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“To travel is to live” Hans Christian Andersen said. Some people agree, some don’t. Others don’t care. But she knows it to be true. To her, to travel is to live indeed, because traveling saved her life. She was a 21-year-old girl with brown, curly hair and she needed a way out. She felt stuck. Empty of life, not knowing what would come next. Oh, the not knowing… The not knowing was her very own personal hell. Who was she? Where did she belong? What was her purpose on this world? What was she born to do? To be? She had all the questions and not one of the answers. And it was killing her, day by day. Bit by bit. Worrying and wondering can eat you up. It comes to a point where you can’t even sleep or feel happy or grateful to be alive and breathing. Sure, it was selfish to a point, but that was the stage she was in when she decided to take a leap of faith. Into the unknown. There were signs everywhere telling her that she needed to leave. The universe was literally pushing her out of her comfort zone. She started seeing birds, planes, butterflies, dust flying through the air. It was all moving. It was all flying away. And that was when she realized that she should also move, fly, live. One night, she decided not to listen to her limiting thoughts anymore and, without overthinking it, she bought a one-way plane ticket to Greece. Damn, that was scary! That was the scariest thing she had ever done. And there was no turning back. A few days later, she would have to get into that plane and let her life be changed forever. And it did. Sitting on that plane, up in the air and in between the clouds, she felt like she was about to die. Could someone die of absolute fear? She was utterly terrified. She feared for her life, because she wasn’t the biggest fan of planes. She feared that she wouldn’t like that country and its people. She feared she wouldn’t find the answers she was looking for. But mostly, she feared that she would never feel like herself again – the happy little girl she used to be. She missed her and wanted to find her again. She was just afraid she couldn’t. Well, she was wrong. When she first landed in Athens, she felt a little overwhelmed. Lost and out of place. Little did she know that her soul as finally home. She belonged there. It didn’t take her long to realize that and to call that ancient city her home. When she got there, some part of her didn’t believe she feel love again. But, oh, she did. She loved with all her heart. Between every brick and piece of history, she fell deeply in love with that city and its people. Greek people were warm and happy and that was what she needed. And she fell in love with herself. With life. And, eventually, with a man. But only after she healed her heart. And she did. She found happiness in the most unexpected places. She made friends. She visited all the museums, sights and ruins. She drank Ouzo and she ate Tzatziki with everything. She learned the language and must have said “malaka” more than she should. She watched the sunset a thousand times. And the sunrise. She laughed, danced and she loved. She loved it all. And that was when she found her purpose. It came so easily to her, like and epiphany. That was why she was on this Earth: to live and to love. Everything and everyone, including herself. She was reborn Aphrodite, the Goddess of love, beauty and passion. One day, she simply realized how much she loved life and how much she loved herself. And that was the most beautiful love story she ever experienced.