WHY MISS?
Not afraid of leaving, not afraid of the unknown. Just curious about what comes next. ❤️
It started with a simple question this morning.
Someone asked me:
“Will you miss Panama when you leave? Do you know Greece really well?”
My answer was quite simple:
“I’m enjoying Panama, but I don’t think I’ll miss it too much because nothing is stopping me from coming back! 😊
As for Greece, no, I don’t know it very well, and that’s exactly why I’m going there — to explore, discover the country and learn more about its culture.”
After sending that reply, I started thinking.
Why do we so often associate leaving somewhere with missing it? Why does moving on sometimes sound like losing something? And why does the unknown make so many people uncomfortable?
There is nothing wrong with familiarity. It can be beautiful. It gives us a sense of belonging, stability and comfort.
But I have always wondered whether, sometimes, our attachment to what we know prevents us from discovering what we don’t.
Why do we spend so much time worrying about what we might leave behind instead of getting excited about what might be waiting for us?
I have lived in quite a few countries and called many different places home. Each one has given me something different. Some gave me friendships, some unforgettable experiences, some beautiful memories, and some taught me lessons I probably wouldn’t have learned otherwise.
I enjoyed my time in Panama. I discovered new places, met wonderful people, experienced a different culture and collected another suitcase full of stories.
Will I miss it?
Perhaps I will miss certain people, moments, little routines and the feeling of being somewhere familiar. But I don’t see leaving as losing something.
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Nothing is stopping me from coming back.
And now Greece.
I don’t know Greece well. I don’t have a long list of favourite restaurants, hidden places or familiar streets. I don’t know which little café will become my regular morning spot or which place will make me want to stay longer.
And that is precisely the exciting part.
I get to discover everything for the first time.
A new language, new flavours, new landscapes, new people, new conversations and perhaps a few unexpected adventures along the way.
I don’t need to know exactly what awaits me. I just need to be curious enough to find out.
Maybe this is something I have learned through travelling: we don’t always need a plan for everything. Sometimes we just need the courage to take the next step.
I am not travelling because I am running away from something. I am travelling because there is still so much I want to experience.
I don’t want to spend my life comparing one destination with another, wondering whether the next place will be better than the previous one. Every place has its own character, its own beauty and its own story.
And perhaps the same applies to life.
We change, people change, circumstances change. Some chapters end, others begin. Not everything is meant to stay forever, and not every goodbye needs to be a sad one.
I believe we can appreciate something deeply without needing to hold on to it.
We can enjoy where we are, be grateful for what we have experienced, and still be excited about leaving.
So, why miss?
Why not appreciate what was, enjoy what is, and look forward to what might be?
My next chapter is Greece. I don’t know exactly what it will bring, but I am looking forward to finding out.
After all, there are still so many places to see, people to meet, stories to hear and memories to make.
Not afraid of leaving. Not afraid of the unknown. Just curious about what comes next. ❤️
