Hello!

And welcome back (mostly to me) and to the world of writing from which I took a short break. These past few weeks have been quite busy as I was jet setting off to the foreign land of Greece. Taking a quick minute to be able to travel with the family was amazing and the break was well needed. Coming back and getting back into a routine, well that hasn’t exactly happened quite yet. In fact I would say I am a little off my balance game.

Traveling for me is always a time of reflection. Although I thought it would be an extremely busy hour-by-hour trip (which if you ask my sleep-deprived twin brother he would say it was) I really had time to think about the past and what I want to happen this upcoming year (did I mention it’s hard for me to live in the moment?).  I definitely did not in 9 days, master the art of letting go and letting it be which at times I admit makes me want to kick myself. Sometimes my zen came from being the only one to run on the treadmill in the exceptionally small hotel gym (two machines, not exactly Shapiro family rotation friendly). Side note, sorry to the man who saw my unfortunately small spandex shorts I packed last minute without thought. I hadn’t planned to be running on break.

Greece is a very beautiful and very unique place; each island possesses its own culture, feel, and cuisine.  As I looked at the Parthenon in Athens, and the Palace of Knossos in Crete, my brain went into overdrive. I couldn’t shake the thought about how rare it is nowadays that cultures keep the skeletal remains of buildings. Here in the United States, we very rarely honor the frames of past society. Old buildings get demolished to make room for the new, and businesses replace each other up to the point where neighborhoods are no longer recognizable. In fact, I had never thought about the notion of any place having a visible history, but as I snapped my shot of the Parthenon’s scaffolding, it hit me that that is exactly what we as humans are. Living walking ruins of experience. Just ask my increasingly-visible smile lines, etched into my cheeks throughout time (or sadly the under-eye circles). Hey, what can you do?

Visible shifts in time made me think about that thing that I reject ever so profusely, change. In fact, just next week I’ll be turning 26 and it is almost impossible for me to wrap my head around the whirlwind nature of this year; I had a long-term relationship end, I started a new career, traveled the world twice, challenged myself to pursue and to continue to follow my passions even when it seems impossible, and met someone new whom I adore and am so excited about.  Between pain, confusion, joy, acceptance, and anxiety, each memory this year is written on me like a hieroglyphic.

I have to admit, as I write this post, I have a lot of things I want to change, one of which is the way I react to things. I have a bit of anxiety (visible in my last subway post) which is hard for me to share because I find it at times, “ugly.” It exists, however because of things that have happened to me over the years. I don’t always have a good relationship with my past; however it is part of my foundation and who I am.

Changes and new situations will continue to come my way, and though I consider myself a work in progress, I must remember to be kinder to myself. We should all take a minute during our hectic days to think about what we love about ourselves. In fact, we should think like the Greeks and find beauty in the ruins and strength in the foundations.

-na MER Ste-