If you met me when I first moved to Spain, you probably met the version of me who was still trying to control everything. The girl with the color-coded calendar, the tight timelines, and the habit of booking appointments like life was a series of back-to-back meetings. I was still moving like America was chasing me.
I’d land in a new place and immediately be like, Okay, let me find a dentist, schedule this appointment, and knock out three errands by 2 p.m. Because in my mind, being productive meant being in control, and control made me feel safe.
But then Spain stepped in and said, in the gentlest, most nonchalant way:
“Girl… chill.”
It started with small things. A package arrived days later than expected. A store randomly closed for siesta. I showed up late to a dentist appointment, breathless with apologies, only for them to look at me like, late? You’re basically early. Spain has this built-in softness. Things still get done… just not always when you think they will. And that’s the point.
Maybe it’s just me trying to stay positive while I wait on my paperwork and trying not to spiral over whether they accidentally misspelled my name, but honestly, even with all the bureaucracy, there’s something undeniably different about life here. Slower. More intentional. You feel it right away.
Even if you’re only in Spain for a weekend or a week, the pace is different. It’s not just about long lunches or siestas; it’s in the air. The energy is softer. People move like they have time, like they’re actually living in their day, not racing through it. And it makes you want to do the same, even when you’re refreshing your email for that one very important document.
Somewhere along the way, I loosened my grip. I stopped planning every hour like the day owed me something. I stopped forcing things to happen on my timeline. I became… gentler. With myself, with others, and with time.
Now, I take things day by day. I let mornings stretch a little longer. I say yes to spontaneous walks, last-minute meetups, and quiet afternoons where “doing nothing” is the whole plan. I trust that if I just show up, life will meet me there. No rush. No tight agenda.
It’s not that I’ve lost my drive, trust me, the ambition is still there, but it’s wrapped in something softer now. I don’t run on urgency the way I used to. I flow more. I breathe more. And I finally understand that slow doesn’t mean stuck. Sometimes, slow is sacred.
One thing I’ve noticed about Spaniards? They really make use of the entire day. Like, the whole thing. Mornings start early, but there’s this beautiful pause in the middle, the siesta, the sacred act of slowing down when the sun is too hot, and life says, rest a little. Then, they’re back at it. Working until 8, maybe even later, and somehow still finding the energy to meet friends for dinner at 9 or 10 like it’s no big deal. Bedtime? Midnight, easily.
It’s not chaotic, it’s fluid. There’s this natural rhythm to the way they live, like time stretches just a little more here. They don’t cram their lives into rigid blocks or the traditional 9-5 schedule. They let their days breathe. And I think that’s rubbing off on me, too. I’m no longer racing through my hours. I’m living in them.
Spain didn’t just change my schedule. It changed my spirit. And honestly? I like this version of me more. She’s softer, she’s still doing big things, and she just stopped sprinting through all of them.
Love always,
American Girl Meets World
