Meanderings with Mamma Mia! Vibes
Playing out my role as Sophie's sidekick
As hinted in some earlier posts, I ended this summer with another little sojourn to Greece, and though this trip was somewhat less laid back than my Cretan venture, it did of course come with a variety of highlights and reflections on how we navigate life.
This jaunt was split between time in and around Athens, with people and places to visit, and the delights of Santorini, for the wedding of one of my oldest friends. Unlike in Crete, the weather was a mixed bag - at one point offering cooler temperatures and much more rain than the UK-wide heatwave back home - which not only caused some outdoor-wedding-ceremony-panic, but also some personal dismay and a related Zara spree when searching for indoor activities in the face of sold-out museums. But, the wedding day weather held (just), producing potentially the most beautiful golden hour I have ever seen, and the Zara shopping guilt subsided with the classic cost-per-wear calculations.
In gathering my thoughts to share with you this week, a list of nine points emerged; apt, given that this is the ninth ‘essay’ for
. And so, why fight what the list wants? In no particular order, a few notable reflections from my time trying (and failing) to nail the inflections on “Yamas!” like a local…1. The people we encounter when travelling
Travelling alone on my outbound flight, I was surrounded by a group of women in their mid-60s, who had clearly been friends for 40 years or more. Smart, funny and excitable, these eight women were heading on a holiday together for the first time since before the pandemic, and couldn’t be happier about it. The husbands were at home, the children had flown the nest, and they were off to enjoy life at it’s best. There’s something so special about the energy of a group of tight-knit female friends (more on which shortly) and I hope I’ll have the same experiences to look forward to with my gal pals in a few decades time.
Travelling back, on a delayed, poorly managed flight, tired and with dreaded thoughts of work the next day, I was surprisingly given a book by the passenger sat next to me who had finished his holiday read on the return journey, and didn’t want to take it with him. And so it was that I left the plane with a nearly-new hardback copy of Rebecca F. Kuang’s much-coveted Yellowface, warmed by kindness and luck (and not yet realising this would need to make up for having left my cardigan behind on the seat).
2. The depths of friendship
While weddings are typically celebrations of the love a couple share for one another, and a declaration for how that love will last - this ceremony being no exception - I was heartened at references to friendship throughout the soiree.
Having known the beautiful bride, and another of the bridesmaids, for the best part of three decades, we have of course shared a love, and many a funny story, for longer than the newly-married couple. As a three we have been joined at the hip, fallen out over pointless disputes, and witnessed boyfriends come and go.
This closeness was referenced in several of the wedding speeches, but most touchingly, I thought, by the groom, who, although referred to us as emperor penguins (in a wildly convincing David Attenborough tone), thanked us for the love shown to his now wife in all the preceding years, and an admiration for the bond that we have.
I’m a sucker for a cute (others may say cringe) speech, and so was caught hook, line and sinker. He can stay.
3. New friendships
It’s not always about celebrating deep-rooted friend relations though, but newly emerging ones. The bromances between the partners of our friends; the aunties and university pals re-connecting with stories of the hen weekend; the children sharing headphones and iPad games.
There’s nothing like a wedding - or maybe it’s the sense of being on an island? - to encourage some new bonds.
4. The power of love
Sometimes our loved ones - friends, family, partners - request or expect of us things that we’d rather not do. A late night activity vs early to bed. An expensive day trip vs lounging on the beach. A social gathering vs time alone with a book. An early morning hike vs a much-needed lie in.
At a time when we are constantly told to know and uphold our own boundaries - which I am of course fully appreciative of - it can be easy to forget sometimes that we do actually enjoy doing things for others, and being part of something with our loved ones in a way that’s meaningful for them, even if we’d really rather be elsewhere.
There’s a balance to strike when it comes to the obligations and expectations that arise within our relationships, but sometimes its fine, and even surprisingly enjoyable, to do things just because we love someone.
5. Self love and forgiveness
Sometimes we make mistakes. We say the wrong thing. We forget someone’s birthday. We break a hotel safe (don’t ask). And, if the royal ‘we’ are anything like me, we tend to dwell for longer than is needed.
Will it really matter in the long run? Is it worth lugging bad vibes around a beautiful island? Probably not. Let it go, forgive yourself. Anyone else probably already has.
6. Learning how to be old
My holiday read for this trip was something I’d picked up from a quaint little bookshop in Chania earlier in the summer: Daniel Klein’s Travels with Epicurus: Meditations from a Greek Island on the Pleasures of Old Age. A busy schedule meant little time for long stretches of leisurely reading, and though the short chapters make a fragmented read of this unproblematic, it’s a book that could comfortably be read in one sitting, or at least in one weekend, and at some point I’m intending to do just that.
Drawing on philosophy as well as lived experience - Klein’s own, and that of ageing comrades - the narrative explores how to navigate the passing of years, especially in later life, while in a “society that worships at the fountain of youth.” Questioning whether we are missing out on wonderful elements of an extraordinary stage of life by constantly trying to postpone, or banish, it, this exploration of what it means to age happily is interesting and encouraging in equal measure.
Roll on that time when I might while away an afternoon sipping wine in the sun without an inch of productivity guilt in my peripheral mind... (lol jk, I’ll likely be 105 by the time my pension kicks in).
7. Simple pleasures
For surely it is these that will see us through to old age.
Devouring a fresh fig plucked, for you, from a local tree.
Feeling the sun on your skin, with only a worry for the SPF top ups, and not for the stretch marks, dimples, or rolls.
Singing along to Mamma Mia! at the pretty magical Kamari Open Air Cinema, the night before a wedding, only to be ripping up the tiles to Dancing Queen less than 24 hours later, best pals in tow.
Dressing in a Greece-inspired capsule holiday wardrobe, while picking up a few new pieces for that coastal grandma chic back home.
Salad dressing. Lashings of it.
And pitta. Lots, with a roasted aubergine dip.
8. Digital detox
This wasn’t intentional, but for just over a week, I spent little time on my phone, usually engaged in other activities. Wifi was limited, and I was in a challenge with myself to not turn on data unless I absolutely needed it - which, of course, I didn’t.
When I did use my phone it was for taking pictures, coordinating plans with others on the trip, and briefly reading some saved articles - which is much less guilt-inducing then mindless scrolling. There was no laptop in sight, and any WhatsApps or emails went unanswered until an airport admin session I had mentally scheduled before the flight home.
I don’t consider my phone usage a massive issue in normal life; like every other millennial I spend more time on it than I’d like, but it isn’t a huge vice. Yet it still seemed a notable tonic to not feel the need to consistently check for notifications, feel I needed to respond to messages as they arrived, or flick between work and personal inboxes when doing an email re-fresh.
I think perhaps for much of the time away I was indeed, ahem, living in the moment.
9. Post holiday health-kick
After a beautiful but busy trip, I didn’t return feeling rested so much as feeling in need of another week off work at a yoga retreat, on an IV of green juice. As I used some of the plane journey home to journal (taking some of the final few prompts of
’s The Success Myth which I’ve been working through across the last few months) I acknowledged that my health is something I’ve in many ways been neglecting. Despite knowing the importance of moving my body for my personal happiness and general motivation, and listening to ample podcasts on the need for a varied diet for gut health let alone overall wellness, my trainers are dusty and the plant-based-food weekly tally chart on the kitchen blackboard is long outdated.Vowing to myself I’d start off on the right foot when back in London, with a daily jog and a few reformer pilates classes, I spent the first week back full up with a cold and achy limbs, feeling sorry for myself as I ploughed through emails and annoyed at the lack of back-to-school energy in all senses of the term.
But, I did follow up on a medical appointment I’d been putting off for a while, managed a few slow and short Yoga with Adriene sessions, and ate a lot of kale.
Small steps, and maintenance of good intentions for the season to come. Because even though that’s the last holiday of the year (unless someone wants to give me an unexpected windfall, and a few more days of annual leave) if there’s one thing I picked up from Klein and his Epicurean musings, it’s that health balanced with happiness makes for a wealthy life - and what’s more #holidayvibes than that?
PS…
After a few months of trialling donations via Ko-fi as a means of supporting my work, reader encouragement has led me to turn on paid subscriptions via Substack. That means you can pay for my work directly via this platform.
For now, all posts will continue to be free for all to read, but should you choose a paid subscription, it will greatly support the sustainability of The Navigation. In coming months there will be additional features for paid subscribers, so stay tuned!
If you liked this piece in particular and would like to show some support without a paid subscription, you can still buy me a coffee.
And, if you never pay a penny, your support is still appreciated, whether as a free subscriber or one-off reader!
Enjoy, and happy navigating x