Little Life Lessons

Today marks the six month anniversary of when we packed our bags, boarded a one way flight and landed in this beautiful country. Living here has been an incredible adventure, but it has also been a big life changer for me. I feel like I have learned more about myself living in Spain for the past six months, than I had the previous 20 years before that. I would like to share with you three of the life lessons that really stand out to me on this anniversary.

In other words, life is what you make it and you can be happy no matter where you are in the world. It all comes down to attitude.  During the first few months we lived here I sometimes would feel down, thinking about everything I was missing back at home with family and friends. I would then "water my grass" by reminding myself of the grand adventure I was on, and really focus on living in the moment. I am living in Spain, learning a new language, experiencing a new culture and getting to know new people. I live an exciting life!




Growing up in good-ole Utah, my view of the world was limited to the small town I was from.  It wasn't until my parents took me to Germany when I was 14 that I knew life would be incomplete if I didn't get to know more of this wonderful world. After we arrived in Spain, it was a huge culture shock how different everything was, from the obvious big things like housing, language and food, to the smaller nuances in culture. Even the grocery stores were completely different.  But it wasn't until I truly opened my mind to Spain and its people that I felt like I belonged. With an open mind I have eaten pig leg that hung from a ceiling for over 2 years, swam in the ocean in the middle of winter, befriended a Hungarian hobo, and drank cider until the sun came up.




We all have dreams; mine was to travel Europe. The day I met Dustin I told him of my dream to travel Europe and we agreed that one day we would do it together. Four years after we married, we still hadn't gone and a part of me began to think we were never going to go and maybe I should just accept life the way it was, settle down, have children and forget my dream.  Luckily we realized that it is never too late, that if we had a dream we should go after it no matter what. That is when we quit our jobs and just made it happen. While traveling we have met numerous people who are also living their dreams, whether they are 18 or 78. whatever your dream is, go after it; it's never too late.  

Even if you are not planning on living abroad, I think these three little life lessons can help no matter where you are, be it good-ole Utah, Marrakesh Morocco or San Sebastian Spain. 

Have you ever moved, traveled or experienced something that was a life-changer? What life lesson would you add to my list?I would love to hear in the comments.