Recently, I've felt as though the things I tried to leave behind, the parts of myself I tried to pretend no longer existed, have been catching up with me. Even being in a new city, in a new country, and in a new continent, surrounded by new people, and buildings, and experiences, there is a vital truth I have to relearn: no matter where you go, you bring all of yourself with you.
Worries from back home have been coming back in waves. Recurring thought patterns have resurfaced, and I can feel something within myself ready to come back up. This week has been rough, and I've been facing questions I don't yet have answers to. In light of introspection, self-exploration, and expression, I took my experiences to drawing.
I remember my week as a progression - when I felt alone, my head became increasingly clouded. Walking the city helped, and spending time with friends helped more. One point of awakening, though, was coming across Vienna's Maria vom Siege. I'm not sure what it was about turning around on my walk home and seeing the big church before me, but seeing such a monument to architecture, faith, and humanity, in the city that I study in, in the city I get to live in (if only briefly), took my breath away. Even in Vienna's currently cold air and gray skies, the church pierced the heights I had not yet looked up to admire. The Maria vom Siege, of course, did not resolve the clouds in my mind, but it gave me a moment of breath and pause. It gave me time to collect myself and realize that I can be a new person in my new city. But it wouldn't come through location alone.
Ultimately, yes, you have to take care of yourself, no matter where you run away to. It's important, first and foremost, to always know your resources and how to access them. In the in-betweens - those days, weeks, and moments where everything just feels a bit cloudy, spend some time with yourself; spend some time with others; spend some time truly appreciating the world that lies ahead of you.
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Riley Dunbar
I am a composer who is always looking around me for my next inspiration. I love to find love all around me and share it with whoever I can. The world inspires me to write, draw, and perform; I hope the way I see it and portray it can inspire you too!
