The Magic of Morocco | Chefchaouen What Morocco Taught Me About Home

Jun 25
3 min read

There is something so special that happens when you step into a place, a culture, that doesn’t bend to your expectations...nor should you expect it to...quite the other way around in my opinion as a traveler.

Morocco was extraordinary in its own way... everything it had to offer, and the space it put me in while I was there!

When I arrived in Chefchaouen after a 2.5 hour drive from Tangier, my coffee in hand and some really cool sights along the way, I was ready to wander on foot!

I wandered through the incredible blue village, in and out of all the little shops with beautiful leathers, herbs, teas, food goods and so much more!

I made a separate blog post sharing the story of why the village was painted blue and has remained that way, all these years since. You can read that story and see ALL of my pics here.

The streets were so alive with color, music, art and movement. With the guidance from a local... at sunset I made my way uphill to a Spanish Mosque that was tucked into the side of the mountain that overlooked the entire village and waited.... and at around 6:30 pm the call to prayer came over the loud speaker and poured through village below... and the devotion that was displayed was such a blessing to witness! A sacred moment I'll never forget!

Sitting on the wall that bordered the Mosque at sunset

When you're traveling, for a while, it's like stepping into another life.

At first, it’s uncomfortable, but that discomfort quickly becomes the thing that awakens aliveness deep in your spirit...and for me at least, became the feeling that I chase.

You can’t predict every moment.

You don’t understand the language.

You aren’t surrounded by the familiar.

But after a while, something beautiful begins to happen.

You stop trying to recreate home wherever you go and you embrace what is.

You begin to learn how little you need to exist.

Whew, let's take that in for a moment! When we stop trying to create home, or something familiar everywhere we go,... and embrace what is... we are delivered into the present moment so intimately...the connection feels pure instead on contrived- and that can't be reproduced...only allowed again and again.

I only spent on night in Chefchaouen, but I wandered throughout it to see as much as I could! Here are some of my favorite pics from my wanderings!

So many of us spend years trying to make life feel safe before we’ll finally allow ourselves to fully live it.

We wait until we feel more confident.

We wait until we have more money.

We wait until we know exactly what’s going to happen.

Meanwhile, life is unfolding without us.

Morocco reminded me that growth rarely arrives wrapped in comfort, and experiences that I truly felt alive in, included multiple layers of discomfort.

It arrives in conversations with strangers...struggling through the language barrier but finding common grounds in a shared smile.

It arrives while getting lost in old medinas and busy markets.

It arrives over cups of mint tea shared with the locals whose language you don’t speak but whose kindness you immediately understand.

It arrives when you release the illusion that every experience needs to fit neatly inside your expectations.

That’s when you become available for wonder, for inspiration and for lasting growth.

One of the greatest gifts travel has given me isn’t simply seeing beautiful places.

It’s remembering that I am still capable of being inspired-and there is no better feeling than that!

And perhaps that’s what living a spirited life really means.

Not chasing constant excitement.

Not escaping everyday life.

But remaining open enough that every experience, even the unfamiliar ones, has the opportunity to shape you into someone wiser, softer, more courageous, and more alive.

Morocco didn’t just show me a different culture.

It reminded me that life becomes infinitely richer the moment we stop resisting what we don’t yet understand, and simply say YES to our heart.

That lesson came home with me.

And I hope it never leaves.

Journal Prompt

What would happen, if you decided to live as if you had nothing to lose? And be completely unafraid to be alive.

Wishing you the most lovely, gentle day!

All my heart,