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To Portugal, up, up and away!

Every new endeavor has a certain amount of anxiety attached to it: what if I can't figure this out, what if I get overwhelmed, what if I'm not good enough to do this, what if people don't take me seriously, and so the list goes on. We give ourselves countless reasons why we shouldn't do something, and if we internalize them for too long, we start to believe they're true.


It's ridiculous, obviously. Every one of us has the potential to achieve just about anything we want to achieve. However, it takes a certain discipline and methodology for sure. Plan ahead, know the goal and keeping putting one foot in front of the other. These are the things I tell myself all the time and yet I find myself still in the same place; no further than the day I 'decided' I was going to do this thing, called blogging and vlogging. I don't know anything about it.


My wife and I have decided to move to Portugal in pursuit of a warmer climate, outdoor life, fresher air and less stress etc. etc. That's the "easy" part?... Documenting it all for the world to see, now that's the part I'm really talking about here. I've never written a blog, I've never filmed myself doing things, never talked into a camera (also doing youtube) and I've never lived in a country whose language I haven't mastered, whose customs still seem a little strange to me, and whose ways of doing things seem so much more laid back. Can you say bureaucracy?


Having been born in South Africa and then living in Canada for 20 years, I've seen and experienced both African and Western cultures and everything that it entails. I must say that I've become a little spoilt with Canadian living. Now, I'm moving to a European country and already (through the process of getting there) am experiencing what I'm going to be up against and dealing with. And here I thought I was going go live a simpler less stressed life... perspective is everything, I guess.


Even though I'm Portuguese and speak and write the language, I'm not fluent in it. That scares me just a little, because I'm going to be the go-to guy for all things translation. I'm going to be thinking in English, trying to speak in Portuguese. I know that it's still easier for me than for my wife, for example, who doesn't speak a lick of Portuguese, aside from one or two abstract sayings that she would be better off never saying in public anyway. (insert awkward laugh here)


At the end of the day, it's good to embrace things that make us feel uneasy or uncomfortable, because in so doing, we learn about our strengths, become wiser and sometimes, even get a good story we can share with others.

Disclaimer: I'm not a writer, journalist, photographer or videographer, travel blogger, farmer or builder. But I'm going to attempt to be all these things because I love each one of them and feel I can be creative in each field. What I am is a musician and producer who loves to be creative. Let's see what these old jazz hands can do out in the field.


Stick around and watch me make a fool of myself, as well as possibly succeed at one or two things. It should be a grand old time. (more nervous laughter)


And as always, let's chase the sunrise!


Dog watching the sun rise.
Gevalia enjoys a good sunrise on occasion

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