For now, let's just say this about Lisbon

Maybe you've heard about my adventures these past few days. I'm going to talk about them in detail next week. (I have some tips for travelers!) But for now, let's just look at how beautiful this city is, even on a walk home from the police station. And let's just say, the last week or so has been so full of surprises, that I need the weekend to unpack. 


I get surprised a lot-- it's maybe my favorite thing about life not only because it keeps it interesting, but because it keeps the know-it-all in me in check. Every time I've ever thought I had it all figured out.... Then there's the thing I never saw coming. But not just the stolen purse, or the person I finally thought I'd left behind moving (internationally!) to my city. Not just the events. But the way people respond to them. The way I have changed the way I respond to things over the years. 


I moved to Scotland to change my life. Two of the primary ways I wanted to change my life were 1. in my relationship to stress and 2. my relationship to being open to trust. The trusting of other people and the trusting of the universe. (And let's just say that these relationships are all linked....)


And let's just say that over and over again, in countless ways, those relationships have changed for the better since moving. Because any situation I think is going to cause me the kind of stress that was practically crippling by the end in New York... anymore... I just can't muster the will to feel stressed out about...when measured against the weight of my fortune, of my appreciation. 


And the way people react to me and for me continues to utterly surprise the hell out of me. People, man. They are fascinating and amazing and mysterious as shit. And there are a lot of cowards out there, but I'm happy and thankful to say that more and more, my world is populated with heroes of the everyday. 


And so let's just say that I am always thinking about appreciation.  It's nice when you realize that what--once upon a time-- would have made you feel like a victim, now only makes you feel more connected, more like the luckiest. I appreciate the reminder. And I appreciate the people who link those reminders together.