In his infinite wisdom, Forrest Gump once commented, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.” Never has that adage rung truer than in describing my own life over the past three months in Spain. Fearing my first big bite might be the dreaded coconut-filled chocolate, I was nervous, to say the least. Now, the box nears empty, holding the last few pieces—a trip to Paris and Dublin next week, one to Rome the week after, and a month left in Granada—of what has been the sweetest of treats. It’s been a long time since the last update to the blog. I closed last time wishing you to grow only healthier and happier until next time. I hope you have; I certainly did.
Last month, I traveled to Morocco and after having spent five days there, I’ve returned to Spain viewing the world a little differently. For all the rhetoric we hear in the news about the Arab world, I learned that firstly, we can’t group an entire peoples as all speaking with the same voice, and secondly, the vast majority are people who have the same hopes and dreams as you or I have. I lived with a family in Rabat and even though they spoke Arabic while I speak English, they were Muslim while I am Catholic, I could see my own family in theirs. The love the parents had for their children. The father who worked the night shift like my dad always did. The mom who hiked her husky son’s pants up to his neck the same way my mom did to me in my plumper days. Just sitting in the family room watching “Arabs’ Got Talent” reminded me of being at home.
This past weekend, I went on a whim to Lagos, Portugal. A week before leaving, I bought my ticket and hoped that I was making a good choice. Something about the entire trip, from the boat cruise and enjoying the view at the “edge of the world” to just sitting quietly on the cliffs at the beach, provided an experience of joy and growth that I can’t quite describe. Although it might be hard to believe to those who know me (or listen to me talk, and talk) I struggle with shyness, sometimes. Despite this, I made a few new friends who I hope won’t forget me as time separates us from our weekend together; I’ll certainly always keep them with me.
I’ve added pictures from the weekend in Portugal so that you can see for yourself why I enjoyed it so. It’s fitting to close with another line from Forrest Gump because with all the traveling and the people I’m meeting, it’s easy to wonder what’s really going on above. Forrest said, “I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time.” I tend to agree.
Until next time, may you grow only healthier and happier in your life. . . . “That's all I have to say about that.”
