The Spanish countryside…
In case you were wondering why I hadn’t been posting as regularly, I’ve spent the last two weeks in Spain and Portugal on a little vacay. I played hooky from my life and work to do some traveling. It felt good.
I love to travel. It’s the one thing I return to again and again, even though I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like. Traveling helps me gain perspective when things seem a little out of control. It’s always a little uncomfortable at first, being somewhere new, especially when you don’t speak the language. There are streets and markets to figure out, people to observe, a way of life that is different from my own.
Gardens and patios are everywhere in Spain.
I like being exposed to how other cultures live life on a daily basis. I think it’s good to gain some perspective. Sometimes, especially during this ridiculous election season, I think we Americans get sidetracked with our own importance. Traveling helps shake us from our routine, gets out of our own heads.
One thing I noticed right away about Spain was the lack of importance of sticking to a tight schedule. Nobody thinks about lunch until after 2:00, and dinner starts around 9 or 10. Then families will walk together after meals, letting the food digest and spending relaxed time together. Then they get up and go to work and school like everyone else. But meal times are important, a bonding ritual.
A little tapas in Marbella, with Moorish tile on the walls.
I think there’s something missing in this kind of relaxed time here in the states. We’re always in a rush. We have so many things to do, emails to answer, projects to finish. It never ends. There is a certain pride we have in our ability to be as busy as possible.
After spending time traveling, I have to ask: is it wise how I’m choosing to spend my days? How could I appreciate them more?
I visited an old monastery in the town of Evora in Portugal. In the monastery, there was a chapel made completely of bones and skulls (human), crafted by Franciscan monks in the late sixteenth century.
The Chapel of Bones in Evora, Portugal
This isn’t an unusual thing in Europe – there are the catacombs, of course, filled with bones. But what struck me more than a chapel constructed of bones was the inscription on the entrance:
“Nos Ossos Que Aqui Estamos Pelos Vossos Esparamos”
Roughly translated, it’s “we bones are here, waiting for you,” or also “we bones are here, hoping for you.”
It’s not meant to be morbid or threatening, but rather to remind us that life is fleeting. No matter what we accomplish in our lifetimes – achievements, money, fame, etc. – we all end up the same, our bones the only thing left of us physically. The only thing that lasts beyond the physical life is our spirit (if you believe in that sort of thing), so what gives our lives meaning is how we conduct ourselves in a more spiritual sense.
I thought about this in terms of spirituality: that it matters how we treat others, how we choose to spend our time, our personal growth rather than our physical accomplishments.
The chapel reminds us: None of us is more or less special than anyone else. Underneath it all, failures and successes, we are the same.
There is something beautiful about this, something I can’t quite let go of. So I thought I’d share in a blog post. Hopefully, it’s a good reminder to take care of each other, appreciate each other a bit more. I want to make better use of my time here. I want to remember what’s most important.
XO,
Kelly
About Kelly Seal
Kelly is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, CA. She blogs about dating, relationships, personal growth and what "healthy living" means to her. You can follow her on Google+, Twitter @kellyseal or through her website www.kellyseal.com.
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