Flowers and Food

As day after day slips by in Greece, I find my lifestyle becoming more and more rudimentary, and in the best way. Gone are the days of trying to fit in 10 monuments, 4 museums, and every cultural activity under the sun. Gone are the days when if I don't journal about exactly WHAT it was that I did, I could consider it indecipherable from the day prior. I didn't even know I was burnt out until I got in Crete's grasp.

I should have seen the signs. There are hords and hords of ex-pats here. I'm talking almost 1:1. At first I thought, 'hmmm, all capitalizing on tourism for the season?', until I realized that they all LIVE here. Year round. Houses, jobs, interests, hobbies... all in Crete. They've set up libraries and charity organizations, jewelry shops, and cafes. Living a peaceful and slow life one warm day at a time.

The truth is, I don't find simple bad. Has Europe turned me soft?.. Honestly? Most likely. I don't have all of the answers, except that I feel extreme enjoyment. All the time. While I'm no Puritan, I use to crave a wholesome day of non stop over achieving hard work. I thought I understood enjoyment, and in many ways, while serving in that capacity I did. Here... here is different.








I ENJOY breakfast. I ENJOY waking up. The very ACT of waking up. In college there were days when I had to place my alarm clock ACROSS MY ROOM in order to wake up. The air, the sun, the birds. I am in full awareness of them, and am consciously soaking them up. I enjoy walking to the market and picking out my fruit, going through bags of nuts, and making other really really seemingly remedial decisions. I find instead of enjoying 'final results', I am enjoying the process. I can think of many of days when I would've went through the climb only concentrating on the top. But now it just seems to be every waterfall along the way.




Flowers. Flowers and food. That's what it boils down to here. I've always loved flowers, never picked, always planted... Everything about them. And in Crete? They are EVERYWHERE. I feel bad for Erik every time he agrees to go to town with me because it probably entails around 15 separate stops to examine just how different every flower is. And the BEES. The bees are everywhere- which explains why honey is in glorious (and cheap) abundance. But I love it... the smells, their texture and petal size.. Sometimes i get a tinge of how absurd I must seem.. but it can't be helped. It's no longer the purpose of 'going into town to get x' but a really great walk on a gravel road with so many different types of flowers your head will spin.




Food? I thought I already loved food. I think most people in my life might actually consider it a hobby of mine, the act of eating. I thought I maxed that capability out. But (and here it goes again) the process of it is so much more enjoyable- from the freshness, to choosing the food, to the preparation- I actually enjoy eating it MORE. Really, truly. And not just in Greece, but especially in Greece. When the only speed is turtle mach and going to the market to make sure you eat for the day is the only thing you MUST do.. finding enjoyment in process sort of lends itself nicely. I suppose so does eating as if everyday is your birthday.