Dobrý den Praha!

With our amazing hosts!

And we're off! Last week, we left for our 2+ week European adventure/belated honeymoon. To start off our trip, we stayed with my dear friend from college, Amy, and her boyfriend, Pete, who both relocated to Prague for work back in January. It's been several years since I've been to Europe, and over 10 since traveling to a country that doesn't natively speak English. I don't think I realized until recently how different visiting Italy now would be from doing so when I was in high school. Living in the US, everything feels, and really is, much newer and modern, in terms of the landscape of a city. Ten years ago, I felt a disconnect to things that were so unfamiliar. Now, I'm finally at a point where I can appreciate it. 

Walking through Prague, it's impossible to not acknowledge, and admire, the drastic differences between what's before me and what I see in my everyday life - the cobblestone, the randomness of narrow and windy streets, the newness of something unfamiliar. Traveling is exciting, but, as a co-worker recently pointed out, for her, and me as well, it can push you to the point of almost uncomfortable at times. Even for the most organized person, exploring a new place brings about a level of uncertainty. Especially for those of us who like to be in control, it can be stressful, to the point where it's possible to even lose sight of the reason people visit new cities in the first place. 

The Dancing Man &
The Dancing House

Recently, both in traveling and in my everyday life, I have found that acknowledging that potential for mild chaos and confusion can be enough to restore my sense of comfort. As Jillian Michaels encourages in a yoga DVD of hers (and thus, perhaps in real life as well), "Get comfortable being uncomfortable." Life throws us curveballs, and oftentimes, we throw them at ourselves. Whether we see it coming or not, these things - traveling, changes, relationships - challenge and push us in different ways.

I feel fortunate to have been able to see where our friends in Prague are living, a window into this new life they've created for themselves. From the other side of the ocean, I can easily forget what a shift this has been, and continues to be, for them. Living alongside them for a few days, I can better appreciate, and admire, the courage it has taken to stray from the known to the unknown. I'm honestly not sure I could ever do what they've done, uprooting their lives and moving to an unfamiliar place, to the extent to which they have.

Glowing in front of the Vltava River

In an effort to maintain some kind of base for the half-marathon, we set out on Sunday morning to get in a few miles. Running, particularly on vacation, has become a priority beyond how it makes me feel. I've written about it before, but, even if only briefly, I enjoy seeing a new place that way. Running along the Vltava River, I couldn't help but feel a bit bothered that I wasn't able to bang out four quick miles with ease. Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of a bigger picture- despite four jam-packed days of exploring the city, stuffing our faces, and catching up with Amy and Pete, we still fit it in, and that's something I have to be proud of.

And I guess that's what's most important. It's easy, and even natural, to size ourselves up against others, or even another version of our own self, overlooking what we are doing because our focus is on we think we should be doing. I have a lot of friends traveling this summer, and I often listen enviously as they rattle off the list of all the places they're going. Instinctively, I question if we should have planned to do more, packed more in to our time abroad. It's easy to get swept up in others' dreams and plans, but ultimately, I have to be true to myself and more than anything or anyone else, I need to know myself. We are doing a ton in our two weeks in Europe, but that's not even what matters. What's most important is that it's a trip that matches us, that fits us and what we want out of it. And it really is.

There will always be people who do more than me, and likewise, people who do less. I write a lot about reflecting on changes I've made and comparing me to myself, and I guess I started this post, nearly two weeks ago now, thinking that's what I was doing here yet again. I don't want to compare myself to others, but I'm realizing that when I notice these differences, whether it's with regard to traveling, running, or otherwise, they can push me towards feelings of appreciation, instead of inadequacy. What's "uncomfortable" for me is different than what it is for anyone else, but the commonality is that we're each striving, I hope, to be our best, happiest, fullest versions of ourselves. Our starting lines are not the same, so how can our finish lines be?