Ikaria was more beautiful than I ever imagined. My pictures don’t do the island justice. I believe that this beauty is what encourages the people of Ikaria to get up every day and venture outside to enjoy their surroundings. Greece is 80% mountains and this allows for beautiful views as you drive and hike around the island. The same is true in Athens as we walked to the Acropolis and we were able to look down over the city of Athens. One evening a few of us walked to Areopagus (Mars Hill) where the Apostle Paul preached. We watched the sunset from the top of the hill.
Since I have returned, I have been asked if I learned the secret to living a long life. My aha! moment was realizing that they have a sense of purpose. A reason to get out of bed every day. We met the 90 year old man who walks down the mountain twice a day to feed his sheep. The grandmother who gets up every morning to make breakfast for her family and the woman who milks the goats and makes cheese. It made me realize that we try to protect our parents and elderly family members by taking away their daily chores to make life easier for them. These tasks are often the reason that encourages them to get up move and remain active.
Another lesson that I learned is to live with nature. They eat what is in season and they consume very little processed food. We ate broccoli, cabbage, and greens from their garden. We stayed in Nas which is at sea level so it doesn’t get below freezing there so they are able to grow winter vegetables.
The third lesson I learned was to enjoy what you do, slow down, and try to avoid stress. We have become a society that is always in a hurry. I was reminded of my youth growing up on a farm and the time spent on the front porch. We shelled a lot of peas and snapped hundreds of green beans on that front porch as well as had great conversations in the evening. I am going to make more of an effort to enjoy my surroundings and stop sweating the small stuff and take time to have a cup of tea.
Jane Horner
