Spain Reflection

As COVID-19 is still in full effect, I am taking this time to reflect on the good things I was so blessed to have done in my life before the pandemic struck. 

A week before the country went onto lockdown, I had the opportunity to travel to Spain for spring break with two of my closest friends. The fact that I was still able to go on the trip was a blessing since the virus was just starting to spike in Europe. 

This was the first international experience I had that Loyola was not a part of. In my past travel experiences, they were either a part of my time studying abroad or on study tours. This trip, my friends and I completely planned together. Since this was my first trip abroad without having my college involved, it was my most relaxing trip to date because we got to create our own schedules. 

And with a lot of shopping, eating and exploring later...Spain became one of my favorite places.

I grew a lot personally from this trip. Since it was a more laid back and relaxed trip, I had the opportunity to reflect on my blessings more. Being in Spain and traveling abroad during COVID-19 made me think: How am I living? How do I want to live? I began to realize that every day was a blessing in disguise. Especially since it was the week before the United States went onto lockdown, you never know when opportunities such as traveling could be taken away from you in an instant. During this pandemic, I began journaling again and really reflecting on the little blessings in my life. I wanted to better myself.

 Is there somewhere you can strike a balance to make a difference in your life? Of course, there is. The room for improvement always has walls that grow higher and wider every day. How you see yourself and how you act must harmonize. If they do not, this creates cognitive dissonance, which leads to doubts, fears, inaction, and worst of all, the wrong actions.

My goal during this pandemic was to create a list of my standards and actually live by them. Just like with me traveling to Spain, you never know when those opportunities could be taken away. Live each day as a blessing.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. -Psalm 107:2