Becoming Belgrade: Space & Grace
Becoming is my ongoing writing of reflections from the places that shape me — as a woman, a mother, and a wanderer. Each city, each journey, leaves behind a lesson. This one comes from Belgrade.
Time and again, I come to realize that every household needs space.
It was raining in Belgrade when i wrote this and it marked the sixth day I’ve been away from home, and I find myself caught between the excitement of going back to my daughter and the anticipation of doing it all over again. That excitement, I realized, comes from the simple truth that — despite the chaos of juggling chores before leaving (especially with my husband injured) and the demands of work — home is where your heart is. And my home is my family.
I’m deeply grateful that my current work allows me to meet people from different countries and cultures. The exchange with people from different culture, ages are trully an invaluable experience. On my recent business trip, I was reminded how similar family dynamics can be, no matter where we come from and no matter the generations we were.
During this trip, an older couple, wise and kind, shared this with me: “Time apart holds a family together.”
They told me that solo travels — moments spent apart — help each person reconnect with their own thoughts and decisions. Each person in that couple is being reminded to take their own decision. A simple thing that we could forget because we don’t realize how much we rely on each other feedback for every single thing. For me, this time apart helped me recognize the effort i put into my household and vice versa. Wether it’s natural, out of habit, or simply because trully, profoundly, we care and we love each other..
They also told me to Give your parents a grace
When you do parenting, too often the parents give what they are lacked of during their childhood and too often, it may not be what the children in front of them needed. No matter what you do as a parent, there will always be something someone sees as wrong. A child might blame a parent for not giving enough attention; a parent might insist they acted out of love and good intention. So give your parents some grace and i am reminded to retrace my childhood. What were the things that i lacked of? that i might / could force and instill that to my daughter without realizing that those might not what she needs?
Space and grace.
That’s what I learned on this trip, and it resonates with my journey of becoming.Thank you Belgrade, Bisous !
PS: If you are heading to Belgrade, check my free mini city guide here :)
