“The most difficult thing in life
is to know yourself.”
~ Thales
The Quotable Greek: The Most Difficult Thing in Life
22 Apr- Comments 2 Comments
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Yiasou!
Stephanie Nikolopoulos is a writer, editor, writing teacher, and speaker based in New York City.
She is the coauthor, with Paul Maher Jr., of "Burning Furiously Beautiful: The True Story of Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road.'"
You can email her at stephanie_701 {@} yahoo.com
I may have discovered my new favorite holiday: January 25 is National Plan for Vacation Day. Between the ongoing pandemic and its latest variants, the Great Resignation, inflation, and the bitter cold, pretty much everyone I’ve talked to lately is feeling burned out. In a recent article (link in bio) for Thomas Insights, I suggested that planning your vacation (among other tips) may be a savvy business move. As the old saying goes, you can’t draw water from an empty well. To be your most creative, brilliant self, you need time to rest and recharge. You need time to let your mind wander. You need time to see new wonders and become inspired. I’ve heard that even the act of booking a vacation and planning it boosts happiness. Where would you like to vacation in 2022?
I’ve come to learn that physical distance is less challenging than emotional distance.
When I was in Greece, I walked along the rocky shoreline imagining the lives of other people. In New York City, it’s easy to blend in with the multitude and surreptitiously people watch, but in Greece, they unabashedly stared at me, perhaps wondering what *my* story is. Who *I* was. How *I* came to be walking such a remote shoreline.
I grew up in the sea. A pale, nerdy kid who couldn’t see without her glasses, I learned to navigate by the rhythm of the waves. I learned to swim through rough waters. I respected and feared the ocean. I choked on salty water. I held my breath and dove under the big waves and kicked and kicked and kicked until my lungs burned, and then I burst through the water, into the sunlight. I swam deeper, farther. I swam toward the horizon. I am still swimming.
What trip has been your most transformative? I have been fortunate to travel extensively. I have seen many of the big landmarks around the world: the Parthenon, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Sensō-ji Temple, the Walled City of Cartagena, Mount Rushmore, and so forth. One of my most transformative experiences, though, happened somewhere I can’t exactly pinpoint. It happened when I was between destinations. @theunmooring published my personal essay “The Skies Proclaim the Work of His Hands” in their latest issue (#3), which just dropped anchor this week. I am thankful to the editors for creating this space for women’s voices and for letting me explore a less commercial, less “influencer” aspect of travel. Link in bio.
Water is supple and wild and fierce. You are made up mostly of water. You are supple, wild, and fierce.
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Stephanie Nikolopoulos 
Sorta puts into perspective that other Greek quotable, “Doctor, know thyself.”
Oh, I don’t know that one!