As I peered through the glass, I was moved by the care ancient Egyptians took to prepare their pets for the journey through the afterlife. They wrapped them in fine linen and placed protective amulets like scarabs snug between the layers.
I imagined this to be how I would prepare my animals when the time should come. I recognized the way they honored death as a sacred transition into eternity.
At the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington D.C., there began my 5,000-year-old love affair with ancient Egypt. I was thirteen.
Egypt — the place I would come to call home.
Every relationship has a dynamic, and the one you share with your environment is profound.
Your relationship with your environment is a call and response — two entities in a tango.
It shapes a good part of who you are and who you will be.
1. What does your environment teach you about gratitude?
Egypt helps me cultivate gratitude because things like electricity aren't promised.
When you practice gratitude for the basics, it heightens your awareness of the good things in your life.
Patience for yourself and your environment is a learned process. Both you and the universe unfold on separate schedules, and that's okay.
My environment is chaotic with a touch of OMG and "only in Egypt" stories. Learning how to go with the flow reduces your stress and allows for recalibration.
How does your environment teach you gratitude?
2. Find the beauty
Egypt isn't an easy place to make your home. You have to work to love it every day. Chances are, you need to do the same wherever you are.
Find the beauty and purpose in your environment and appreciate what it teaches you about yourself.
Daily challenges strengthen your focus and resolve. Life always pushes back, but discipline is a tasty side-effect of persistence.
Take the time to look at where you are & how you got there. You value what you work hardest for, so make sure you know what that is for you.
Celebrate where you've been, where you're at, & where you're going.
3. A curious mind leads to adventures
In Egypt, you can mingle with greatness any day of the week. You can stand where Pharaohs once stood.
But you can find adventure anywhere if you search for it. Every land has its history and mysteries.
Does your city pique your curiosity? Being a tourist in your own town is one of the best ways to break out of your routine and ignite your curiosity. It also gives you a sense of empowerment.
New places invite you to peel back a new layer of yourself, be courageous & open to new experiences.
4. Are you a creative problem solver?
Creativity is the magic between problems and solutions. Egypt is a place where creativity is coaxed out of you.
It's a place where nothing goes wasted.
You realize the value in everything because resources here are finite. Repurposing things is the way of daily life.
Sometimes the answers to problems are right in front of us if we truly consider our resources.
Are there things in your environment you can repurpose to your benefit?
5. Happiness
If happiness isn't being the best version of yourself, I don't know what is.
Egypt makes me the best, happiest version of myself. My environment encourages me to grow in all directions.
It allows me to take great joy in the tiny wins in life and expand my gratitude every day.
All this makes me a more loving, creative, and purpose-driven person.
Final thoughts
I moved to Egypt without ever having visited. I didn't need to see it because I knew it was where I could grow the highest version of myself.
I wasn't wrong.
It's a challenging place to live on many levels.
But I'm here for it because, like every relationship, it's a unique exchange of energy and experiences.
Allow your environment to show you more about who you are, and more importantly, who you aspire to be.
I need coffee strong enough to wake up my ancestors! You can buy me one here if you enjoy my scribblings! Many thanks, xoxo
If you liked this, you might fancy A Love Letter to Egypt
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