Summer came, summer went.

I have spent the past few days sorting and folding and figuring out where to donate some clothing items or who to give them to, because i feel i can do with much less than i currently have even though i gave away half my stuff already just a few years ago. I thought i would need that stuff eventually or miss it but i do not. Instead i want even less! In this process i have found myself so thankful for what i have and the fact that i do not feel the need to have more stuff...so thankful for the contentment i have found in living with less, but more on that later...

While sorting and folding, i have found myself reflecting on the summer we just ended and what a gift it was...reflecting (especially after an event, as opposed to in the moment) helps make things so much clearer for me. It was not all perfect (it never really is) but it was beautiful, and involved a lot of travel. Travel will always have a special place in my life...from a young age my dreams were about going away to faraway lands and exploring.

I feel so grateful for the chance to have those lazy days in June, in Sardina (Sadegna). I lazed around in the mornings, sometimes on my sea view balcony other days at the beach, taking in the fresh sea air, soaking up those morning, gentle rays and just being in the moment. In the afternoons if we were not napping after exhausting ourselves swimming in the sea, we lugged coolers to the shore packed with cold beverages and salami sandwiches that we ate with sandy hands when taking breaks from splashing in the sea and our snorkeling adventures. In the evenings we strolled the beautiful sidewalks, ate ice-cream and sometimes attended the community summer festivals that took place most nights.

In August i finally had the chance to visit Santorini, this beautiful island i always wanted to see. The breathtaking sunsets and views did not disappoint. The culture and food was a joyful experience. The whitewashed walls and bright blue doors and rooftops, the white sand and black sand and feta cheese...it was all divine. The only thing that could compete with the stunning colors of the buildings is again, the famous santorini sunset! I feel thankful that i was able to go.

I did a lot of traveling this year (i won't get into all the places i went) than i ever have before, and it was all so necessary. It was yet another chance to change things up, inhale and exhale. I found myself dizzied with so much gratitude than usual, and being in the moment more than ever. I did not take so many pictures but gosh, my heart felt so full.

Now that summer is gone and the cold air is starting to creep in, i find myself shifting and adjusting mentally but also emotionally (the seasons tend to do this to me) in a good way. I find myself self-reflecting while sipping on hot tea, stuck indoors as the rain pours...and sometimes nostalgic for the sea air...but in all this my heart is full. I think i might have one more trip (or two) that involve sun that i will squeeze in between winter but even if that doesn't happen, i feel this gratitude for what was this summer, and that's what this journey is about.

Xx,

Victoria

Let us start this journey!

The writer in me wants to package this so neatly and eloquently but alas, writing about myself is not always easy because most times i honestly do not know where to start...i don't know why, but i find it difficult to do and find myself debating on what to say and what to leave out. That said, it is only fair that i leave a little introduction here for my readers.

Like many of you will agree, life can be so messy and mine has not disappointed...it is anything but tidy and i am sure as we go along it might become very evident.
For now, the short of it is this:
I was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. I eventually left Kenya and lived in Uganda (country next door) where both parents are originally from but fled during those hopeless times when the country was being torn apart by war. Eventually i ended up in the U.S but i have lived and traveled in Europe as well.

I am a nurse but i have done many other things in the past. From modeling to working in a science research institute monitoring beeping machines in labs and answering phones to being a barista (love coffee) to childcare and working in the tourism sector back in Uganda aka Pearl of Africa.
I have started over more than i care to count. I have uprooted myself more than the average person. I have made friends and lost touch with friends with all the moving. I have met interesting and amazing people and experienced things that i never imagined would happen to me, both good and horrible. I have lived fast and i have lived much slower. I have been up and i have been down.

Through the heartaches and joys, i decided i want to be more intentional about being thankful (easier said than done). We all know that gratitude is a virtue worth having but when life happens, well, it becomes hard to do sometimes. So because i enjoy writing, i figured through it i can not only share my journey of learning and practicing thankfulness, but also become more aware as i write, and perhaps while doing all that, we meet in the middle.

Thank you for joining me.

Xx,

Victoria