it took me only three days to find my greek island ritual - waking up alone in a house by the sea is really waking up to the rhythms of the weather - outside, and within me.

7:30 am - I wake up to morning light. I go outside and begin the day by noticing the water: what color is it today? how is the wind, and the clouds, and the waves? then I try to do the same inside of me: what do I feel today? what are my early morning instincts, urges, impressions, epiphanies, dream-thoughts, if any?

8 am - I sit with a cup of tea and do my writing and journal and work rituals. I’ll do yoga, meditate, and play language games on Duolingo. by mid-morning, the sun is moving over the hills, like this:

12pm - I make eggs and toast for brunch. turn my phone off airplane mode, and sit at the kitchen table working until early afternoon, around 2 or 3, when I’ll walk to this grotto, just 10 minutes from the house:

3pm - if the weather is good (there is sun), then I go swimming there. I pack a towel, dry underwear, and a bottle of water. the water is cold and refreshing. and there, I am usually alone.

5 pm - I sit at these cliffs, staring into the sea, listening to music, watching the sunset.

or - if I am too lazy to cook and in the mood for human energy, I bike 6 minutes to town to eat an early dinner, and watch the sunset by the temple of apollo, or by the port, here:

alternatively - I climb a hill to a tiny chapel, where there is a view of the entire town. I soak in my aloneness and sit there, overlooking the white stone houses and setting sun. I walk (or bike, uphill) home in the dark.

7:30pm - I go home. eat some snacks for dinner. message with friends. work for a few more hours, perhaps, and take a long shower, play Duolingo, and go to sleep by 11pm.

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the whole experience feels like a glass of water for my soul.

it occurs to me — that the ease of living around the world is really about the ease of finding rituals in each place; a sense of rhythm and daily flow; a sort of familiarity and comfort, both in the internal and external spaces.

for me, my daily greek island ritual consists of becoming familiar with the coastline, and finding familiar and favorite spots for seeing the sunset. once you do it enough, everyday, there is a softness to the ritual, a blanket of comfort over what was once jagged and unknown and full of uncertainty. that, to me, is the difference between traveling and living.

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PS - that being said - I am very tired of airbnbs, and will be (planning to) find and settle into a home soon.

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go back to naxos