“Let it out” – a common phrase used when encouraging someone to release
—— their tears, their anger, their thoughts
“Take it in” – a common phrase used when encouraging someone to absorb
—— the view, the air, the moment
After my month in Latvia, I propose a different phrase: “Let it in”
There is nothing wrong with either of the first 2 statements, accept that they are incomplete.
If you let out your tears or anger without letting in peace, what have you really done?
If you take in the view or the moment without letting it into your heart, how long will it really last?
The thing is, the first two phrases speak of what you choose to do in a moment, but when you choose to “let in,” you choose to do something that is forever.
To “let in” is to let something have an impact on who you are.
In Latvia, my team, Team Cosmopolita (yes I have been on a new team for 3 months now and am significantly behind in blogging 🙂 thank you for your grace), was blessed with the opportunity to live with the Miller family.
Our host, Kaylana, had 4 children: Adrienne (12), Samuel (9), Etienne (7), & Rockob (2).
Their sweet souls and smiles brought us joy every single day.
Having 4 children around brings a child-like wonder into nearly every situation, but in Latvia it wasn’t just the children.
Nearly every soul I encountered in Latvia taught me about letting in the world: letting it change me and heal me, letting it affect what a thought and how I acted.
In the mornings, our host, Kaylana, would take her children on walks and sometimes I would accompany her. She would let them run free, climb trees, eat the plants, letting in any part of the world they could. She would also have them pause to look up at the bluest skies I’d ever seen, to listen to the sounds of the wind in the trees, the birds communicating with one another. She didn’t want them to miss the world.
Kaylana’s appreciation for every moment blew me away. No matter what she was doing she always responded to her children with patience and gave them her full attention. She told me that you never get those moments back. They’ll never be as excited about what they just learned as they are right now. With all her heart, she knew it was an incredible blessing that her children wanted to invite her into those moments.
Photo by Gabriela Rodriguez Morera
Kaylana lived like this in every way, not just with her children. When driving down the road, she would interrupt the conversation so all could pause and admire the trees. One time we pulled over for a few moments so everyone could get out and smell the lavender flowers she saw. It may sound silly, but it was beautiful.
Honestly, this was the culture of the country. One weekend, when we were driving back from visiting the grandparents of a Latvian family we had the privilege of knowing, the family stopped in the middle of no where, insisting that we pick the flowers to dry for tea.
Photo by Gabriela Rodriguez Morera
I let Latvia fully into my being and it was so hard to leave.
But how lucky I am to have found something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
