Here I am, in what feels like my most natural environment. Standing on a train platform somewhere in Europe, getting intentionally lost in a book before letting my mind wander among vineyards and landscapes and sunsets. My overstuffed backpack there at my feet, wine stains on my shirt (trains are bumpy, and I’m perpetually thirsty) and a greasy bag of cured meats and selected cheeses stuffed somewhere that I’ve deemed to be easy-access and far away from the dirty underwear pocket of my pack. (oh shut up… if you don’t designate a place, then you’re the gross one.)
I’ve found that this relative discomfort is where I feel the most comfortable. That permanent state of awe, confusion, and vulnerability you feel when traveling feels refreshing, even in the middle of a heatwave in Italy while wearing linen pants (surprisingly cooling!). But I would have never known that if I hadn’t ever put myself out there (… or hadn’t hit up the Zara summer sales before embarking)
I hope that you seek moments like these where you find yourself, surprisingly, feeling more comfortable than when caught up in your natural routine. I hope you choose a different commute some mornings. I hope you find a new way to discover the city you live in. I hope you try a different beauty routine, then you put yourself on an extreme thrill ride, or that you simply get a coffee out of the house, without your earbuds in, and sit, observe, listen.
The world is out there, and you must find yourself in it. Thankfully, uncomfortably, refreshingly, frighteningly, in it.
Leave a Reply