Bees and Lavender

Photos taken at the Lavender Project just outside of San Miguel De Allende, where they farm and make tons of beautiful lavender products on site!

Books and Banana Bread

Sometimes it's nice to go to the library, regardless of what country you are in. For some reason the seemingly endless train of books acts as a comfort. And THIS library in San Miguel De Allende, has an adorable cafe where we ate banana bread (Tara's new vice) and drank iced tea before entering the room of books and "silencio".

Some things I've missed....

It's easy to take advantage of the little things you enjoy. Being in Greece was a slight shock to my comfort zone and all the things/people I have defined it with. Here are a few I am ecstatic to have back in my life.

List #1: things I've missed that can be found in Mexico.

Walking in the dessert

Large, clean, stocked kitchen

A mounted shower head, as in, not hand held

Books in english

Raw coconut sugar & nut butters

Ghee and Agave

Cotton linens and a bed that doesn't squeek when I breathe

Organic vegetables

Mineral water that doesn't come from a bottle

Organic, cold-press coffee

My sister's baked goods

REAL bacon

Tallulah, and the joy she gives everyone

Yes, it was even nice to see Taco and Baby

Clarity in Leaving

The sun has set and we've stopped crying. It was as though the water behind the ferry was encouraging us, the setting sun egging us on. At the port I said goodbye to what we often referred to as "the four best friends that anyone could have". I started crying first, which prompted Angela to say "Chloe, stop being over dramatic." within minutes she was more hysterical than any of us. So the four of us who left Paros together sat in silence and watched what had been so familiar become barely visible. We ate chicken nuggets and chocolate chip cookies, and tried to figure out the last time anything was this sad.

Two days ago I had my last meeting with George Crane. He wanted to talk more about the direction of my book. Who I was writing it for, how it was being organized, and eventually, where it ends. To that question I did not have a concrete answer. I knew I wanted the book to be mostly consumed with what happened before I was twenty, but I had never come up with an exact ending point. It wasn't until I pulled away from Paros on the ferry that it became clear, this is where it ends, when I realized that being on this island enabled me to let it all go and put it into words. In three short months I rewound and looked at my life through an entirely new lens. I can't pinpoint what allowed for this, but it only seems appropriate that the end of the book coincides with a distinct moment of clarity.

***writing this at the athens airport, 3:30AM, please excuse any typos :)