creating Europe vanlife

Giving thanks

April 4, 2019

Thinking today about gratitude. About truly looking at what is around me and showing appreciation for these things. The guy who lives in this van pictured came here with his elderly dog so that she’d have somewhere beautiful to see out her final days. She died recently and we were all devastated. Life is such a transient, ephemeral thing – as beautiful as we make her.

If you’d have said ten years ago (when first taking the plunge into being a self-employed writer) that this life would be mine I’d have laughed in disbelief. I just kind of kept my head down and kept working. But this winter on Crete has allowed time to slow down another gear and really engage with the here & now. Epicurus had it right when he said: do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

This life is amazing, beyond my wildest dreams and it’s here because Andy and I worked hard, stayed focussed and kept hold of our dream, first of both being self-employed creatives, then of exploring Europe in a van. We kept faith with each other even when work and life felt like they were pulling us apart, but we still support each other’s crazy ideas and dreams. It’s not luck, because that suggests it ‘just happened’ which it didn’t. I (we) worked hard for this life that I love so very much and today I’m writing this as a part of a practice of giving thanks… and then I’m going to crack on with writing this novel which I have never had the headspace to do before, so for that, I’m also grateful.

You Might Also Like

2 Comments

  • Reply Katja April 4, 2019 at 11:21 am

    Yes – dear Sophie – well said – we ought to be thankful for what we have. That is really the only way to make it through hardship and trying times…
    Hear! Hear!
    and HERE. NOW.
    Hugs to you x

    • Reply Sophie McKeand April 7, 2019 at 12:49 pm

      Definitely- it’s too easy to get caught up in the ‘and here’s what you could have won’ category instead of celebrating what we have ♥️?

    Leave a Reply