travel + transition

Posted: September 12, 2019 by sasha nelson

mindfully moving through moments

Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.

Anthony Bourdain

I recently took myself on a little jaunt between another season and another apartment transition. Even as I embrace the concepts of YOLO and Do YouI am still trying to figure out how to not feel guilty for traveling, for not working “normal” hours and having projects that are still developing/on back burners for various reasons – even if one of those reasons is being a little emotionally burdened sometimes, especially amidst recent big life-shifts.

One of the things I love about Europe [and encouraging friends/family to boot] is that no one is actually shaming me for the stuff I shame myself for. They are excited for my adventures and remind me that we are all on our own timeline, that I am doing great despite my judgements of myself that I need to do or be more.

This particular last-minute Sicilian visit wound up being a literal deep dive into culinary and emotional inquiries — of which I continue to learn are intrinsically intertwined.

I was faced with the “what’s working” versus the “please give less facks before stress gets the best of you.” I got a little more clear on some patterns by witnessing myself through the eyes of others; by taking time to see what lies beneath the sea and within my own heart/body/mind.

Although sometimes to my detriment, I re-discovered and [mostly] shamelessly share that I am indeed a hopeful romantic, part sea-creature, lover of culture and friendships without borders, daydreamer and sunset-seeker, an imperfect perfectionist aware of what ego feels versus what heart knows, not-so-secret admirer of fresh pasta / pizza and gelato despite my best efforts to stop always trying to fix my figure.

And although sometimes I would in fact have it another way, I am embracing all of these components, because they have created all of the challenges / joys and heartaches / beauty that lead me back home to myself — over and over again — whether or not I currently have a more permanent home; wherever I am in the world and on the path.

As such, I offer these wishes as we transition from summer to fall, and simply to another day – wherever you are on your own journey:

  • May we enjoy any opportunity to make the mundane a little more fun and fancy [when we feel like dressing things up a bit]; to embrace creativity with our food and wardrobe and life.
  • May we enjoy the simplicity of each moment, each slow bite, each sprinkle of herbs & slice of cheese, each breath.
  • May we treat ourselves with the same compassion as dear sweet friends, with the same nourishment as the sea and fresh figs and my girl Sarah Pachelli’s beautiful food.
  • May we find ourselves wherever we go, on a yoga mat or a kitchen floor, in motion and in stillness, on our couch or floating in the water, with our companions and with our own hearts.
  • May we take our time a little bit more often, enjoy the things that nourish both belly and soul without apologizing or reprimanding ourselves for it, to return to a smoother pace rather than racing ourselves and each other to a fake finish line.

Take good care of yourselves and each othergrazie mille queen of Cefalù Sarah Pachelli for nourishing me in all the ways.

Read the newsletter for Sicily veggie inspo à la Sarah, my Savoir Vivre by JJ podcast interview, Costa Rica and Morocco retreat 2020 details, my Insight Timer guided meditations, good tunes and good vibes.

Photo: Cefalù, Sicily.

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