One of a kind.
This past summer, has truly been one of a kind type of summer. I honestly cannot remember the last time I was able to spend the whole summer doing whatever I wanted to. No major responsibilities, no big plans, living life as it comes, just taking it day-by-day. It's a real luxury. Combine that with my loved ones & friends and that's my secret sauce to happiness.
When I say it's a luxury, I really mean it. Waking up, knowing that you can do whatever you want that day is something that shouldn't be taken for granted. It's the purest form of freedom. I love the Lithuanian expression "Laisvas kaip paukštis" which simply means "Free as a bird". That's exactly how I felt - free. Free of stress, anxiety, work, problems and negativity.
Each day was like a blank page. For the most part, there was nothing that you could predict and in a sense that gave me so much joy. We all know, that eventually, we end up creating some sort of a routine, things become predictable, often times each day becomes almost identical to the previous one. You wake up, you go to work, you finish work & head home, you have dinner & you go to bed. That's that. Next day, it's the same-same all over again. But for me, not having a routine was so refreshing, especially when it's not just for a day, a week or even a month, but for the whole three months. What a treat!
Of course, what took this whole experience to the next level was the time spent with my family. Sure, I'm already quite used to being far away from everyone, as I've been living abroad ever since I was 17, but the older I get, the more family means to me. Not to say that it didn't when I was younger, it always did, but now it means more than ever before.
It's the small things that matter and the fact that you can see, hug, kiss & speak to each other here and now is a luxury in itself. I am really fortunate to have such a wonderful and supportive family, people who I adore, love and care for dearly. What can I say?! I'm just a lucky guy.
One chapter ends & another beings.
Nothing lasts forever. That's the beauty of live, isn't it?! Of course, I wish that great things could last a lifetime, but unfortunately that is not how life works. As sad as it is to say goodbye to everyone I do feel it is sometimes necessary, because it gives me something to look forward to. I am already excited about the next time I get to see & hangout with my loved ones! I'm not going to lie, there were days where I felt like it was a good time to leave & start that new chapter, start traveling again, move to a different country & get back to the "real life". But whenever those thoughts came, I had to remind myself to just stay present and enjoy the moment. People always say that life goes faster & faster the older you get, so why don't you just stop & appreciate what you have & where you are. You never know when the change will come, but luckily for me, it's happening right now.
It's definitely not the first time that I decide to shake up my whole life and move to a different country somewhere crazy far away from home. Where, you might ask? This time it's Vancouver, BC. A place that I've never been before, but heard great things about. I know this new chapter will come with it's own ups & downs, but I do believe I'm ready for it. I'm actually stoked for this. I do have a good feeling about this whole move-to-Vancouver thing, so now it's up to me to squeeze everything I can out of this opportunity. Bring it on, baby!
Lastly, if I may, there's one piece of advice that I would like to share with you:
Embrace the change in your life. Sometimes it's not something that you can anticipate or prepare for, it just happens. Of course, I hope it will be a positive change, but even if it's not so positive, still try to embrace it. Learn from it. Even though it might feel weird, uncomfortable & scary at first, eventually it will bring you something that you'll be forever grateful for. Trust me on this one.
Thanks,
Lots of love,
Vinny The Guy