we go….
All I can say is whew!!! What a ride it has been! I have experienced so much laughter, many times out loud by myself and many times with complete strangers from all around the world that were my friends, albeit for a short time. My journey has cemented what I always have believed…No matter where we call home we are all just humans living life and much more similar than we are different. I look back at my pictures and I am just in aww of the beauty and diversity of the planet we ALL call home. I have been pushed outside my comfort zone numerous times, which to be honest was just way too comfortable at home. I have learned what I truly need to be comfortable at this point in my life through the things I have missed and even more so, the things I have not missed. My stays have been in humble places with a price tag that works for budgeting my nomad life and to be honest other than a few places, I would go back to them all. They are not rich in fancy things that you might find at a fancy resort but they are rich in comfort, scenic beauty, location and friendliness. I always try to find boutique hotels or B&B’s as I feel there is a personality to these smaller quaint places and to me that is what I seek in a hotel. To give you an idea, all of the places I have stayed have been between $76-$120 a night, a lot which included breakfast. The least expensive being my Airbnb in Florence as you do get a discount for one month stays. During my 3 months I have felt alive, capable, adventurous, strong, open-minded, healthy (even while eating a croissant everyday, gelato every night, and other than walking barely any exercise),grateful, happy and oh so very lucky. While those thoughts consumed me hmmm…95% of the time I did have moments of uncertainty, loneliness(not loneliness in the typical meaning as I was chatting with people often, but loneliness that I wish Joe or the kids were here to experience some of the amazing moments I’ve had), irritation and tiredness. I knew taking this leap I would feel all these emotions and I was open to absorbing them all and knowing the less positives would be fleeting, if I choose for them to be. I’ve said it once, and I will probably say a billion more times before I leave this planet….GRATITUDE is my savior to keep my mind in a happy place. Yes, negative thoughts always come up but I am quick (sometimes more than others) to switch my thinking and dive in gratitude, which always helps! My goal before I took off on this journey was to write a blog after each city about each city….well that did not happen. I have allowed myself down days to chill, but those days were usually consumed with doing laundry or absolutely nothing. I had to tell myself it was OK to not go out and about on certain days, especially in Florence as I was there for a month. I am someone that wants to see and do as much as I can as I know most of these places I will not be back to, but I am also someone that covets my downtime and realize not doing anything….is not only OK but imperative to my grounding and happiness. I have enjoyed though taking a couple minutes everyday to post some pictures of my journey on social media. I enjoy sharing and I have had numerous people reach out to me and tell me how much they enjoy seeing my posts. It has always been my hope to inspire just one person, not a million people to take their leap of faith, whatever that might be. It fills my soul with joy to get the comments from way more than 1 person about how I inspire them and their enjoyment of my pictures. I believe that is what life is about……finding your own passion, living that passion and then sharing your passion with other people in the hope they reach for theirs. Not for monetary motives but simply the motive of kindness.. We all have different strengths and passion and what a wonderful thing to share that with your world. I sure grow and truly appreciate when people take the time to share their journeys…..many of which have tidbits that resonate with me. I am going to be writing an upcoming blog about my number one question I have been asked….”What is the favorite place you have been?” Whoa!!!! that is such a vast question as I have favorite things about each city I have been to….but of course I do have a few cities that I hope to travel back to and just engulfed me with peace. The cities where I remember myself saying “I would like to come back here for a month or so.” I will list my favorite few things about all the cities I have been to, as well as write about the ones I want to explore more, my favorites of the hotels/Airbnbs I’ve stayed in and anything else I come up with when I sit down to write. I truly am filled with joy for the 100 or so people on my two platforms that have taken my journey with me. It is fun to share, sometimes even the mundane things that have entertained me along the way. The nomad journey is just beginning so there will be many more pictures coming! I promise the next blog with my favorites is coming……but first time with the people I love!! YAY!!!!!!
Antio Sas!
Arrivederci!
Au Revoir!
Adios!
