Final Thoughts

Well, it’s the last day. It feels I have lived in suspended time and space. It wasn’t too short, or too long. It was simply just right.

I always start my day with music and this morning I put one of my playlists on random shuffle as I prepared my tea and the first song that played was George Ezra’s 'Barcelona'. The second was Jackson Browne’s 'Something Fine'. Coincidence? I think not. It made me smile.

Some very random, non-linear, musings of my time here as I pack my bags:

There is a magical sound to leaves blowing in a gentle warm wind. The smell of croissants baking in the early morning will never leave me. The taste of my first café au lait was like heaven in a cup. The feeling of sun on a cold day affects the soul as well as the body. Acoustic guitar is still my favorite instrument. The sound of waves rolling on the shore is mesmerizing. The lingering look from a Frenchman can send the sweetest shivers down my spine. There is also something wonderful about a well-dressed man. There just is. There is magic in waking up with absolutely nowhere to be. It’s heartwarming to see all the generations living and just being with each other throughout the day. The sound of children laughing and playing without a lot of constraints while their parents and family sit by and talk. The indelible lessons to take more time to just relax and catch up with friends without having to ‘do’ something, and for that matter there is no need to fill up my days doing something all the time. And the afternoon light….. ahh, the afternoon light…..that glow that reflects off the stone, or travels down narrow alleyways. The play of light and shadows held me spellbound and had me chasing down pathways I would never have explored. Stepping out of what had been my comfort zone and stretching further is a really good thing, solving what ended up being imaginary problems. Looking down at something that wasn’t what you asked for and just going with it, only to discover something even more incredible as its replacement. I like calamari but I don’t like grilled octopus. I was born to move. The best parts of my life have allowed for this. I had the wonderful opportunity to walk for hours almost every day, and do an hour of full body stretching – just to make sure all the moving parts were pushed to their limits. I like the simple life. This was the third time in my life where I lived in small quarters overseas and welcomed the re-realization that it takes very little to make me happy. I do like technology, even when it doesn’t like me. The outside world communicates to us through email and online services these days and when those are gone, well, sometimes the old ways actually don’t exist anymore. It’s possible to navigate, but it’s definitely more of a challenge, especially in a country where I don't speak the language. I am curious, probably to a fault. I discovered I love to write and it became one of my favorite times of day. I like looking through the lens of a camera. I find beauty in just about everything and it simply pleases me every time I see it. I speak better french than spanish. I could easily live overseas - this is the third time I have recognized this, too.

Taking this much vacation time has been one of the best things I have ever done in my life. I wonder, if experiencing all of this at my age feels so sweet because of the lens of experience and the appreciation that this has been a gift, not a given. I don’t know. It could be because over the last several years I have learned how to live in the moment and that came naturally to me throughout this entire trip. I just know this experience was good, and good for me. But thirty days is a long time to be alone and not have someone else to tell stories or laugh with. It’s time to go home ….and look for some way to do this again, and this time share it with someone else.