I’m not yearning to return to or repeat my past four years here. But I am so very, very thankful for the memories that those years have given me, the people they’ve brought me and the lessons they’ve taught me.
Understanding, we all agreed, was the crux of moving past any of these listed differences.
I’m frustrated — in many ways — that I did not return to writing sooner.
We like competition and crave acceptance, and even the most independent among us could use an occasional reminder that the only expectations we need to abide by are those set by ourselves, not others.
At worst, one’s mistakes are steps that take them closer to where they want to be.
I’m starting to think the answer has something to do with self-respect — with a visible-yet-unassuming confidence in oneself and one’s intrinsic value.
The key to this, we agreed, was making the conscious decision to seek out good people and put yourself out there and actively engage in the world around you.
In an email to me not so long ago, a friend was outlining her travel flubs as she made her way from Washington, D.C. to Florence, stopping in Berlin for a layover along the way.
“What do you do?” he asked at some point. “Like, back home. How do you spend your time? What do you do?”
I was talking to a friend about the logistics of said fish market — why hold it all, especially if it’s for free?
