Ithaka Bound

Signs and Future Plans

My last week on the island, I went swimming in one of the western beaches and found the biggest shell I’d ever found in Greece; which isn’t to say the shell was very big–it wasn’t–but it looked like a behemoth next to the other pebble-sized shells.

When I fished it out of the water, I saw that nature had left a mark etched  inside the shell.  The first letter of my first name jumped out at me.

Of course, I immediately took this as a sign that I was supposed to remain on the island.  I’m not normally the type of person who believes in signs, The Secret, or the supernatural, but I so badly wanted a reason to come back and stay, I would have believed in flying spaghetti monsters.  That’s when I knew that my decision was already made, and that I had put off recognizing it.

Entelecheia:  Greek word for the force that motivates us towards a goal.

So my goal is to live part of every year on my favorite greek island.  When the meltemi strikes in late July/August, I’ll visit the parts of Greece I’ve never been to.  I’d like to be an itinerant expat, with a summertime base on the island.

I used to think that I would eventually want to settle in one place and spend out my days there, but this never happened.  Five years seems to be my limit anywhere, and I’ve already overstayed in D.C.  I still think the nesting instinct might hit, perhaps as I age, but it feels unnatural to me at this point.

The Greek Islands go through winter just as the rest of southern Europe does, with heavy rains and winds, and I know it would wear on me quickly were I to remain for the entire year.  I want the island to always have a magical effect on me.

For the rest of the year, there are so many places I’d like to try out: Sicily, Basilicata,  Umbria, the Veneto, Southern France, Southeast Asia, Africa…there’s a remarkable world out there.

Of course, I’ve been out of work for over a year, so this is like saying “I’d like to win the lottery”,  but where there’s a will, there’s a way, and the will can be a bear when it sets it’s mind on something.

Here’s a short video of some of the funny signs I encountered in Greece:

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