On the road: Moments

It's hard to believe that our European adventure is behind us, that we are back to our simple, wonderful lives here in Washington.  Sergio is back at work and I have one more week in my sabbatical before I return on October 1st.  Everything was so exciting and cosmopolitan and beautiful and challenging and different, and now we slide back into comfort and sameness.

I didn't quite understand what it was and I couldn't quite put my finger on the feeling, but I think I can now. For some reason, I think I was caught up in thinking about or predicting or imagining these great, all-powerful moments in life, these times that had Kodak moment written all over them (side thought -- Does Kodak even exist anymore?).  You know, like some sort of commercial montage.  I think in some ways, comparing these thoughts with my actual life made my actual life seem really -- average.  Boring.  Plain.

But I don't think my actual life is boring -- not at all!  I think what happened is that I got caught up in these thoughts of other things instead of focusing on what was happening now, right in front of me.

I decided to do a little experiment for this trip because what occasion has a tendency to make you feel grand or excited than a whirlwind trip to Europe? I didn't want to miss a cool interaction in a museum or on the Metro because I was thinking about kissing Sergio with the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the background (and as it turns out, I was coming down with a cold and he went to see it by himself.  How's that for romance??).

What inspired me was this little image on the right.  And it made me laugh because it was pouring (rain, not snow) when we walked to the Eiffel Tower last week.  I don't care what Midnight in Paris says -- Paris in the rain, especially with a cheap tourist umbrella that is falling apart as you walk with it -- is not romantic.  Maybe if I had rain boots and a proper umbrella.  Instead I felt like a wet cat.

But -- that's a moment.

That's what I did this entire trip -- took snapshots of moments with my mind.  The people with the huge suitcases that held them in the laps on the train to Arles.  Playing "hide and seek" with the schoolkids in Amsterdam.  Feeding a horse in Carmangue ("the best horses in the world, the ones from Carmangue!"). Laughing every time we found Ben and Jerry's (I can only think of one here in Washington but they were EVERYWHERE in Europe!).  The best tomatoes I've ever tasted at Sergio's birthday dinner in Arles.  That first step when you can look up into the beauty of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.  Shoe shopping in Sevilla. Watching tourists break the wheels from their rollerbags so they wouldn't have to pay easyjet's bag check fee.  Savoring pear sorbet or churros con chocolate or the best Indonesian food you've had in your whole life.

I've learned -- savoring the moments makes me so much happier because I'm not comparing the moment to anything else.  Because it is what it is and I can appreciate it.

I have much more to share about our trip -- and Sergio has thousands of photos to comb through.  But he gave me one (one!) this morning so I decided to include it, mainly to prove that yes, we actually did go.  I also am putting our limited (maybe 50?) Nexus 4 photos into a G+ album, which I hope to finish in the next day or two.  It's not much yet but it will be a nice complement to the professional photos like the one below.

At the Roman Arena in Arles, France

There are so many moments from this trip that I want to preserve -- and there will be many more stories to come.  I can't wait to share them.  In the meantime, I'll catch up on all of the other posts I've neglected, including two June trips (the beach and the NE -- yikes, I'm behind), my new-found love and respect for bouldering, my summer love affair with my new piano, and all of the books I've been reading this summer (current sabbatical count is 27!).

There are so many rich moments.  I'm thankful I get to live them.

xo
Sarah