We are nearing the holidays here in Athens, Greece and we're getting festive even while the sun is shining and temps are in the mid 60's! We've worked our way through such Christmas classics as Home Alone 1 and 2, White Christmas and Mickey's Christmas Story thanks to Netflix (fun fact, every country has a slightly different array of movies available and happily for us all but Finland allowed us to watch everything we wanted to in English). I'm still on the lookout for Scrooged and Holiday Inn but no luck yet.

We've 'put up' the Christmas tree with scissors and tape (hopefully without injury to the Airbnb wall). Sadly, baking Christmas cookies is not really an option for us. That will not, however, stop us from eating the many varieties of Greek cookies available. There will be some presents under the tree and Harrison is debating about where to hang the stockings (my large wool socks) and what to leave the reindeer (carrots or cucumber). So yes, Christmas spirit is in full bloom as it every year wherever we find ourselves celebrating.

Because, wherever you go there you'll be!

That is my theme for today's post. It's something I started learning when I lived in Manhattan as a young teacher. It is something I remind myself whenever we move to a new place. And its something I try to practice now as we have this awesome year of opportunity around the world. Through the years I discovered that I could be super lazy in both a city that literally never sleeps and in my suburban hometown, that I could find the library with the best children's section anywhere I go, and that I find comfort in my morning coffee whether it be instant, filter or (ugh) pods. Basically, wherever I've gone there I am. :)

I'd hate to think this leaves the impression that I move through these days with flat routine. No, that's not the case. It is really the routine parts that help keep me sane and grounded. This, in turn, keeps my brain in a calm(er) place, opening it up to take risks. There are SO MANY risks when traveling. You might automatically think about the big ones like getting terribly sick, breaking a bone, missing the last ferry home, getting stranded on an island....but these are not really the risks I face daily. My personal risks so far include attempting to use some of the native language wherever I am, pushing myself to run, yoga or workout daily in the various environments we find ourselves in, grocery shop using zero-waste policies as much as possible (so hard in some countries that insist you bag all loose fruit and veg) and taking local public transport without getting squished, turnstyled or generally bamboozled. Perhaps the biggest risk is letting Harrison take them too. I find I really have to work at that.

I'll close this little post with some highlights that have resulted from taking such risks;

• Laughing with a Turkish woman about the size of a sword (literally so big it was hard to imagine anyone lifting it), she spoke Turkish and I replied in English but we were both saying the same thing, "what were they thinking when they made this sword?'
• using my net bag while Christmas shopping in Athens eliciting the shopkeeper to laugh saying 'you are really not like us, we Greeks always want bags'
• sitting down for my single macchiato to avoid the dreaded takeaway cup...only to be served in the world's smallest takeaway cup (a reminder to be very clear when ordering!)
• running the streets of our Roman neighborhood, dodging dog poo and fast-moving cars while making sure to run against the one-way traffic as there were no sidewalks
• laughing with a friend after she got the barista to bring me honey to put in my coffee....I had said I wanted milk, which sounded like miele which is of course honey in Italian.
• watching H ride away on the back of an ATV with Jon after he said to me with a little smile "my heart is thumping"
  

Here's to taking risks while allowing yourself space for the comforting routine. Let those hearts keep thumping!