Back

Goodbye Sicily | Day 62 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Mar 3, 2023· 3 minutes

We arrived in Sicily in mid-December. Now we are leaving. Sitting on one of the beaches, watching my seventeen-year-old son walking along the coast, I am touched by what Sicily did to us.

It feels like we found a new home. One more.

Our new friends and hosts at Villa Nina shared with us a saying from this Island. “Sicily makes you cry twice: Once when you arrive, and once when you leave.” I get it.

The beauty here makes you cry. The welcoming people. All of the blue colors of the sky and the ocean. The special light of the sunset. The produce. The mix of cultures, the layers of history.

It is with heavy hearts we will cross the Strait of Messina today. Yet, I am sure when we set foot on the Italian boot, little butterflies will wake up in our stomachs as new horizons await.

We stayed six weeks in beautiful Vila Nina in the southeast and another five weeks of driving around the whole island. Still, there is a lot to come back to. We never visited Erice or Taromna; we were barely inland and did not explore the volcano. We did not visit any of the surrounding islands.

It is wonderful to know there is a lot to come back to, and it is lovely to have fallen in love with a new place on the planet.

This Is the insight of today. Goodbyes are not sad. They are always Au Revoir, “See you again.” Goodbye means I love you, and I will take you with me in my heart. Thank you for this time, thank you for you. It means to trust in the process of life. It means new adventures await. It means this is good, and other options are good as well. 



We say goodbye all the time, and it does not leave us sad. We feel the love, not the deprivation. We feel grateful, not sad. We acknowledge that: “Time is a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff” - therefore, so is goodbye.

We are here now, always, and forever.

Under the stars.

In time.

And space.

Love and light

Cecilie-Underskrift-300x133

Cecilie Conrad


Thank you for reading

I would love to hear from you. Listen to your thoughts and reflections - or praise :) It is often emotional to share our lives like this, and we get very happy when we get feedback from you. So feel free to share a comment below 😋 

See more images on Facebook

Join us as we navigate life's challenges, finding solace in each other and in the rich cultural tapestry of Huichol art. A story of love, healing, an…Read more
We embrace the beauty of life's unstructured paths. We enjoy the simple moments, from marveling at street art to hunting for board games and art supp…Read more
I'm balancing family, work, and travel. It's a journey of finding joy in the most unexpected moments. On top, I'm trying to maintain my writing strea…Read more
I resisted the urge to take pictures and found magic in the everyday. A day's journey in local authenticity and unexpected enlightenment. Read more
Birds. Sugar. Jesus. Balance. The simple joys of life, like sharing a cup of coffee with loved ones. Discover how a mundane moment can hold profound …Read more
Delve into the heart of cultural immersion as we navigate the delicate balance between observing and participating in local traditions. Join us in re…Read more
Explore the profound traditions of Dia De Los Muertos through our personal journey of remembrance and cultural discovery. From sacred altars to vibra…Read more
Join me on my personal journey through Mexico as I navigate writing a book with a lifelong friend, unschooling my children, and embracing the vibrant…Read more
Join our family adventure as we discover the untamed remnants of Mayan culture in Playa del Carmen's exclusive community—no tickets, no crowds, just …Read more