As the only place I can truly call home, traveling to Iran is always a magical experience for me--one of personal growth, self-discovery, and immense learning and exploration. Reflecting in the breeze of the Caspian Sea and from within the encompassing Alborz Mountain range with my notebook and pen in hand, I put together a quick list of a few of the things I learned in my month stay in Iran~
1. Escape. Into nature | taking time away from reality and spending days simply consuming your landscape breathes new life into your being. Life seems new again. Do this more often
2. Poetry can teach you how to live | and how to love. Translated, Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it -Rumi. Read more Rumi
3. Mid-days are for naps & tea | because in Iran, you don't have much of a choice to do otherwise as the whole city shuts down at noon to eat lunch, take a nap, pray, and drink tea. This is actually incredibly energizing and try to continue after returning to the states
4. You're never too young (or old!) | don't shy away from opportunities that may seem bigger than yourself
5. Life is more important than a schedule | life will get in the way of crossing things off your to-do list. This is inevitable and not worth the stress
6. Don't take yourself so seriously | seriously though
7. Step out of your comfort zone now and then | because see no. 9
8. You'll probably more regret not acting on something that acting on it | trust your feels; live a little
9. Everyone has something to teach you; listen | & talk to anyone you get the chance to. In my time in Iran, I came to learn that the people who are forgotten by society have the most to say, the most to teach
10. Language is really so important | try not to lose it. Especially not your mother tongue
11. People are truly beautiful | ♡
{photo: Bank Melli | Tehran, Iran}
<(')
- if you enjoyed your post, please share! -
- if you enjoyed your post, please share! -
Thank you! xx
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautiful post. I love countries that shut down mid day - I feel like it would make life so much more enjoyable
ReplyDeleteI love that one about you're never too young or old--that seems like something that stops me a lot when it shouldn't, and I often feel that I shouldn't participate in conversations due to age or inexperience when perhaps I should. Beautiful list and I have been enjoying your Instagram pictures lately!! :D Have a wonderful week, my love!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post dear, very inspiring and actually slightly similar to a post I wanted to post a while back but still haven't gotten to... It's frustrating because I have that large checklist of things to do and I'm struggling to get as much done as possible-- so your reminder to enjoy life and the journey instead of worrying only about the destination is a great piece of advice! Also, agree with the fact that people are beautiful and that you can learn so much/gain so much if you just step out of your comfort zone. I met so many awesome ppl during my travels in China, Singapore, and Hong Kong that I will always look back on that trip with fondness. I also found it hard to just sit around and do nothing as I'm always doing something, so that was a new experience as well!
ReplyDeletexx Debbie
www.whatdoffydoes.com
Beautiful post! I wish the US would shut down mid-day so I could nap haha ;)
ReplyDeleteThose things that you have learned are really nice :)
ReplyDeleteEscaping into the nature is one of the best things anyone can do :)
Hugs
Svetlana
Erp, having a bit of technical difficulties with the comments--new comments can be posted, but old comments are, for the time being, not visible. We're working on fixing this soon, thank you for your patience! <(')
ReplyDeleteYour list is really full of wisdom, it's great. Traveling is the best way to learn something new, to develop ourselves and become a better person, indeed. Such a great post turned out, I enjoyed it very much!
ReplyDeleteHave a good day ahead!
Numbers 4 and 10 are my favorites, oh my. And I just love an excuse to take an afternoon nap! I do it even though it's not a "thing" here hahaha.
ReplyDeleteChloe | Wanderlust in the Midwest
This is such an amazing post. Thank you for sharing your insight. I'm amazed at how gorgeous the architecture is!
ReplyDeletexo,
Stephanie
Diary of a Debutante
www.thediaryofadebutante.com
These are indeed some wonderful life lessons! And what a gorgeous structure! I'm also conscious about not losing my Mother tongue as well. It helps that I always speak with my family in Chinese.
ReplyDeleteRowena @ rolala loves
That photo is amazing! And your list above is so very wonderful!!! I loved each one! Wishing you a lovely week! Nicole
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you learned a lot of great things! My favorite is to listen to everyone because everyone has something to teach us; so true!
ReplyDeleteThat's lovely. Very inspiring words!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you had such a wonderful experience in Iran. I'd love to visit there one day!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's my favorite photo from my trip!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Indeed--it definitely felt like the pace of life was a lot slower and calmer in Iran--people really do take time to enjoy their lives!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Glad to hear you're enjoying everything, I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you should definitely get your hand in those conversations--especially someone who is as so eloquent as yourself! I felt the same way at my internship, but because we were debating politics I couldn't keep my mouth shut and joined a debate with university professors, but it ended up getting me some great connections and opportunities!
I can't wait to read your post, as well! I'll make sure to check back on your blog, then! :)
ReplyDeleteGetting over leaving things unchecked on my list has actually been the hardest one for me--I am the same way you are! I've learned to take a deep breath and instead place greater value on the little things--whether it was spending time with family or just taking a breather.
Thank you so much! So very glad you enjoyed it! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Oh, the photo doesn't even do it justice! And this is just the bank--wait until you see photos of the palaces!
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it, Nicole! Thanks for reading :)
ReplyDeleteI love what you have learned in Iran and I think these are things that you can apply wherever you are! I completely agree with #8 you will regret more for something that you didn't do than if you did! so true!! and also I wish I could take naps & drink tea in the middle of the day! haha
ReplyDeleteXOXO
Milu
www.hellolupi.blogspot.com
$50 STORE CREDIT AT WHITE PLUM GIVEAWAY!!!!
I know what you are talking about as it's basically the same in Bosnia, my home country. Love these facts you listened above, so true! www.neverdreamedaboutthis.com
ReplyDeleteI love this post, and I really enjoyed looking through your pictures from Iran. The photos on your blog are spectacular! This is a nice list though. I totally agree with you about spending time outside. For some reason, when I'm outside doing nothing, I feel totally productive and like I'm not wasting time! I need to do it more.
ReplyDelete♥ perfectly Priya
Thank you so much--I really appreciate your kind words!
ReplyDeleteAnd that's so great! Sort of what I was mentioning to someone else above, placing more value on the little things, like spending time outdoors simply soaking up the sun, is what I was talking about in no.5. It's really such a nice feeling to take time in your day to breathe!
Aw, this is lovely post. I searched for it specifically after you mentioned it in a comment on my blog. Sorry I haven't visited you in so long, but as my post said, life catches up with you at times! Thanks for writing such a well-thought, considerate comment on that post by the way; I know we've been out of touch lately so it was great to hear from you, but also lovely that you are always on it when it comes to the really deep and meaningful posts that matter! I'd never thought of "limiting the blogs I actually read" so thank you for that tip. I have a 'favourite blogs' tab and you are in it, so maybe I have been doing this subconsciously… Also, taking breaks from blogging was such a foreign idea to me because I feel I have the constant pressure to upload every other day, so thanks for letting me know that you do it too, and that it's okay! Rosemary x
ReplyDeleterosemaryofelephants.blogspot.com
Aw, you are so really so sweet! I really appreciate your words and I'm glad I could have been semi-helpful! Blogging can get stressful surprisingly fast, and recently when everything is piling up, I've been taking a step back and thinking why I started blogging in the first place--because it's a release, it's where I can express myself creatively, etc, and it's not here to add more stress to my life. So, I just take deep breaths and move on if I miss posting on schedule, hit a plateau in my pageviews/readers, etc. Doing so has helped me enjoy blogging so much more and refreshes me to come back with real content, and not forced, I-must-stay-on-track content (;
ReplyDeleteAs always, thank you for reading and always being so genuine--I truly appreciate you! (: