Time flies. Just last week the Lisbon fireworks blew us right into the new year; and now that the proverbial smoke has settled, I realize that a whole month has already passed since I first arrived.
As opposed to a holiday rush, these last few weeks we’ve had the opportunity to kick back and enjoy the season, and I think it has really helped us acquaint ourselves with the life here a lot better and given us a chance to better know one another.
Settling into the routine here has been more than pleasant for me, personally. To help illustrate the stark differences to my previous way of life, let me give you this one example: I’ve learned that I have more time for cooking.
Let me preface this by saying that I don’t think I’m the best person at cultivating a balanced diet – or the best person at taking every cooking opportunity offered to me, to be fair, – but, prior to me becoming a volunteer at Rato, my job found me with both little time and diminishing interest to do anything elaborate or at least moderately sustainable, with the common perceivable justification being “something something not very convenient something”, despite my general favor towards the activity.
So now, being faced with a more humane work-life balance, it just seems very curious to me this act of ‘rediscovering’ more normal living, where there’s time for more engagement in community alongside deeper personal exploration. And cooking, of course. But, realistically speaking, it’s not like this confrontation of the past by the present and future doesn’t come without its own unique dread and confliction. But that’s neither here nor there.
All of this is to say that I feel like I have been spending my time meaningfully not only at, but also outside of working at Rato. And I hope for everyone, including whoever is reading this, that the new year will be packed with unexpected little surprises.
