I’m one of those people for whom “where” matters a great deal! I don’t believe it’s a universal experience, but for many it definitely is a significant factor in wellbeing.
The where of happiness… it’s so important! I currently live in a small town that I hate with every fiber of my being. All my plans to leave have been foiled… send good thoughts!
I so hope you can move to a place that lights you up soon Karen! Hopefully the plans that were foiled were just meant to redirect you to somewhere even better :)
I connect to this so deeply. I didn’t have a soul-city but a soul-country. For a long time, it was Canada. I moved there on my own with only a 6-month visa in my late twenties. I just adored who I was while I was living there. It was where I met my husband. It was where I lit up from within.
We decided to leave Canada in 2021, which was the right move for sure. But since then, I am in the search of finding the place that lights me up the same way. I don’t think Canada would do that again, if I moved back now. I’ve “outgrown” it. But I do believe that there is a place in the world that is bound to become my new “soul-place”. And I can’t wait to find out who I will become there.
Love that this resonated with you! I get so excited when people have had the same experience. It's such a special feeling. I also could totally see certain places being a soul-city for awhile and then outgrowing them. A place can serve a deep purpose in our self-evolution, but once we have that self-realization then it's possible to grow beyond that place.
But such an exciting adventure to be looking for the next one that lights you up! I see you're in Berlin now. Are you actively looking to move to another place that lights you up, or is this a longer term goal?
Yes, my husband and I are actively looking! We think we might have found that place in Porto, Portugal. It’s also interesting to be searching for a place that light up both people in a relationship. When I moved to Canada, I was on my own. Now with a husband, it needs to be a place that serves both of equally.
I feel this. I also believe that we can create our happiness wherever we live, even if it’s not our top choice. I say this from a transplanted perspective (born in Belgium, now living in the U.S.). My partner and I have worked hard at making our town what we want it to be, by introducing new ways of seeing and doing.
Yess! I totally believe we have the power to create happiness as well, even if we're not in our first-choice city. External circumstances throughout the course of life mean we can't always just be exactly where we want to be and it's important to flow with that instead of fight it, imo. I assume you saw some contrasts between Belgium and the U.S. and probably have tried to cultivate what you miss from Belgium in the US?
“The lessons I’ve learned and continue to learn in Sevilla open portals to self-understanding that would have remained strangers to me had I stayed where I was in California”
I moved around a lot and used to live a somewhat nomadic lifestyle. I've recently come to really believe in this idea of the where, though, and am making steps in the right direction.
Curious how you dealt with leaving behind family, friends, and the like?
It was really hard at first, I cried (alone, into my hat, lol) on the plane ride out to Sevilla when I made the big move because I felt so upset leaving everyone that meant so much to me. But to be honest my day to day life in Sevilla is so fulfilling that, although I absolutely do miss my family and friends, I feel deeply grounded in knowing I am where I want to be.
I call my friends and family weekly too so I do feel like we're so connected despite the distance, and I'm fortunate to be able to visit two times a year so that helps even more so.
Being in the right city is a little bit like falling in love with the right person: is there chemistry? do they light you up? can you feel an unexplainable energy? So many intangibles that pull you in a certain direction. May we all live where we find the charge of life, and may we love like this too. 🌸
Exactly! I think until I lived in Sevilla I would have thought the comparison is a little crazy but now I agree that it's quite similar. The unexplainable energy and intangibles that make our human experiences so magical.
I’m one of those people for whom “where” matters a great deal! I don’t believe it’s a universal experience, but for many it definitely is a significant factor in wellbeing.
The where of happiness… it’s so important! I currently live in a small town that I hate with every fiber of my being. All my plans to leave have been foiled… send good thoughts!
I so hope you can move to a place that lights you up soon Karen! Hopefully the plans that were foiled were just meant to redirect you to somewhere even better :)
I connect to this so deeply. I didn’t have a soul-city but a soul-country. For a long time, it was Canada. I moved there on my own with only a 6-month visa in my late twenties. I just adored who I was while I was living there. It was where I met my husband. It was where I lit up from within.
We decided to leave Canada in 2021, which was the right move for sure. But since then, I am in the search of finding the place that lights me up the same way. I don’t think Canada would do that again, if I moved back now. I’ve “outgrown” it. But I do believe that there is a place in the world that is bound to become my new “soul-place”. And I can’t wait to find out who I will become there.
Love that this resonated with you! I get so excited when people have had the same experience. It's such a special feeling. I also could totally see certain places being a soul-city for awhile and then outgrowing them. A place can serve a deep purpose in our self-evolution, but once we have that self-realization then it's possible to grow beyond that place.
But such an exciting adventure to be looking for the next one that lights you up! I see you're in Berlin now. Are you actively looking to move to another place that lights you up, or is this a longer term goal?
Yes, my husband and I are actively looking! We think we might have found that place in Porto, Portugal. It’s also interesting to be searching for a place that light up both people in a relationship. When I moved to Canada, I was on my own. Now with a husband, it needs to be a place that serves both of equally.
I feel this. I also believe that we can create our happiness wherever we live, even if it’s not our top choice. I say this from a transplanted perspective (born in Belgium, now living in the U.S.). My partner and I have worked hard at making our town what we want it to be, by introducing new ways of seeing and doing.
Yess! I totally believe we have the power to create happiness as well, even if we're not in our first-choice city. External circumstances throughout the course of life mean we can't always just be exactly where we want to be and it's important to flow with that instead of fight it, imo. I assume you saw some contrasts between Belgium and the U.S. and probably have tried to cultivate what you miss from Belgium in the US?
Yes. I started a bakery and a cheese shop to bring a touch of my hometown here. And I write about that other perspective as well.
Beautifully written.
And, this phrase, mesmerizing.
“The lessons I’ve learned and continue to learn in Sevilla open portals to self-understanding that would have remained strangers to me had I stayed where I was in California”
With gratitude,
🙏
Thank you Rodrigo! :)
I moved around a lot and used to live a somewhat nomadic lifestyle. I've recently come to really believe in this idea of the where, though, and am making steps in the right direction.
Curious how you dealt with leaving behind family, friends, and the like?
It was really hard at first, I cried (alone, into my hat, lol) on the plane ride out to Sevilla when I made the big move because I felt so upset leaving everyone that meant so much to me. But to be honest my day to day life in Sevilla is so fulfilling that, although I absolutely do miss my family and friends, I feel deeply grounded in knowing I am where I want to be.
I call my friends and family weekly too so I do feel like we're so connected despite the distance, and I'm fortunate to be able to visit two times a year so that helps even more so.
Being in the right city is a little bit like falling in love with the right person: is there chemistry? do they light you up? can you feel an unexplainable energy? So many intangibles that pull you in a certain direction. May we all live where we find the charge of life, and may we love like this too. 🌸
Exactly! I think until I lived in Sevilla I would have thought the comparison is a little crazy but now I agree that it's quite similar. The unexplainable energy and intangibles that make our human experiences so magical.