WHAT ABOUT ME?

Dear friends,

As you know, I've been traveling this past week and just got back yesterday. It was quite a challenge to put together this special double edition in just one day, but I'm proud of the result and hope you find it as exciting as I intended.

In the last edition, I shared how important this trip was for me, marking my 25th birthday. It was everything I hoped for and more. My chosen destination: Montenegro! 

I sought a place brimming with nature. Over ten days, I climbed snowy mountains, visited paradisiacal beaches, rafted through Europe's largest canyon, rode horses in one of the largest nature reserves worldwide, and fell in love with a people whose motto is: Polako, polako (slowly, slowly).

To make my 25th birthday even more meaningful, I decided to unplug completely— no social media, no constant checking of messages. It was my first time doing a digital detox, and it turned out to be a perfect opportunity to spend some time without external interferences. How much of our thoughts are truly our own? How much of what we think is just a refletion of what others think? What does my inner voice say when I'm trekking alone for twelve hours without internet access? - it sings. A lot.

I'll confess to you: Sometimes I feel like I'm living someone else's life. As if my life was not mine. As a child, on my good days, I dreamed of winning a scholarship, studying in the United States, and starting a happy life there. On my bad days, I feared I'd never leave my city, would have to give up the only dream that shaped my personality for years, find a job, pay the bills, and accept that this is life. And truthfully, there were many bad days. But never - not even in my wildest dreams - did I imagine I would live the experiences I've lived, see the things I’ve seen and visit the places I've gradually come to know.

Whether it was going to Australia for four months with everything paid for, meeting Anitta at a random bar in Croatia, being a party promoter in Barcelona or recently getting lost in the middle of nowhere in Montenegro and hitching a ride with a Polish couple that barely spoke English, I honestly have a really hard time believing this life is mine. That these stories are mine.

Whether you believe in a higher power or the universe's energy, I've always had a clear plan from point A to point B. And for me it truly feels as the universe said:

I am the first person in my family to watch a sunset in Slovakia. The first to win a scholarship to study abroad. The first to learn Italian and even create memories in that language! I can't help but get emotional thinking about how the universe has gifted me each of these adventures - not to mention the wonderful people I meet along the way, many of whom are probably reading this.

I have a love for life. And a gratitude that fills me every time I think that today I’ve lived so much more than I ever imagined.

I don't like birthdays because they make me think about everything I wanted to achieve and didn't. They remind me that, in many areas of my life, I haven't reached that point B yet. But honestly, I think my life stopped being about reaching that point B some time ago. In fact, it never was. But I’m only starting to notice it now.

With love,

Micael.