True story: I once had dreams of becoming a goat farmer. I was living in New York City at the time and every day was starting to become a struggle. Don’t get me wrong — I loved New York in general, but the specifics were a challenge. I knew my days in the city were numbered, so I started looking for other options. The Learning Annex was offering classes in how to raise goats and make your own goat cheese, so I signed right up. Dreams of creamy chevre and fainting goats got me through that dreary winter. I still have the notes from that class, just in case.
Since I only had about $500 to my name, no land, no goats and not enough money to buy even used old equipment, that dream was never fulfilled. But it’s the dream that’s important — the wanting. I read somewhere that it’s wanting that keeps us alive, and I couldn’t agree more. Some wants are satisfied, some aren’t — what’s necessary for our survival is to keep wanting.
There are plenty of good reasons why I shouldn’t be going to Greece this summer. I mean plenty, yet the wanting to go persists. I know all the reasons why I shouldn’t go, so now I’m seeking out reasons why I should go. This afternoon, as I was hurrying through the grocery store, my eyes glanced quickly over a rack of greeting cards. I managed to read the top card before hurrying along. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams”, it declared in bold black letters. Why not?, I thought — reason enough for me. Apparently, if I want it badly enough, I can convince myself that going confidently in the direction of my dreams is actually a wise, rather than a foolhardy, move.
We’ll see if it holds.
© 2011, Ithaka Bound. All rights reserved.
I don’t see why you shouldn’t come to Greece. There is no real unrest, actually.
Good news: the price of petrol dropped a few cents, after constantly rising for 6 months.
True, the price of horiatiki (Greek Salad) is steeper (I’ve seen it sold for 7 Euro in one place, average price being 5 Euro), but calamari and fried fish are still at last year’s prices.
We’re going to Naxos at the beginning of June and things look very good. Ferries, hotels, restaurants, cruises, it all works.
Hi Adrian — Thanks so much for the local insight. The unrest doesn’t worry me, but I might have to sit this year out to take care of some responsibilities and obligations here in the States. It all comes down to how irresponsible I decide to be. I’ve given up on the dollar ever gaining on the euro, but the current exchange rate still stings, especially since Greek salads have gone up in price! (My daily meal in Greece, along with cheese pies). I hope you and your wife have an awesome time in Naxos, and I really look forward to reading about it on your blog. Someday I hope you’ll give me directions for making an expat move as easily as you guys did.
We’re not really expats, we’re more like nomads, with a home base.
How and why we did it ? Maybe I’ll explain one day. I kind of blocked it all out.
But, let’s be merry.
News on my blog.