Cześć koledzi! (Hi friends!)
On Thursday morning I woke up to slight sunshine and only a slight breeze, so I decided to go for a run. The air was still brisk, but it felt good to move my legs after so much traveling.
I decided to go up, like I said there’s only one main road so you either go “do góry” (up) or “na dół” (down). And when I decided to go “up,” I also decided to go uphill. At moments the trek was terrible and I regretted my decision, but every time I needed motivation to keep going I just lifted my head and looked around. Living in the mountains is a double edge sword. The terrain is physically tough, but the views are breath-taking. Certain parts of the hills were still covered in a white blanket of snow, creating a beautiful contrast. And the way back was much easier, straining my muscles in a different way — forcing my body to heel at the decline.
When I arrived back home, my aunt and cousin were busy baking for Easter. Not wanting to disrupt them, I decided to go for a bike ride. I bundled up again and headed for the door. Again, the fresh air felt great. The view was beautiful, and this time the hills were a lot of fun. I decided to take a ride to my sister-in-law’s house which was about 10-15 minutes away.
At first, I was hesitant to enter since I haven’t seen her parents in a long time and maybe they wouldn’t recognize me, (I wasn’t sure if they even knew I was in Poland,) but I decided I’m almost a grown-up now and have to face possibly awkward situations. So I walked up the driveway, and there I saw a lady standing in the window waving me in. I ended up having a great visit, lots of herbartka (tea) and some delicious rosół (chicken soup). After about two hours, I got back on my bike and peddled up the very large hill I flew down earlier. (I’m proud to say I almost made it all the way up!)
By the time I got home, it was already time for church. (It was Holy Week — meaning church every day until Monday. I have to admit there was a lot of internal contemplation during these hours of church. Questioning the purpose of it all and if it was legitimate, but check out my next post to hear more about that.) At this time, snow was steadily falling again. Instead of walking, as we normally would, my uncle dropped me and my aunt of at the church. I’m going to justify the lift by all the other physical activity I did earlier that day!
That evening, we spent the night around the table sitting and talking. It wasn’t anything ground-breaking, but it is moments like that where you can appreciate having a good family.
“Family is not an important thing. It is everything.” – Michael J. Fox
During this break, I’ve been reading Living Christ Living Budha and it has invited me to think a lot about life and what it truly is. I think we can each define it differently, but I like to think that the elements important to my life are my spiritual and mental self. To take care of both, it is important to take care of our physical bodies. When we are physically fit we have the capacity to better both our mental and spiritual selves. When we are healthy and strong on those levels, loving ourselves, we can love others.
There’s four days left in Poland! Check out my upcoming blogs to find out how they went!
Current day update: the weather in Salamanca is perfect! I can’t believe I was in the snow just a day ago. I went on a run this afternoon and the smell of spring filled my lungs, motivating me to keep going.
Tomorrow I leave for Porto. I can’t believe how time is flying!
Xoxo,
K
Salamanca, SPAIN. 