Carpe Diem Revisited

During mass last Monday the priest shared this wonderful line from St. Agustine:

Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow. (St. Agustine)

I have been spellbound ever since and it continues to haunt me even in my dreams. One of the main reasons for massive weight gain a few years back was a general unhappiness that permeated into my soul. It should have raised a few alarm bells and I probably should have gone into therapy then and there. But when something begins to fester and you ignore it, it grows and expands, reaching a stage when you realise that it was completely out of control.

The turning point and decisive moment came when I could no longer ignore the pain in my knees and was told to lose weight and change my lifestyle. That’s when i gave up red meat altogether, leaned heavily towards vegetarian food and integrated intermittent fasting into my routine. As I’ve shared before, 20+ kg later (loss, I mean), I have no regrets and wish I had started earlier. Better late then never!

Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever

Back to St. Agustine, he wasn’t wrong about treating our bodies as if we were going to live forever. It is more than healthy eating though, but a matter of listening to your body and knowing when to rest, when to pull the emergency brakes, and when to push a little harder. Finding that perfect balance and understanding the messages is not easy, but in the long run, the rewards are far greater than the pain and discomfort in the beginning.

The greatest lesson from this process for me thus far is being at peace with myself and my body. I never was, and never will be the ideal size, but you know what? I don’t care. I have finally, finally, come to love my body, after I learned to like my face. This has been an incredibly painful journey, and I am so grateful to the two women who saw me through this self-love project. I think anyone who has witnessed the transformation over the past four years understands what I am talking about.

Take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow

I unknowingly took this to heart the moment I made the conscious decision to move to Portugal. No regrets, no hesitations. My soul has been thirsting for nourishment and freedom, and it finally found the right path. More importantly, Portugal has taught me to slow down and relearn the simple abundance of life.

My shots of the day express this serenity in my solitude and no further words are needed. Look beyond the frame, and feel the energy in the seats.