When we first stumbled into Eastern Europe after five months in Asia, jet lagged after our overnight flight, is when we first discovered it. Pizza. Fresh, with cheese so beautiful it is all that filled our dreams when our racer budgets could not afford the unappetizing alternative in Asia.
In Asia, cheese is expensive and uncommon. But in Europe, cheese is cheap, fresh, and incredibly tasty. When we first had pizza on night one of our time in Europe, I thought I would want to eat pizza every day! The flavors that filled my mouth were delightful and the crispy crust was to die for. I think you get the point.
We were in Albania for one month and I ate more pizza than I have had in my entire life. What should we get for lunch? Pizza! Dinner? Pizza! For a snack in the middle of the day? Pizza of course! There came a point where I required myself to eat salad for one meal a day to balance out the amount of pizza I was eating. And don’t even let me get started on the pasta.
Now I am in Bulgaria and the idea of eating one more piece of pizza makes me crazy. Even as I walked the streets of Sofia and saw ginormous slices of fresh pizzas from the grab and go pizza places around town, the idea of actually eating any was out of the question.
As funny as this sounds, my experience with pizza is a great parallel for this point on the race. When I left in September, everything was new and delicious and shiny. The idea of traveling the world with only a backpack was romantic and full of adventure. Now as I begin month seven on the race, the last thing I want to do is move my bag anywhere.
Packing and repacking has lost its luster and I am tired of wearing the same clothes, which probably smell funny. Even doing the extraordinary things that fill my everyday life seem so normal that when people from home tell me they wish they were here in Bulgaria exploring with me, I wonder why? Sleeping on a bed that is not yours? Carrying a too heavy pack through the rain?
Perspective. It is funny how my perspective has changed after seven months away from home. But like the pizza, even though I can’t imagine ever eating another piece, I know I will. Because the pizza in Europe is amazing! Just like I will probably still eat pizza, I am choosing to opt in to the next five months of my race.
Even though I am tired and my bag is too heavy and my clothes definitely smell funny, I am still choosing to be amazed every time I see another beautiful mountain view or pass a church older than my country or travel by train through the misty mountains in the rain. I will still cry when a little Roma girl reminds me of how blessed I truly am. I will still be in awe when God completely shatters my expectations and shows me how much more He has for me on this race, and for the rest of my life.
Choosing to continue and move forward with this journey after the sparkles are gone is when I believe I will really see the change I want to see. When it is no longer as exciting and bright and new, but I still choose to live each day as if it was a brand new adventure, that is when I will truly learn what loving each day means.
I only have five short months of this journey left, but I know they will be incredible, because I am choosing to give my all.
