This morning I walked in to the small café beside my house, smiled to the bartender named Tony, waved to a couple of old ladies, sitting in the corner and grabbed a freshly baked ‘brioche alla crema’. It felt so natural that I did not even have to think about it. Later when I was sipping my aromatic decaffeinated cappuccino and scanning the headlines of the morning paper left on the table it dawned on me that not so long ago Milan was a beautiful, yet absolutely foreign city to me. I could not understand a word of Italian and had no idea that it was considered bad form to order a cappuccino after midday.

In just 3 years of living in Italy I have come to love this country with its strange life rhythms, genial people and mouth-watering food. It has taught me the beauty of taking pleasure in tiny things, like a hearty plate of pasta or a purposeless stroll along the cobble streets of the old city. I have learned to cry at romantic movies and laugh at jokes in more than one language. And I have met so many wonderful friends who, it seems now, have always been a part of my life.

My life experience of living abroad has taught me how to push myself beyond my boundaries and lead my life without second-guessing. Here are the three lessons that I have learned:

Lesson #1. Life is meant to be lived bravely.

Do you remember the adrenalin rush when you had to talk in front of a big group of people? Or when you first put on skates and almost lost your balance? Or when you walked up to a person that you liked and offered to grab a cup of coffee together?

I have been there myself and every time I overcame my fear, my confidence grew and my skills improved.
Certain situations in life require us to take risks and act boldly. And deep down we know that it is better to try and fail than to spend years haunted by thoughts “ I should have done…”, “What If I had tried…”, “I wish I had the guts to explain my feelings…”

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While difficulties often drive us to the lowest points in life, it is a test to bring out the best of who we are and what we can be. Many people would see it differently but challenges are the ones that force me to rethink my life’s direction.

Often, when trials come my way, it’s followed by a profound period of reevaluating the steps taken in the past. It’s also about looking deeper into decisions made, relationships built and the values held or compromised. It is my belief that that challenges, while mostly beyond our control, could be dealt with positively and get to a happy end.

Be it about not having the expected economic stability despite hours of hard work, or having to uproot myself from the security and warmth of home to pay for my own studies and gain independence – such challenges have become my blessings in disguise.

Trials and difficulties, loss and errors… they are challenges. They, too, are actually just stepping stones to finally getting to where we need to be. Others would use these stones to sit on and wallow in self pity, often seated opposite from their direction. But for me, I’ve used these stones to elevate my being. So now I’m looking at a better view, with a wiser perspective and healthier supply of positive air.

What about you?

Do You See Blessings in Your Challenges?

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It was just an ordinary sunny day in Miami. Nothing foreboded danger… I woke up, feeling happy that I could finally do yoga on the beach. Five minutes later I was already enthusiastically doing my Sun Salutations.
Even though it was early morning there were already quite a few people on the beach. They were chatting, reading books, walking along the beach, or just sun bathing. The strange thing was that even though it was really hot, no one was swimming. It looked kind of weird.

Probably the water still seemed too ‘cold’ for most people to swim. But not to me! Someone who was born and lived in Latvia knows that water can only be considered cold when you dip your big toe into it and your whole leg gets numb. If you do not feel any freezing sensations, muscle cramps or loss of sensitivity in your lower extremities – the water temperature is acceptable for swimming!
And that is exactly what I did!

Gracefully I dived into the ocean, enjoying the refreshing coolness of the salty water. I was already 60 feet away from the shore, when I felt a strange sensation on my right. As if I had suddenly touched another person’s cold arm. My heart jumped a beat but I saw nothing.
I tried to relax thinking that it was probably a leaf, but I still turned to swim back. 5 seconds later I touched something with my hand again, only this time it was on the other side.

I finally saw it! A huge jellyfish with two rose circles around its tentacles. I felt deep paralyzing fear… I shrank back, but almost bumped onto another jelly fish. They were everywhere!

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