Back to (a beautiful) Reality, With Awakened Senses

Viewpoints, castles, beaches, food, coffee (lots of coffee), wine (enough of that too), hilarious memories and a whole lot of love.

Our honeymoon in a nutshell.And now, from one beautiful reality to the next, we return home with open arms.I guess some might never want to leave the life of hot sandy beaches and the wildly fun adventures that come with traveling – I get that! But there’s also the opportunity to bring that sense of wonder and exploration back home too.

Traveling fulfills me, not only because of all the new sensory experiences that come with it, but also in its ability to remind me of how much I love the life that I’m (we are), creating.

I love being away, exploring new places and having a few weeks alone with my mister, without a care in the world besides what fun thing or delicious treat we're going to take in next. And, this trip has awakened my senses in a pretty magical way.

The incredible views inspired me to try my hand at painting and get back to drawing - something I used to do decently well as a kid.

The food…oh, the food…it inspired me to try cooking (something that comes a little less naturally to me) with new flavours and to get more creative with fresh ingredients.

And though we only took one walk early enough to see the sunrise (admittedly, because we had to get to our train), it inspired me to get up and walk with the sun more often.

I can remember that morning so clearly.We were walking the streets of the old town in Lagos, making our way to the train station to head off to Lisbon. The sun was waking from its slumber, the skies were warmly lit and the streets were refreshingly quiet.

It was early, and we had been up late, but the sun energized me. I felt connected to it, and to myself. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, Jack turned to me and said, “you can always count on the sun rising”.

Being away helps me connect with the present moment because I don’t wanna miss a thing. And instead of just taking photographs with my phone (yes, that happens too), I practice taking them with my memory.

Travelling is a blessing that I appreciate.

And still, I, we, are also just as in love with being home. We were so excited to get back to our place, our favourite coffee shops, our friends, our family - and even to the simple things, like doing groceries! And I, was totally excited to get back to connecting with you, back to this.

Traveling makes me realize that I love my (our), reality.

Maybe together, we can practice appreciating not only the new experiences that we have when we travel or reach new milestones, but also, the everyday blessings, that translate into the realities we experience.

Peace, love and back to reality,

Diana