Because I believe in balance in the universe, I figured I’d share one of my happiest memories to counterbalance having shared one of my most difficult ones.
2010, July. Myself and my dear friend and colleague Adrian (pictured above) have been hand-picked by my Latin professor Dr. Harrison and his wife Dr. Francis (who is my thesis supervisor) to accompany them to the stunning island of Crete to do artefact preservation and analysis based on the finds of an archaic-era dig in the gorgeous coastal town of Phalassarna. This is my dream come true. I do not have enough money to pay for my ticket, so my friends spearhead a fundraising effort and now here I am in one of the most beautiful places on earth doing a job I could not have ever even dreamed of.
The days are filled with work, sun, Greek lessons, laughter, and a whole hell of a lot of Cretan wine.
On our last weekend, we endeavour to hike the Samaria Gorge. 18 kms of the most beautiful and inspiring terrain known to man. It takes 6.5 hours before we arrive at its terminus in the other-worldly town of Agia Roumeli. We are sore; pushed beyond our physical limits.
The locals we are with advise us to immediately get into the sea and relax our bodies to avoid strain and injury.
It is nighttime. We enter into the water. It is cold, but refreshing. I let the current push me ashore and drag me out to sea in alternating rhythms. I look up at the stars and feel a true sense of awe.
Dr. Jennifer Moody—our host for the duration of our stay—one of the smartest, kindest, most remarkable women I know floats beside me explaining in astonishing detail how the island of Crete—a place that has been a home to her for over 30 years—came to be through the shifting of tectonic plates.
How many years does it take to make a mountain?
I am instantly transported beyond the present moment. Nothing matters anymore but the current taking me out to sea, then returning me to shore perpetually. I am where I am meant to be.
