On Being Present

Kalypso Beach, Crete

A summer full of travel and friends has brought me in a deeper connection with the world around me. Traveling with friends, for me at least, helps me to make the most of where I am, and also gives me permission to have days off from touring. Some days we go on walking tours, some days we get popcorn and go to the movies.

How two months have gone by since I began my summer travels I am not sure. I haven't been writing, connecting with people over the phone, or meditating. From the moment I wake up, I am surrounded by others, and want to embrace all the time we have together. And in the evening, I'm lucky if I manage to record a few sentences in my daily diary before passing out, pen in hand, exhausted from the day's adventures and laughs. 

I've put off calling friends because when I do connect, I like to be able to have the time to devote to them, and that's hard to find on the road. But as I've been spending much of my recent days at the beach, I find that with the waves rolling in before me, it's a perfect opportunity to have meaningful catch-ups with those I love.

Since I am currently without obligations, I really don't have any excuse not to be completely in the moment. To not entirely embrace the present would be an insult to the cosmic magic that brought me here. I have visited places of such beauty, eaten delicious local food, and been with those I love. I understand how fortunate I am to have this uninterrupted time to spend with two of my best friends, who usually live on the other side of the world from me. When you are used to seeing a face on a screen, and then you can embrace in person, reuniting at the airport or train station after a long journey, it's the best feeling in the world. 

While drifting in the warm waves of the Mediterranean, my mind still wanders off to the near future that is yet to be planned. But before I can work through a hypothetical scenario, a wave inevitably breaks and crashes into me, and what becomes crucial is clearing the salt water from my eyes, not trying to divine the future. The universe always intervenes, and the fact that I am even on this island was not planned but pushed upon me, as I was meant to spend my summer here. When we were arriving, flying in at night, the hilly landscape illuminated against the dark sky, the woman next to my friend and I told us that Crete is a magical place. I've only just begun to experience it.

love,

greer