Hey friends,
I've been wrestling with a question for months: how do you build genuine community when you keep moving?
I searched for five years in Georgia, the Arctic, and Madeira. Each time, I hoped the next location would be different. In Georgia, I met incredible people but decided to leave. In the Arctic and Madeira, I retreated into my relationship bubble. When that ended, I finally invested in new connections, only to pack up and leave again.
The pattern was clear: I was the one making community difficult.
Still in the Swiss Alps after another round of program rejections, I felt the familiar tension. My logical brain said "focus on income" while my curiosity whispered "follow the interesting."
Then I discovered a small experimental festival deep in the Swedish countryside while listening to music, buried in the artist's bio. Art, music, nature, community. My first thought: "This sounds amazing." My second: "This is exactly the distraction you can't afford right now."
Wait. Wasn't I searching for community? Here I was, about to dismiss an opportunity because it didn't align with my work plans.
I applied to volunteer that night.
A week later, the rejection came—spots full. That familiar disappointment of being turned down again. But two hours later, another email: they needed one more kitchen volunteer. I got in.
I leave for Sweden around Midsommar, unsure how a festival fits my "master plan." But maybe that's the point. The best discoveries rarely make sense until you're experiencing them.
P.S. I'll be sending these shorter weekly updates to stay connected. What would make those updates more useful to you? Hit reply—I read and respond to every message!
Until next Sunday,
Jesse