still

"i do not concern myself with great matters

or things to wonderful for me.

But i have stilled and quietened my soul..."

Psalm 131:1b-2a

i think this is the kind of wisdom that appears like foolishness to many. too often we live the opposite way: concerning ourselves with things we do not understand and never resting, never be-ing. its the way of the world i guess, and hard to step away from. but i'd like to.

extremadura

the little things i'll miss

sunshine and golden evenings and coffee and sitting outside and people walking dogs and the bread shop and dressed up ladies and palm trees and jamon and beer and red wine and cola cao and vino tinto de verano and children staying up late and sunday afternoon strolls and plazas and benches and parks and fountains and old man bars and tortilla and tapas and flan and piercings and gel-ed hair and tight tops and skinny jeans and heavy fringes and high heels and random concerts and fiestas and pedestrian crossings and shops closing for siesta and late nights and 10 minutes of tv adverts and gossip and telenovelas and talk on nationalism and futbol and flamenco and ferias and beaches and campo and buses not trains and garlic and tomatoes and flats and lifts (apartments and elevators for american friends!) and olives and accordians and reggaeton and tuna and 'menu del dia' and men shouting 'guapa' and family and taking your time ...

the last week or 2

goodbyes, youth events, new friends, dancing in the plaza, surprise goodbye party, leaving badajoz...

peace/numb?

sometimes i'm not sure if i'm feeling "at peace" (which, i'm thinking is very christian-y thing to say...?) or just numb. the way i feel when i say goodbye. i'm always the one leaving... i've got kind of used to it. and i feel like most people i'll see again one day. so it's more like 'hasta luego'.

within a week i will have said goodbye to two worlds and said 'hello again' to two more. (Badajoz-Sevilla-Oxford-Brighton) 4 worlds in a week, each one so very different but each one playing a significant part in my life as i play my small role in each one of them. make sense??

it seems this peaceful/numbness is a bit like a protective layer as i move from one world to the other which let's face it is not going to be the easiest of transitions but right now on my last night in Spain, in Sevilla back where i started, i'm just fine. actually. and more than anything overwhelmed by how BLESSED and privileged i am to have done all the things i've done, seen the things i've seen, been the places i've been and moreover met the people i've met these past 9 months.

and, knowing that it definitely has not been 'all gravy' and rose petals and whatnot, to me it seems a gift to already look back and smile and be thankful.

ONE WEEK

...left in Spain...

therefore i think i'll leave the meaty posts till i get back so as not to spend too much time in front of the computer instead of making the most of the last few days.

life is full and good.


*and this hits the over-one-hundred-posts-mark! impressive!