Lucy Caldwell
Jul 27, 2017 · 2 min read

Recently on a trip to the Greek island of Santorini, I stumbled upon a magical little bookstore built like a cave that functioned more like a secret portal into our collective imagination. My daughter and I were absorbed with every book, each beautifully curated with hand written notes. It was so hard to pick just one or two to lug home in our over stuffed suit cases. I finally decided on one that called out to me above the others — maybe I’ll bring this one home to my Mom, I thought. I felt attached to it as well, as with all truly great treasures and so it sits unassigned on my nightstand, still wrapped in paper. Fast forward several weeks and I was visiting my Mom in Santa Cruz and after dinner she said she had been saving a very special movie to watch with me from the 1960’s that had made a huge impact on her life and exposed her to other cultures and helped kindle her interest in travel which eventually took her to my birthplace of Mexico. We switched on the movie and low and behold it was Zorba the Greek, the very same story the called out to me oceans away in a little cave of a book store. Somewhere in the brilliance and hard earned life wisdom and overflowing zeal for life reflected in this character, I saw my now deceased father, and pieces of myself. There are strands of truth and parallel stories that run throughout our lives, molding us and shaping into who we are and who we are yet to become. Every so often they reveal themselves for a moment.

“You have everything but one thing: madness. A man needs a little madness or else — he never dares cut the rope and be free.”
Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

Lucy Caldwell

Written by

Social Psychologist, Cultural Vanguard, Mother, Author. Passionate about leading a deeply engaged life.

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