As I am reminiscing on my time spent in Italy this time last year I wanted to remember some of my favorite lessons learned while I was there.
1. A place is only as great as the people that are there.
I went into depth on this in a previous blog post but I really think it has changed my whole outlook on traveling and how we treat strangers. I am so grateful to have met and to know some of the most amazing people that walk the planet.
2. Knowledge is Power
I never will understand why anyone could live a life that they weren't earnestly trying to learn new things. Whether that is learning languages or business skills, developing talents or just learning the background of the amazing sights you travel too. Knowledge is sincerely so priceless, and sadly, so undervalued.
3. You only regret the pizza you don't eat
Since being home I've made some changes to eating a gluten/ dairy/ corn-free diet due to those foods have been the culprit of my health issues. This has been particularly difficult not only because those three things made up my whole diet while living in Italy but thankfully easier because I no longer have access to the best pizzerias on planet earth. American pizza will never be the same. Truly the pizza over there is worth the gluten poisoning. No. Joke.
4. You don't have to be able to speak to someone to love them
I cannot count the number of times I was speechless at acts of service or fellowship that were given to me by people I could not communicate with. My host family was so ridiculously kind to me and so were many of the people I interacted with in the community and in the cities. I can honestly say that many of the people I met there I love dearly and I am so grateful to have learned this lesson from them.
5. God is everything
A common phrase for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to say when trying to emphasize the power of God is " And he knows us all by the name"
I remember traveling to Milan for a day trip and stumbling through the city all day and as I sat in the main square of the Milan Duomo I took a second to look around and see how many people were there. As I thought about all the people I'd seen at all the sites,on the trains and anywhere, I stopped cold. I truly had never been a witness to so many people in one city. Even if the only thing my God could do was name every single person in the city of Milan, it would be the largest triumph of knowledge mankind would ever know. Let alone the names of every person on the entire planet. Let alone be an all-knowing physician, chemist, engineer, mathematician, and everything else that he is. I know God made this world and inspired Humanity to build some of the most beautiful centers of worship. Without him, we'd have nothing.
1. A place is only as great as the people that are there.
I went into depth on this in a previous blog post but I really think it has changed my whole outlook on traveling and how we treat strangers. I am so grateful to have met and to know some of the most amazing people that walk the planet.
2. Knowledge is Power
I never will understand why anyone could live a life that they weren't earnestly trying to learn new things. Whether that is learning languages or business skills, developing talents or just learning the background of the amazing sights you travel too. Knowledge is sincerely so priceless, and sadly, so undervalued.
3. You only regret the pizza you don't eat
Since being home I've made some changes to eating a gluten/ dairy/ corn-free diet due to those foods have been the culprit of my health issues. This has been particularly difficult not only because those three things made up my whole diet while living in Italy but thankfully easier because I no longer have access to the best pizzerias on planet earth. American pizza will never be the same. Truly the pizza over there is worth the gluten poisoning. No. Joke.
4. You don't have to be able to speak to someone to love them
I cannot count the number of times I was speechless at acts of service or fellowship that were given to me by people I could not communicate with. My host family was so ridiculously kind to me and so were many of the people I interacted with in the community and in the cities. I can honestly say that many of the people I met there I love dearly and I am so grateful to have learned this lesson from them.
5. God is everything
A common phrase for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to say when trying to emphasize the power of God is " And he knows us all by the name"
I remember traveling to Milan for a day trip and stumbling through the city all day and as I sat in the main square of the Milan Duomo I took a second to look around and see how many people were there. As I thought about all the people I'd seen at all the sites,on the trains and anywhere, I stopped cold. I truly had never been a witness to so many people in one city. Even if the only thing my God could do was name every single person in the city of Milan, it would be the largest triumph of knowledge mankind would ever know. Let alone the names of every person on the entire planet. Let alone be an all-knowing physician, chemist, engineer, mathematician, and everything else that he is. I know God made this world and inspired Humanity to build some of the most beautiful centers of worship. Without him, we'd have nothing.
Comments
Post a Comment