Living in a Scottish Castle for a Month

The castle fam

my bedroom

aurora borealis

walks by the water :)

laura's bday dinner!

many nature walks

grapes for grape juice

picking raspberries

rainy day vibes

a nice moment

cloudy the free roaming horse

the day i left, we were all crying

thanking reinold (87 yo owner of the castle)

edinburgh

edinburgh

edinburgh

edinburgh

edinburgh

Writing about my time volunteering in a castle has been challenging. With so many layers, phases, and inside jokes, the stay was kind of a "You just had to be there for any of this to make sense," type of experience. Considering that, instead of going into detail play by play, I've decided to rely on the images to convey the general idea of this work exchange. I am so so grateful to have met such kind hearted, supportive, and fun loving people throughout my time there. It was a once in a lifetime experience :)

For the rest of this month’s blogie postie, I would like to dive into what I learned, or was reminded of, in October.

Molly's Castle Realizations 

• Acclimation to even the wildest of circumstances is inevitable. Similar to how the newness of a recently bought house or car eventually wears off, as time goes on, no matter what I'm doing, it seamlessly becomes my "normal;" even living in a castle. This is a good reminder to make sure whatever I'm deciding to do with my time is what I actually want to be doing, because I'm going to get used to it.

  
  

• Being a giver is a lot easier in a group of other givers. I suppose that is the point of community in general, where everyone has a role and they are contributing to the group as a whole.

  
  

• Patience does not go unnoticed. I went into October with the intention of being more patient, and I had others point out this quality in me multiple times throughout the month.

  
  

• Intention is empty without action. "What small actions do I need to take each day to become the person I want to be?" I checked in with myself every week with this question in mind, and made a list of the actions I aspired to add into each day, like meditating, doing yoga, and reading, that would bring me closer to the qualities I am working towards embodying.

  
  

• Believing in yourself is a lot easier when people around you make you feel like your success is inevitable. Many of us at the stay were pivoting our life path in order to focus more on what really makes us enjoy life. While it can be scary to change your mind, there are sooo many other people in the exact same position who understand your reasonings and will wholeheartedly support you.

  
  

• Balance and moderation is the most powerful theme that applies to every aspect of my life.

  
  

• It is important to have a community where you can share your beliefs without fear of judgement.

  
  

• It is hard to dislike someone that you truly attempt to understand.

  
  

• I now love honey. I used to never eat it.

  
  

• Showing up as you are without explanation is the least draining way to exist. 

Alrighty, this concludes my blog post. Peace out!!!

Molly <3