Living Your Dream - been there, done that!

Its what everybody wants, isn't it?  Isn't It?  So they say, anyway.  It had been on my list of goals for so long, that living my dream - LIVING IN CRETE - became an automatic drive towards this destination.

                                                                                                                                   This is my dear old friend Arthur hiding in                                                                                                         the trees, but look at this view.

Fortunately I didn't have any expectations of what it would be like when I arrived.  Except for the sun, the lifestyle and the scenery.  I already knew I would experience a challenge with the people and the language.

Would I do it again?  Oh yes.  Was I disappointed?  Oh no.  So why am I leaving to go back to the dismal day to day rainy pressurised life in Scotland?

Quite simply, I am bored.  I have made some really great friends, met some wonderful people, and yes, made life-long friendships with some of the local Greeks.   And I have learned so much, not only about living in a completely different culture obviously, but about myself.  This journey has been priceless in so many ways, an adventure, a gift, and I feel so blessed that I had the courage to take the steps, to achieve the dream - we all wake up from dreams, so theres no........"Oh it didn't work out for you then" which some of my more negative friends seem to delight in saying.  Yes it did work out for me, because I didn't have an agenda.  I wanted an experience, and its been great.Now I'm ready for the next journey in my life.  Bring it on!

What I didn't expect was to fall into a deep depression after the first year.  A deep depression which lasted about 6 months.  Had I been in the Uk I would have had many reasons and justifications.  The truth is, I have to now admit and accept that I do suffer from depression. There, I've said it.  I've always managed to hide it before, but here I had nothing to bury myself in.

There is very little here that you can do other than socialise.  Which is great, but I do like to do many other things as well.  Like exercise my mind, mix with business people, even go to weightwatchers or wander around shopping malls, and huge supermarkets offering produce from around the world.

So, I'm off back to Scotland, at least for a while. And I'm excited, and I'm sad too.  One of the biggest things I have learned is that I don't have to hide behind money.  Either having it, or not having it.  I have learned that so many many people do hide behind their need, or their perceived need, to have financial security.  I can understand that of course, because that is how we are brought up.  Its all part of controlling us.  Many people dedicate their lives to having money, not spending money, planning for their future.  A one-dimensional life.  One-dimensional thoughts.  I am sad for them because it seriously limits their ability to experience life in all its dimensions, and more, it seriously limits their ability to experience who they are in all their different dimensions and glory.

For this, I am seriously grateful.  Live life, live your dream, never mind what the rest say.  If you want to do it, go do it.  Forget the What if's.......the most frightening What If is...........WHAT IF YOU DON'T.  That is Seriously Scary.