Attention is our fate
a very expensive vacation made me fall in love with my very average life again
There she was, painting ducks gliding across the local park pond, her husband lounging next to her with a novel in hand, soaking in the sun. A stroll to the vegetable stand for plump tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and garlic still covered in soil; a walk to the bakery for iced lattes, danishes, and pain au chocolats; the distant echo of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night performing nearby in the evening; a bike ride to get ice cream to cool off from the afternoon heat; an impromptu meetup with friends at the corner bar.
These aren’t scenes from my recent two-week long Croatian escape (that’s for next time!), but rather, the glorious days that followed my return.
On the last day of vacation, I told Mark that I wanted to take everything we love about visiting Europe and try to apply it to our lives back home in Ohio. “Okay, baby,” he said. I envisioned us buying local goods, going on leisurely walks, making and eating decadent meals….and then on our first full day back home, I was reminded that we already do all of that, silly.
The morning after landing, we eagerly resumed our tradition of strolling about our neighborhood, coffee in one hand and a leash in the other, fetching dog treats from the neighborhood bakery, and saying hi to all of our neighbors, and it dawned on me that Europe didn’t change our habits or routines or ourselves, at all. Instead, it had illuminated them.
Our Lord & Savior Mary Oliver once emphasized that, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” My fixation on how to make my life more ~European~ actually made me pay more attention to smaller aspects of it, which then, in return, amplified my gratitude for my everyday life and routine that I’ve cultivated very carefully and thoughtfully for myself. Back to the aforementioned woman painting the tiny pond in the park — she gets it. I’m starting to as well.
Maybe I didn’t need to spend a fortune to fly thousands of miles away to grasp all of this…but then again, perhaps I did. 😉
The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch — this is a hefty one, but it flies by. Charles is haunted by his past relationships and resolves to retire by the English Seaside, completely isolated, only everyone in his life he was trying to run from then resurfaces again. It gets very chaotic and you start to hate him a little bit, but in a way where you can’t put the book down. I loved the cozy elements — lighting the fires to keep warm, candle-lit meals explained in delicate details, and the fact that I craved a glass of wine or sherry after every chapter (and gave into my cravings most of the time). It’s a 1970s classic that I think everyone should read. But don’t make the mistake I did reading it by the Mediterranean — best read in a comfy spot at home, or an East Coast beach escape.
Love Island — duh
Traditional Cappuccinos — I was a very strict vegan for awhile, but letting myself have full-fat, dairy cappuccinos while in Croatia almost every evening was quite the treat. (They’d laugh in my face if I ordered a soy latte at the little village we were staying in.) That’s not a habit I’m continuing back home though — back to plant milk or espresso & tonics I very happily and gratefully go!
Local Succotash — Went to the local farmers market and bought a ton of green beans, tomatoes, garlic, corn, and squash, sautéed it all together, and then topped it with some BBQ tofu and it was a perfect, easy, (and very cheap) summer dinner.
Lots of red lately ♥️💋🍒 and fun vintage bracelets
This is the shit Mary Oliver was probably on
Hope you’re okay, despite it all,
xx Sav