Today was a life altering day for me in 1998. July 4th, 1998, I sat atop the highest hill on the Greek island of Delos and right then and there, something very cosmic happened. I grew up. But of course, there is a backstory.
I was living in this patch of desert called Bakersfield, California and I was convinced by Laura, a friend of my friend Donna, to join her on her trip to Greece. I had not been there in over a decade so I figured why not. But, I was sort of seeing this woman in town and I really didn’t want to leave her behind for fear she may get back together with her fiance. Now, don’t even remotely try to wrap your head around that for fear that it might just explode. That’s not the backstory at hand here. What is important about it is that she said, “Throw caution to the wind on your trip.”
Well, the trip started out pretty miserable for me. I found that I really did not want to strike out from Laura or her stepbrother Dean’s side for fear of, well, who knows exactly why. But I was either glomming onto them or just shuttering myself up in my pension’s room.
Our first island stop was Mykonos. Laura and Dean did nothing except party beyond hard and crash during the day. By the third day, I realized I was so out of my element on Mykonos that I truly felt like a stranger in a strange land.
One morning when Laura and Dean were absolutely cashed out, I woke up and decided to venture out for a day trip to the uninhabited island of Delos, rich with ruins and rubble. It was a short 45 minute boat ride from Mykonos so I could be there and back before nightfall.
I got to the rock and ascended the tallest hill. From up above, I could see the world below me. Off in the distance was Paros and Mykonos and Naxos. I turned in 360 degrees to see the blue waters below me. And the wind was kicking something fierce. I felt more alive than I had ever been. I was alone atop the hill when Veronica’s words hit me: throw caution to the wind.
With that, I stripped down and sunbathed for about 3 hours in the wind and glorious warmth. I felt refreshed and clear of mind, like I realized I was my own person and didn’t have to rely on Laura and Dean for my trip itinerary. Right then and there, I realized I could shape and form my own experiences. It truly WAS independence day for me.
Things changed entirely when I got back to Hotel Delos. I told Laura and Dean I was going solo for a bit. From there, I experienced Paros, Antiparos and Folegandros. I got myself into some misadventures. I experienced things I never would have and learned that there are some very definite plusses to travelling solo. It was because of Delos I was able to find autonomy and move forward not only with my trip, but my lifepath.
The ironic thing is that toward the latter end of the trip, it was me who was figuring out our itinerary. I encouraged the two to go to Rhodes which turned out to be both their high points. I found our swank pad Kolitsani View based on my sister’s recommendation. I spearheaded our jaunt to Crete and the Minoan Ruins. Things turned around 180 degrees.
Since that day, I have now ventured to 36 different Greek islands and experienced more than I ever thought I would or could. I am blessed for that July 4th.
So every Independence Day, I remember Delos and the gift it gave me. That and a VERY bad burn on my bum. Note to self… areas not usually exposed to sun, burn quick.
