Submitted by Allison Maiorano on the 2016 winter session program in Athens, Greece sponsored by the Department of Philosophy…
What. A. Weekend. In fact, that’s an understatement. I don’t think I have the means to properly articulate how much I enjoyed myself these past couple days. I don’t have the words to properly describe the beautiful sound of the gentle tides lapping up against the rocks on the Napflian beaches, much less the view of the city atop the ancient fortress to which we climbed in the early morning hours. It has been a long while since I’ve felt so tranquil – yet another reminder to stop every once in a while to take in the magnificent world around me. Out of the many lessons I will take away from this epic adventure, that will be the most important. With school, work, extracurricular activities and a social life, I find myself caught up in the details and unable to tilt my head to the sky. Hundreds of clichés never seemed to do the trick, but this weekend sure did. Although the views from the island in the sea and the jutting mountain tops were breathtaking, I don’t have to wait until my next international voyage to appreciate the early-morning cotton candy sky or the way the light breeze tickles my cheeks.
On top of this lovely life lesson, it has been great to start being more active lately. I felt so alive and accomplished climbing the 999 stairs to the towering bastion this morning. Sometimes, my lack of motivation keeps me from doing extraordinary things. It felt great to combat that apathy and live purposefully for a change. I am going to try to soak up as much as I can from our last days here, and hopefully, I’ll be able to mindfully practice these methods even more.