I’ve been out on my solo trip for a week. Can’t believe how time flies when I haven’t even recorded anything about it. It feels like if I write something to review my week, that week is well lived and safely stored somewhere. But when I stop recording, the weeks just slip away without me even noticing.

Well, I lived the days to the fullest. I don’t know. But I feel like it’s not easy to trust anything other than my pen. Life can feel like an endless cycle. What I need to do is focus on what truly matters to me. Right now, that means trying to find solitude and safety within myself?—?not seeking out people just to kill time.

I see how people struggle to focus on their own lives, constantly searching for distractions. I used to be like that, and I didn’t like it. So I challenged myself to take this solo trip completely in solitude.

I went into a local bookstore. Books are expensive here?—?shockingly expensive. Food and other necessities are cheap. People are cheap. But books? Holy. I even shrank back after seeing the price tags. Still, I got one called Better Than Before?—?another self-help book. I chose it simply because it was pocket-sized and one of the cheaper options in its category.

Books should be easy to access in any country. But in some less developed places, people spend most of their time just trying to survive. They lose all their energy to exhausting physical labor. I can’t say that’s the worst way to live. In big cities, we spend every day figuring out intangible questions, constantly missing nature and a simpler way of life. But I guess all lives have their own boundaries and struggles. What we need to do is find the unique beauty and patterns in our own lives, our own lifestyles.

I spent an entire day at a beachside restaurant, reading my book. Didn’t feel like talking to anyone. Didn’t feel lonely. But when I got back to my hotel and saw no messages from anyone, my heart sank. I know it’s normal?—?people crave connection. But I also know it’s because we spend too much time in this digital world. We could talk to our diaries. We could write letters. But instead, we just scroll through our screens, trying to connect with a world that isn’t even real.

I haven’t been running for a bit, just doing some light workouts in my hotel room. And I can see myself, each day, trying to find inner peace?—?to be okay and content wherever I am. I love that idea!

Wish you all a Fresh February!