Like it’s your last…

Here’s my pearl of wisdom for today – Take in every moment because you’ll never be there again. Never put off doing something that could be done today. Why am I offering these you ask? Well, mainly because of my lovely going-away present from the Greek Transportation system.

          Let’s backtrack for just a moment – It’s my last week in Greece. Yeah, you read that right – my LAST week in Greece. As of now, we’re down to my last 36 hours in Greece. I had great plans for this week too. Cleaning the apartment on Tuesday, dinner with the gang on Wednesday, packing and one last stroll through Plaka on Thursday, flight on Friday. It had the makings of a great week. I had plans to see the city one last time, to say my goodbyes, to take in the sights and sounds of city center just once more.

          Alas, it was not to be. I found out yesterday afternoon that the metro was going on a 48 hour strike – from Thursday morning to Friday night – effectively complicating my life. So, I was faced with a few choices. I could stay in my apartment and catch rides with Steve back and forth to school, or I could pack it all up and move out to Kersten’s until my flight. I chose option B, mainly because it cuts down on the travel time and adds to the convenience factor.

So, in about 45 minutes, I packed all my belongings into my suitcase, backpack, and a few random bags and headed for Aghia Paraskevis, the suburb near school. (By the way, when I say ‘packed’ what I really mean is ‘threw everything into the bags as quickly as possible with little to no organization or thought’) One quick metro ride later, my last metro ride, and I was settled.

It wasn’t until I was lying in bed thinking about the day that I realized some things. 1) I moved out of my apartment. Out. Nothing makes the thought of leaving more real than moving out. 2) I’m not going to see the Acropolis again. Or the Temple of Zeus. Or Hadrian’s Arch. Or Parliament. Or Plaka. Or, or, or. The list just kept scrolling through my head. This was it. I’m really leaving and I guess I’m going to miss this place more than I realized.

Thus, the pearls of wisdom – Always take the chance to do that one thing you’ve been thinking about. Take the time to walk down that street that looked really interesting. Take a picture, capture a moment, turn it into a memory. Because in the end, it’s the little things that you’ll miss the most. So, explore, dream, discover, and as always, take it one step at a time.