Gain and give up
It's a trip to Europe! There is so much to gain from that. Immediately I have a growing list of 100 things that I want to do, that my husband wants to see. Which means that I can't do it all. What do I sacrifice? How do I let go of some of those things that I can't imagine doing before I leave Europe?
Can I go to Poland and not see the famous salt mines by Krakow? Can I explore Polish history for the sake of my family tree and not do a tour of Auschwitz? Can I go to Lodz and not go to Strzegowo and Jedlicze? I have to make some choices. The days are going by so quickly here!! Can I leave Europe without setting foot in Italy?
I have to go back to Denmark. I have to go to Macedonia. I have to make the most of my time here. I have to buy new tickets and pick a new date to return to the States. All of this crowds in my mind as I try to blog about days gone by, and read a book I can't put down, and no I did not even try to work on my own little book today. I need to hide myself in a room for a few hours.
Tomorrow we are going to Europe's longest pedestrian street, it's here in Lodz. I want to take a ton of pictures, not all of the buildings are modernized. So far, most of Lodz I see in blurred visions as I ride a taxi cab somewhere. We went for a few walks, but like the one around here - it just didn't feel like it would be good to drag out the iPad for picture taking. I hear Lodz has the biggest Jewish cemetery too. I would like to see that.
We are still waiting for the sun to shine. I saw it, I think, for 5 minutes right as I woke up and opened the blinds. But maybe it was just wishful thinking. When the sun comes out I will shout for joy.
On top of all of the things in the here and now, I'm trying to make solid plans for next year. I am getting more serious about going back to school in January. I had been thinking about it and considering options for a few months. Then I sat around the breakfast table with my husband and my cousin, and it seemed to solidify. I know what I want to go to school for. To become a dietician. That idea entwines all my other thoughts as I go. I want to improve behavior through diet. I want to save lives with good healthy food habits. I want to be a teacher of good food. I have a passion for this!
Maybe my blog should be about daily lessons that I learn. Today I learned that I want to get bolder, not older. I remembered the Cary Grant line where he said something like: you only get old when you forget how to be young. I have been walking around staring at people for the last 2 weeks in Poland. I have been buying some clothes to stay warm, and I find that I ask: how do I dress my age? What is my age? Why must it be related to how many times the Earth goes around the Sun?? Age is a mindset, not a year count.
I have so much to learn. Every day is set of lessons to learn, it's very exciting. I walk around looking at everyone here, wondering what it's like to be them. Lodz is strange to me, I've been in little Cedar City Utah and tiny Playa Samara in Costa Rica, and small Brande Denmark. I spent a few days in downtown Warsaw, which is full of buildings reaching for the sky. But Lodz, it's different in that there are streets full of rows and rows of tall apartment buildings. It hurts my head to imagine the lives being lived, the drama unfolding, the history being made in each little apartment in every tall building. As far as the eye can see. apartments with at least 8 stories. A sea of people experiencing their own version of Life.
Ok, tomorrow I need to buckle down and write about Denmark. I promised a few friends, and I need to follow through. It was just so impressive and touched my heart and blew the top off of my head. I feel so blessed.
You know why my life is so good? It started with having a job for 2 years where it practically was part of the job description to be happy. I worked with people with disabilities, and part of my job was basically to show them how to be happy. I had to walk through the door bursting with enthusiasm. It was a frustrating downward spiral if people showed up to work unhappy and unwilling and worried about everything. The catch was, there was always plenty to worry about. But there was also a plan to follow, and people there to help you along the way (as a staff). Which is why I like planning for all of life. If you are in a bad mood, the clients react to it, and it escalates their already high anxiety levels. My job after that required me to be happy, because I had to be likeable. It should have been on my resume. It was a needed skill. I was teaching a program with people with serious disabilities. No matter how good the program was, the students wouldn't show up for class if they didn't like me. The students didn't pay for the class, they didn't care if they left. I had show them how good life could be in the classroom. I had to inspire all the time.
Now life is good too, in a way that I learned when I went to Costa Rica. In that I have an obligation to make the most of life. I'm living the dream, right? I accidentally retired to go to Costa Rica and be with my Mom. Then we were able to go to Denmark to visit my Dad. My friends are counting on me to have a fantastic time and report back to them. The blog doesn't show it, but in my defense, I posted a book full of pictures on Facebook that I took along the way.
Oh, one more thing that I was thinking about today. Poland is a well dressed place to be. And romantic, actually. People old and young are all over holding hands, and sitting together gazing at each other. I walked by a couple that decided to share a smooch right as I walked by the window. Good for them. Keeping the love alive. As I study the past of the country, I can only wonder what it's future will be, in another 70 years.
Can I go to Poland and not see the famous salt mines by Krakow? Can I explore Polish history for the sake of my family tree and not do a tour of Auschwitz? Can I go to Lodz and not go to Strzegowo and Jedlicze? I have to make some choices. The days are going by so quickly here!! Can I leave Europe without setting foot in Italy?
I have to go back to Denmark. I have to go to Macedonia. I have to make the most of my time here. I have to buy new tickets and pick a new date to return to the States. All of this crowds in my mind as I try to blog about days gone by, and read a book I can't put down, and no I did not even try to work on my own little book today. I need to hide myself in a room for a few hours.
Tomorrow we are going to Europe's longest pedestrian street, it's here in Lodz. I want to take a ton of pictures, not all of the buildings are modernized. So far, most of Lodz I see in blurred visions as I ride a taxi cab somewhere. We went for a few walks, but like the one around here - it just didn't feel like it would be good to drag out the iPad for picture taking. I hear Lodz has the biggest Jewish cemetery too. I would like to see that.
We are still waiting for the sun to shine. I saw it, I think, for 5 minutes right as I woke up and opened the blinds. But maybe it was just wishful thinking. When the sun comes out I will shout for joy.
On top of all of the things in the here and now, I'm trying to make solid plans for next year. I am getting more serious about going back to school in January. I had been thinking about it and considering options for a few months. Then I sat around the breakfast table with my husband and my cousin, and it seemed to solidify. I know what I want to go to school for. To become a dietician. That idea entwines all my other thoughts as I go. I want to improve behavior through diet. I want to save lives with good healthy food habits. I want to be a teacher of good food. I have a passion for this!
Maybe my blog should be about daily lessons that I learn. Today I learned that I want to get bolder, not older. I remembered the Cary Grant line where he said something like: you only get old when you forget how to be young. I have been walking around staring at people for the last 2 weeks in Poland. I have been buying some clothes to stay warm, and I find that I ask: how do I dress my age? What is my age? Why must it be related to how many times the Earth goes around the Sun?? Age is a mindset, not a year count.
I have so much to learn. Every day is set of lessons to learn, it's very exciting. I walk around looking at everyone here, wondering what it's like to be them. Lodz is strange to me, I've been in little Cedar City Utah and tiny Playa Samara in Costa Rica, and small Brande Denmark. I spent a few days in downtown Warsaw, which is full of buildings reaching for the sky. But Lodz, it's different in that there are streets full of rows and rows of tall apartment buildings. It hurts my head to imagine the lives being lived, the drama unfolding, the history being made in each little apartment in every tall building. As far as the eye can see. apartments with at least 8 stories. A sea of people experiencing their own version of Life.
Ok, tomorrow I need to buckle down and write about Denmark. I promised a few friends, and I need to follow through. It was just so impressive and touched my heart and blew the top off of my head. I feel so blessed.
You know why my life is so good? It started with having a job for 2 years where it practically was part of the job description to be happy. I worked with people with disabilities, and part of my job was basically to show them how to be happy. I had to walk through the door bursting with enthusiasm. It was a frustrating downward spiral if people showed up to work unhappy and unwilling and worried about everything. The catch was, there was always plenty to worry about. But there was also a plan to follow, and people there to help you along the way (as a staff). Which is why I like planning for all of life. If you are in a bad mood, the clients react to it, and it escalates their already high anxiety levels. My job after that required me to be happy, because I had to be likeable. It should have been on my resume. It was a needed skill. I was teaching a program with people with serious disabilities. No matter how good the program was, the students wouldn't show up for class if they didn't like me. The students didn't pay for the class, they didn't care if they left. I had show them how good life could be in the classroom. I had to inspire all the time.
Now life is good too, in a way that I learned when I went to Costa Rica. In that I have an obligation to make the most of life. I'm living the dream, right? I accidentally retired to go to Costa Rica and be with my Mom. Then we were able to go to Denmark to visit my Dad. My friends are counting on me to have a fantastic time and report back to them. The blog doesn't show it, but in my defense, I posted a book full of pictures on Facebook that I took along the way.
Oh, one more thing that I was thinking about today. Poland is a well dressed place to be. And romantic, actually. People old and young are all over holding hands, and sitting together gazing at each other. I walked by a couple that decided to share a smooch right as I walked by the window. Good for them. Keeping the love alive. As I study the past of the country, I can only wonder what it's future will be, in another 70 years.
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