Hello. First of all, I hope this finds you well. Since I began writing this blog I know that I have had readers from all over the globe and I am grateful that you took the time to pop in and read my words. This is more like a wellness check to all of you. We are now living in a new world just like explorers centuries before us. Stepping into the unknown every single day with no measure of what to expect. The thing that harms us the most is not visible yet we see what it is doing to humanity at an alarming rate. How do we forge ahead? One day at a time. That is what we did before this virus. What has changed? The need for the world to shelter at home. No social interaction. Disinfect everything you bring into your home. Trying to find just enough food to keep for two weeks at a time. Isolation from family and friends. Finding different things to do throughout any given day to break up the monotony.
Here is what I know and see. We are lucky enough to have access to television, internet, cell phones and multiple platforms to connect through a virtual world.
For me, this time at home has taken me back to all the stories and lessons shared by the grandmother (yiayia) that I grew up with. I am of Greek decent. 100%. Both my parents families came from the same tiny island in the Aegean called Ikaria. The modern day world knows it most famously as The Blue Zone where people live into their hundreds. The first time I ever went to Greece I was 10 years old. I had never set foot on a plane before and my parents decided that I would spend the summer in Greece with my yiayia. I boarded that plane with an escort and arrived in Athens where my yiayia greeted me and then put us on a boat to Ikaria for the next 3 months. What I was about to learn and experience was primitive living. Those 3 months in Greece taught me everything I need right now to reassure me. Most of my time there was spent in a small one room home on the most remote part of the island. No electricity and no running water. The entire room had 2 twin beds, a table with 2 chairs and a propane stove. That’s it. I used an outhouse. No phone to talk to my parents.
Here is what I am going to tell you.
I was privileged to have that experience. It shaped who I am today. This new world that we are walking in is temporary. Be patient. Many things will change as we reset. In the meantime I thought it’s a great time to share my first journey to Greece. We are lucky enough to communicate through this platform, so why not give you a great story to read!
I am excited to share it with you. Please stay safe and I hope you enjoy my blog posts for the next few weeks.
A Voice For Women 