*The places I have left and the places I have returned to have taught me both to put down roots and to roam freely*

Every step I have taken, every choice I have made, and every memory I carry with me leads me to this day, this moment. Small hesitations and major decisions—my entire past has taught me which paths bring light and which ones offer lessons. Friendships, losses, and quiet mornings have gently yet steadily built my curiosity, my resilience, and my capacity for tenderness.

The habits I have cultivated and the mistakes I have made have slowly refined the boundary between risk and security. The books I have read, the conversations I have lingered over, and the silence I have respected have gradually shaped my voice. The places I have left and the places I have returned to have taught me both to put down roots and to roam freely.

And in these accumulated layers of experience, I see recurring patterns and new possibilities—a present shaped not by a single act, but by the steady growth of life. And one that quietly shows me the way toward what I choose next.

OMG, what will I do with all the free time?

Stopping "work"—whether it involves retiring, taking a break, or shifting to a different rhythm of life—can feel like stepping off a cliff and out onto an open plain. The unknown is both invigorating and daunting. Simply looking at a week with a completely open schedule is a "wow" experience! I gradually discovered how routines replace deadlines: time for morning coffee, a walk, an hour of reading—things that frame the day without the pressure of time.

Even though Elias and I have stopped working, we have a major project: we are actually building our own home! This spared me the sense of aimlessness that can otherwise be natural—a sign that one’s identity is shifting and breaking free from the roles and the life defined by one’s work.

So yes, our “new home” project, my restart with the deeper diving in the beauty of the Greek language, my restarting with my sewing skills, all that make me still “busy” but on my own way. As I consciously shape this new chapter of my life, I feel more authentic and less obsessed with being in control. And I have a few small projects and plans waiting for me when we can "move home" again. Below are some photos from various stages of our house construction project.

Kósmos around us or how is social life going

In Greek, the word kósmos has several layers of meaning that have evolved over time. In antiquity, kósmos was primarily interpreted as a "harmonious order." Philosophers used kósmos to describe a rational and structured whole. Later, kósmos came to refer to the world as the totality of existence: the heavens, the earth, and their ordered interrelationships. In modern Greek, kósmos is most often used to mean "world" or "people," while still retaining philosophical undertones linked to an ordered universe and humanity's place within it. And I am very, very pleased that kósmos around us is friendly and that we are still a part of that.

Connections between people are the threads that weave individual lives into communities, cultures and civilisation itself. They are the channels through which knowledge, support, creativity and resilience flow. Without them, human life is impoverished; with them, it flourishes. And over all these working years, Elias and I have built a strong network of friendly people around us. Our kósmos life is going very well and I hope that our future home, our "Epsilon House," will be a place where honest relationships with family and friends grow and deepen. For in my view, it is precisely through relationships that people develop ethical responsiveness—empathy, fairness, and reciprocity.

And as I write this, I’m listening to Greek radio station Kosmos 93.6, which focuses on a curated selection of international and ethnic music. You should give it a listen too!

Below are some photos from July 17th. Elias and I visited the cultural center in Stoupa and saw the performance "Under Tainaron," written by our friend and poet Kelvin Corcoran. A powerful and magical evening.