Realization

As I was walking home from class today, I started to think of all the feelings I had as the days approached my departure to Seville.  While driving on a road that I took almost everyday, I would look out the window and feel more appreciation for my surroundings.  Most people wouldn’t consider Lincoln, Nebraska in their travel plans, but when thinking about leaving this familiar place my love for it grow even stronger.  Not only did I feel more appreciation for my surroundings but also for my relationships.  The realization of how happy I was in my current situation came over me.  It took the feeling of these things being taken away from me for a few months for me to really see what I had right in front of me.  I realized during my last days in Nebraska that I take advantage of almost all of my surroundings, relationships, and resources.  Although this realization was saddening, I am grateful for it.  This realization opened my eyes to really seeing and feeling so many things that I hadn’t before. 

Today marks two weeks since the city of Seville welcomed me.  After thinking back to the emotions I felt before leaving the States, the feeling of missing this place came over me.  This feeling is one that I never thought I would feel this early on in my journey.  The amount that I have learned in these short fourteen days is unexplainable to not only everyone else but also myself.  I have so easily fallen in love with the people, the scenery, and the atmosphere.  Everyday I walk outside of my apartment wishing I could bottle up the feelings and scenery that I experience.  I so often forget to take pictures here because I am so caught up in the current moment, not wanting to take my eyes off my surroundings.  And when I do take the chance to snap a few shots I am left disappointed because there is no way to capture the immense beauty here.

I leave you with a challenge.  Take the rest of this week as though you wouldn’t see, or hear, or touch, or feel the things you experience daily.  I promise you that your everyday outlook will change, the things that once seemed so simple that you almost forgot they were there will gain significance.