4.19.24 // Alive in Europe

I feel alive in Europe.
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I can feel my fingertips tingling, my skin buzzing, and my mind soothed but awake like nowhere else in the world. My senses come alive when I step foot on European soil.
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The smell of airplane exhaust mixed with orange citrus and croquettes is as complex as the wine that gently seduces my taste buds, promising flavors from particular soils and nodes of varying ingredients.
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The sounds of sing-song languages lull me into a daze. Mesmerized by the sounds but unable to decipher the conversations swirling around me, I find myself in blissful ignorance, admiring with curiosity and brimming with an appreciation for the resilience of human capacity and communication.
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I feel deeply in Europe, like my emotions are mine again.
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Even the heaviest and darkest feelings are safe to show themselves. It’s as if they know they are allowed to expose their quiet grieving, heavy heartbreak, and fierce anger. They know they will be soothed here, thought of and held, not rushed to be swept under the rug or denied.
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My happiness and curiosity exude from every pore and the joy of simply being is returned to the present moment. My senses play a critical role in pulling me back to what's around me, what I'm hearing, smelling, and feeling. The past being processed and the future being dreamt… disappear.
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My grounding stands unwavering as I let the emotions rush, the feelings feel, and my senses sense.
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I’m alive. I'm blissfully, beautifully alive.