Do you have a place, just one, that is always in your heart? The place that makes you cry with happiness when you have the chance to be there? I, honestly, do, and it is absolutely ordinary, nothing fancy or exquisite, but it is the place where my heart and soul find peace.
Trust me, I have traveled a good amount in the past to various destinations in Europe, Asia, and I have an extended number of trips within the United States as well. I always fall in love with big cities like London, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, New York City, and the list surely can go on much longer. Yes, it is extremely fascinating to arrange city tours, especially, with the best people who are in the same boat as you. It is super cool to explore wired, non-touristic nooks, drink a ton of good coffee, and eat yummy food so that you come back to the hotel fully exhausted and you have no strength left to keep your eyes open to read the book you thoughtfully packed for yourself.
All of that is fabulous, indeed, and I do want to go back all the time to get my dosage of these cities to feel and to breathe them in over and over again. Most of the time, it is truly people out there that I miss terribly and wish to see, hug, and chat with. Meanwhile, there is only one place that has had a special influence on me since an early age. Truth be told, I don’t have clear memories of the times I visited due to me being a tiny baby. Nevertheless, I have this warm knot inside along with tears and a soft smile that appears on my face every time I think about my special place. That said, I vividly remember my last trip to my grandparent’s village, when I was already grown up and did not expect that I would cry in the middle of the yard seeing all that beauty, the peacefulness of nature, and the sounds of loud crickets in late August. I cried almost every evening while being alone outside, not because I was upset or unhappy but because for the first time ever I realized what it means to be somewhere that your heart belongs. Besides these secret moments of mine, I had the most amazing time with my grandma and her side of the family. In a word, it is priceless to watch touching British tv shows all together at night in the living room, read books on the terrace in the mornings, have fun conversations with my granny’s brothers, drink war milk right under the cow, and go in the woods to pick fresh berries or mushrooms accompanied by the wise old generation of people. However, I always knew that it was impossible for me to stay here forever, so I promised myself to come back someday to this magical, slowly dying village to feel that indescribable peace and joy deep within my soul.
I may sound silly saying this, but these are my best times. When you don’t have any extra thoughts in your mind and no anxiety about anything at all. I am lucky to have the place where my heart belongs. being there means to live in the moment, soak every second of the present, and just be yourself 24/7.