I’m back in Morocco for a visit, and I am struck by how things can change so much and also remain the same. Coming back feels like coming home in a way, but also being away for almost a year has meant that there have been subtle shifts here. Some changes or situations are drastic (I’m going to write about this separately soon), but many are just a different feeling or atmosphere, or new people and places that are unfamiliar to me. Even the beaches I used to surf at have changed with the storms and are now rocky and messy. Because things never do stay exactly the same, things are always changing and moving.
Being back does feel kind of wonderful, in a bittersweet way. I’ve been away long enough to be reminded of the good times now I’m back, and I’ve already seen a lot of the people that always made me smile and laugh. It makes me remember all the good parts, all the people I miss, and the charm that a lot of people see when they come to this little area of Morocco. The waves of nostalgia have set in.
It has also shown me that I have changed. Again, in some ways drastically and in other ways subtle. I knew that a lot had shifted for me in the last 6 months or so, but maybe I didn’t realise quite how much. I have grown, altered, reshaped myself, readjusted my outlook on things and my attitude to a lot of stuff is different. I have let go of things, I have grown and developed. In some ways I feel like a different person to the one that arrived here in 2016, and the one that left 10 months later. And it’s made me realise how proud I am of how far I’ve come – the things I’ve achieved and the places I’ve been, the people I’ve met, the situations I’ve gone through – and happy with who I am right now. Things aren’t perfect, they never are, but this evolution of self has been quietly profound for me. And it makes me want to keep exploring it further.
Change is inevitable, and necessary. And it is up to us as to whether we embrace change and go with it, or whether we resist. The danger with resisting is that we can get left behind. As I’ve noticed, sometimes we don’t even need to actively embrace change but simply just let it happen – then one day you’ll realise just how much you and your surroundings have altered, and that it is actually a wonderful thing.
smile. speak. live. 