Four years of The Lemon Abroad
I thought today was the four-year anniversary of beginning my travel blog, but when I went back to my very first blog entry I found out it was, in fact, yesterday. C’est la vie.
When I went back to that first entry (which you can find here) , I read my words from me, four years ago: what I was setting out to do and what I hoped to accomplish with my blog. My lemon mission statement, if you will. And I found reading those words today, that I feel largely the same way. Many, MANY, things have changed in those four years. Back then, I was moving on from one chapter into the unknown, actually much in the same way I am now. In those four years I have had love stories and heartbreak, and I have had many new beginnings that have led to friendships, adventures, and lessons. And so many blessings.
In those four years, I finally decided to put down some roots, establish a “home base,” and then was promptly locked down along with the rest of the world. I began my graduate degree, and established a community for myself in my new home. But I never stopped dreaming of travel. I started a YouTube channel, which quickly pivoted into a cooking channel due to the aforementioned lockdown. Even this pivot, which pushed me beyond my expectations and out of my comfort zone, showed me how much to appreciate what the unexpected can bring.
I wonder where the next four years will take me, and where it will take the Lemon. But I don’t want to wonder too much. I want to be open to what I cannot possibly imagine. Last summer, not even one year ago, a chance encounter with an old acquaintance changed the trajectory of my life in way that maybe one day I’ll explain. But even in this there is a lesson. It is so important to be open to what life has to offer, but you have to put yourself out there first.
All being said, it is my hope and dream to continue publishing on The Lemon Abroad. I hope to continue to inspire others to dream and to go after their dreams. I know it is scary. But it’s only scary the first time. After that, you’re a natural.
Once you take that first step, you’re golden.
Love,
The Lemon Abroad
The header image is of the Cattedrale, Palermo, Sicily.
