Bloat
There will be no pictures in this blog post.
There won’t be any amazing retelling of stories in this blog post.
There are a few reasons for this.
One is that I want to adequately reflect on the last two weeks, and give it the appropriate space to breathe and come to fruition in my mind.
The more real reason is that I have, for lack of better phrasing, been pretty messed up over the last few days. Between a light concussion, back pain and a case of intestinal distress, I haven’t really been the explorer that I would like to be.
Anthony Bourdain once made a comment about people shouldn’t be afraid of food when they travel. That damn the consequences, you should eat everything and live with the results, its just a part of life. Well, i am certainly living with the consequences at the moment.
The last two weeks have been a whirlwind, and i made som fantastic friends and memories along the way. I always find embarking on a journey like this, with a group of new faces with the same itinerary on the cards, to be a great way of exploring more about the world and about oneself.
I don’t mean that in the whole ‘Eat Pray Love’ kind of way. It’s more of a sifting motion, an agitation. A stirring of the depths that brings to light that things that have always been there, just caught underneath the rust and grime of the stagnant dreariness of life. I was reminded I am creative, fun and adventurous. And not reminded by myself, but by those around me. By the friends i made on this journey.
Importantly as well, I didn’t make friends with everyone. While we can certainly get along if i ever see them again, I don’t even bother calculating the odds of that occurring. And that is ok as well.
I used to be the kind of person that had to have everyone like me. I was tenacious and relentless in the pursuit of being adored by all. And, in a weird taste of hubris, that was often what would drive people away from me. It has only been in recent years that I have really grown to accept that i can be happy with a small group of people. I don’t need everyone. Just a few good people. My few good people.
This is all a bit haphazard, and bouncing from one concept to the next, but that is my mind right now. The last few days in Barcelona have been; in a word, light. My still bloated stomach keep begging to burst like a chest bursted from Alien, and yet, it never does. I cannot wait for the moment where whatever is going on has ceased, and I can go back to being able to walk down the street without the impending threat of shitting myself.
This has meant that I have missed a lout of the tourist activities in Barcelona. And there are quite a few things that I feel like i missed out on. But, life goes on, and Barcelona will always be here. Perhaps this trip, in this moment, pure rest is what i needed. Maybe next time i can strap on the dancing shoes and explore the other side of this delightful city.
But for now, i need to rest, or i might shit myself.
