It’s been a while. And look at who has grown up, got a family and two kids. Granted, it took me a few years to get back to myself. Being a mom changes things. Your perspective, your looks, the way you think and live, and can handle logistics as well as laundry- lots of laundry. I feel like I am a more evolved, optimised version of myself, while at the same time always lacking in some way I didn’t before. From a snack, I’ve turned into a happy meal.

I changed jobs, countries, and lives. I’ve lived. While obviously not everyone wants kids, and I cannot pretend I don’t understand that for some people, I feel like for me, kids made me into a real person. Enhanced what was already there and stripped the unimportant parts. Took my time, but gave me character, as difficult things usually do. Or maybe just uncovered what was initially there. They made me fierce, but also milder and more unbothered.

And all the while, I’ve managed to travel. For me, for work, together with my family, as well as alone and with friends. While my trip to Asia seems like a distant dream, we’ve managed to see lots of Spain, Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy together. And for a family that started with a 2-under-2, that is an accomplishment, I think.

I even did a few solo trips – to my lovely Macedonia recently, the USA for work, and a couple’s trip to Serbia at the beginning of the year.

I can almost taste a solo trip to Asia somewhere in my future, though- calling me, asking me to do something stupid, and just for me. It’s difficult to be selfish and be a mom. There’s no space for it. And lots of guilt everywhere. But I do want to be brilliantly alive. So there’s that.