[welcome to part 1 of my 6-part mini-series, wellness around the world: the european edition. as my family and i travel through europe, i will be sharing the wellness habits of six different countries. today’s spotlight is on spain.]
after three flights and several delays, my family and i arrived in madrid on tuesday.
i’d been exposed to stagnant air on the airplane,
had my eating and sleeping schedules upset,
and been unable to stretch out or move around for long periods of time.
i was also fighting jet lag with the 9-hour time difference.
so i had this question in mind as i set out to explore my new surroundings:
“spain, what can you offer me right now in the realm of wellness?”
and i quickly received answers as i walked for miles through the streets of madrid,
immersing myself in the laid-back and welcoming culture.
my first impression of the general approach to wellness in spain?
spaniards know how to live a good life!
- they do a lot of walking
- they like spending time outside
- they value family and friends
- they take their afternoon siesta seriously
- they spend hours engaging in mindful, pleasurable eating
- they are relaxed, yet focused
- they smile and laugh often
[descriptive words that immediately came to mind upon my first visit to spain.]
my take-away:
the spanish people exemplify one emotional wellness lesson in particular.
they do not delay their lives.
they enjoy them now.
[one of my new friends in madrid, a very nice gentleman and a wonderful musician. :)]
what can you delight in TODAY . . .
that you’ve been putting off until “someday” to do?!
make a commitment to yourself to ENJOY YOUR LIFE NOW.
(and let me know about your plan in the comments.)
[a summary of the six european wellness commitments introduced in the mini-series may be found at the end of this post.]
So descriptive, I feel like I am there with you! I can’t wait to hear (read) your thoughts about all of the places you will visit!
Oh, and I “miss” you!
Love,
Kellee
love you, kellee! thanks for commenting. π
Oh my! I LOVE this. Sometimes I wish I lived in a more relaxed culture… but the USA girl in me has been bitten by the “work hard play hard” bug we all too often get.
I love this series and am so excited to follow you along on your adventures & discoveries.
Have fun!!!
Jai
Jenny
Hi Jenny
I totally feel you, I used to live in Singapore and then went to Madrid for a year and stayed for 3 years because the pace was so much slower, I actually felt like I could breath.
Hi April
Thanks for sharing this, I cant wait to read the rest of your European journey and look forward to seeing photos of when you meet Alli?
hugs
i’m so happy to have you here following along, jenny. π yes, our culture can definitely be along the lines of “go go go!”
thanks, yasmine. ali and i are hoping to meet up for coffee – you will be the first to see the photo if we can make it happen! π
Pretty impressive that you saw through the fog of jet lag and noticed so many things to learn from the people of Madrid.
thanks, arthur – fortunately i don’t suffer too greatly from jet lag. and i am probably noticing more on this journey since i am on “a wellness mission.” π
Just have joined Nomapadia and found your link there. I am a German who had lived in Marbella/Spain before moving to the US! I so much miss Spain. Exactly for the reasons you described. I remember when going to the first diner in the US and received my plate and the bill at teh same time. I felt so hurried and somewhat unwelcome. IN most European countries eaying is socializing and relaxing.
i am so happy that you connected with me here, paula! and thank you for sharing your insights about living in spain. i spend time each year in argentina, where there is also a relaxed approach to meals (love that :)).
Thanks for this fab article .. I am a musician/sound healer and recently returned from a jaunt in Spain . .just loved the street musicians everywhere there .. music is such a part of life …
thanks, meaghan. isn’t it a fun atmosphere? as a musician, you must have really appreciated it.
What a great reminder and insight! You packed so much into this short post, I have to re-read to get all the goodness out of it! Thanks for this burst of sunshine and fun!
thank you for your kind words, cara! π
I love this! I’m totally looking forward to this series! So many great takeaways. Thank You!
thank you, helene. hope you enjoy the rest of the series too! π
I stumbled across your blog and couldn’t believe it because I’m an American living in Madrid!
I’ve been here 3 and a half years and I think you’ve done a great job of summing up the spirit of the locals. Mind you, LIVING here gives you a deeper perspective of some of their other qualities…. They are rather insular and not too open to getting to know other cultures or cuisines or language…. (You may have noticed how few speak any English, for example, compared to most other European capital cities.) They are very family oriented, which is lovely, but they don’t let others into that fold too easily. They wouldn’t dream of coming by to welcome you into the neighbourhood and will never invite you into their homes. It’s not that they are being rude, it’s just not in their culture. I’m generalising of course and have met some lovely, open Spaniards too, but for the most part these are well travelled people who have experience with other cultures. You got so lucky to have been here two weeks ago when we still had amazing weather. It’s suddenly gone from summer into Autumn in the last few days. I’ll share your blog with others here π x
kelly – yes, the weather was beautiful and warm when we were in madrid. so glad you stopped by to share your insights! π we spent one day touring around with a german acquaintance who lives in madrid, and she also mentioned that it was hard to get to know the locals on a deeper level. funny though – i actually experienced the exact scenario you described in the last place i lived in the united states! friendly people, but i was not from the area and would never totally fit in.
April, I love your messages and the adventures you choose in your life – and even more so I love the beautiful perspective you are able to then take away and share with your tribe back “home!”
I agree – we can learn so much from other cultures, and I am always a fan of being reminded to LIVE NOW. I’ll be doing so by taking the rest of the afternoon off of social media to write and sit under my big Sycamore tree outside receiving that beautiful energy that only time in nature can give.
thank you, sabrina. i always appreciate your lovely comments. how did your writing session under the sycamore tree go? (what a delightful image your words conjure up. :))
This is so intriguing! Love seeing how people live their daily lives in other parts of the world. What a great reminder to SLOW DOWN–actually taste your food, linger in non-purposeful moments and do something that brings you pleasure each and every day.
you’ve summed it up well, janine. it is so easy to neglect these simple areas which have the potential to change our lives from chaotic and stressed states to relaxed and meaningful moments.