You don’t always have to spin disappointment into gold. Sometimes, all you have to do is change your perspective. Stand in a different place, take another look, and you find that the very thing that disappointed you was a nugget of gold all along.
How did I get here? I know the facts, I remember arriving, and still I wonder, how on earth did I get here?
I am sitting in my own little apartment. An entry hall, private bath with shower, a kitchenette, two twin beds, a wardrobe in which to hang my clothes (maybe that’s how I got here, through the wardrobe), and a huge balcony overlooking the bay. When I first stepped out onto the balcony, the mountains, sea, and sky stole my breath away, and I wept.
Marianna, my previous host, made some phone calls and hooked me up with Ingrid, my current host. Ingrid is originally from Austria and has lived on Crete for nearly thirty years. She and her husband Petros, a native of Crete, have four adult children. They own a retreat center and banquet facility not far from Chania. Above the retreat center are several apartments that they rent out, often to retreat guests. I live in one of the apartments in exchange for cleaning and gardening, getting the apartments and the grounds ready for spring.
There is so much more I want to tell you -- about going with Ingrid to her house this evening, having dinner together by the fire, sharing amazing local wine, fresh baked bread, and enlightened conversation. Then back here to the apartment. I unpacked, took a shower, and here I am, all clean and comfy in my jammies and thick warm socks.
Off to bed. I can hardly wait for sunrise.
* * *
How did I get here? I know the facts, I remember arriving, and still I wonder, how on earth did I get here?
I am sitting in my own little apartment. An entry hall, private bath with shower, a kitchenette, two twin beds, a wardrobe in which to hang my clothes (maybe that’s how I got here, through the wardrobe), and a huge balcony overlooking the bay. When I first stepped out onto the balcony, the mountains, sea, and sky stole my breath away, and I wept.
Marianna, my previous host, made some phone calls and hooked me up with Ingrid, my current host. Ingrid is originally from Austria and has lived on Crete for nearly thirty years. She and her husband Petros, a native of Crete, have four adult children. They own a retreat center and banquet facility not far from Chania. Above the retreat center are several apartments that they rent out, often to retreat guests. I live in one of the apartments in exchange for cleaning and gardening, getting the apartments and the grounds ready for spring.
There is so much more I want to tell you -- about going with Ingrid to her house this evening, having dinner together by the fire, sharing amazing local wine, fresh baked bread, and enlightened conversation. Then back here to the apartment. I unpacked, took a shower, and here I am, all clean and comfy in my jammies and thick warm socks.
Off to bed. I can hardly wait for sunrise.
2 comments:
Like button :)
"Ditto Like button" so glad that things are going in the right direction for you =)
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