Those dandelions fluffs that float in the air every Summer, my mom used to call them thieves. When I’d ask why she’d explain that they can go anywhere they want, and no one can really catch them. My mind is too a thief, it’ll float anywhere it wishes, with the only exception being that every August, it will always return to my fondest Greek Summer memories.
(Washington Lake, close to my new home, creating new memories.)
It was in 2011 that life showed me that not every summer will be Greek. It was that June that someone stole my purse and with it my passport (also known as my right to leave and re-enter the US). It took me about 6 months to get it back, and in the meantime I somehow still managed to get some ocean time: my Greek driver’s license, that pink piece of paper with zero English words on it was enough to get me on an airplane to Honolulu.
Since then every summer I get to spend in Greece I perceive as a small miracle and yet I avoid it – the pain of leaving is too much to handle. It is not something specific that I miss, but mostly the familiarity and level of easiness of everything. I am not an “other” in Greece, there’s no separation. I do have an American accent these days – I’ve been told my r is a bit too emphatic – but I am still that girl from downtown Athens.
In the past few years I’ve come to realize that my ideal Summer is not the same for everyone. Sure, taking long walks in the Plaka area around Acropolis, eating yummy food and island hopping sounds like – and are – all amazing experiences. For some people though, hiking new discovered mountainous paths is the best way to spend those few and precious warm months; for some others it’s fishing in different rivers that does the trick, or camping, or simply spending time with family wherever they might be. The human experience has no limits in its multiplicity of expression and desires.
(Colorado Summer be like)
In 2011 I discovered that spending my Summers in Greece is not the only way to have meaningful and fulfilling time away from my routine. Actually, it somehow unlocked that state of mind saying that the only time of the year suitable for traveling is between May and September. These days I am able to enjoy traveling all year round, visiting countries in any season they might be in. Warm weather by the beach will always be my favorite – but why block out any experience at all? Wherever, whenever that might be; thieves don’t ask for permission, they just go for it.