Seventh

Words by Diana Iovescu Tãtucu

Photography by Minette Carpio

February 2, 2023 marks exactly six months since we’ve landed at the tropics and I’m just about the same time shy from my fourth decade of life.

I can now say I can raise my head above the water and see the path ahead.

Seventh - the country that hosts me, surprises me, challenges me, teaches me, welcomes me.

During my nineteenth year of trotting around the globe, I’ve reflected back on the journey and the lessons I’ve learned:

1.⁠ ⁠I never planned it this way, and it turned out to be alright. It still is. Enchanting even. Sometimes. Most times. I never resisted it either. Someone once told me life becomes hard when you resist, so I went on with the flow.

2.⁠ ⁠Abundance was not in the obvious places, in the promise lands, and yet it was always near. It was always here. Here and now.

3.⁠ ⁠Extraordinary lies in the ordinary: rituals, routines, relationships, roots. I cherish them deeply.

4.⁠ ⁠Sit still and feel: the thrill, the pain, the joy, the disappointment, the growth, the mastery, the peace. All that comes along with the flow. Sit still and feel.

5.⁠ ⁠Listen and hear where I was needed. And give. Give unconditionally.

6.⁠ ⁠The flow will never stop moving, it scars us, it challenges us, it strengthens us, it changes, it heals us. Don’t resist it. Go with it.

7.⁠ ⁠Roots will be roots, rooted where they were planted, and shall sprout at exactly the right time. The flow shall not disrupt their growth, for they were always where they were meant to be. Home.