Travel Stories

Italy

October 7, 2020

“What you do when nobody is watching matters the most”

“Man, basketball helps me to preserve my sanity. The game is just so pure, all you need is a ball. That’s it, you don’t even need a hoop or other people, you can just practice your game on the street. I’m in Rome now for 3 years, I found a job at a restaurant where they didn’t mind that I had no papers. I used to crack jokes with the customers and the tip was so great that I started to send money over to my family in Africa. I was happy, than the pandemic hit and everything changed. From one day to another all restaurants closed down and I lost my job like that.⁠
BAM. Sometimes life punches you in the mouth you know. It took me a while to punch back. ⁠

I was devasted, I had nobody to turn to, the government wouldn’t take care of illegal immigrants, so I had to take the last 40 euros I had and buy a tent. The worst thing about living in those tent cities is that you can’t relax anymore, all that separates you from criminals and drug addicts is a tiny little fabric.⁠

What helped me through that time was that I had my basketball with me in my tent. I even named that fucker, his name is billy the ball haha⁠
It sounds ridiculous, but that ball helped me to overcome that period of my life. The value of some things can only be discovered when everything else is taken away from you. ⁠

The restaurants are open again and I have my old life back.⁠

I’ve learned some things about myself while I was living in that tent, one of those things was that I am stronger than I thought. People offered me shady ways to make money but I did not betray my god or my family. Not even for a day.”⁠

October 7, 2020

“Sometimes you just have to say fuck it and smile upon your own misfortune” ⁠

One of my favorite encounters of my last journey through Europe was with the rather “different” gentleman that you see on this picture. ⁠

Even though he was homeless and obviously in a world of hurt he smiled and told me that he has faith that things will soon get better for him. ⁠

It always amazes me how unbelievable resilient people can be under unbearable conditions. ⁠

In the conversation with this man I learned that he lost his job, his family, his money, his health, and his friends. ⁠

What he did not lose however was his ability to smile.⁠

How this individual managed to preserve hope and optimism is beyond my understanding of the human psyche.⁠

Happiness isn’t produced by having everything handed to you on a silver platter, it is produced by surviving one storm after another until you outgrow your current catastrophe. ⁠

There is more to you than meets the eye, don’t forget to occasionally show the world your middle finger and act in spite of your suffering. ⁠

October 7, 2020

“I’ve been through it all”

I’ve met this old beautiful lady while I was flaneuring through the city of Rome. ⁠

Even though Ramina didn’t speak a lick of English, I had one of the most curative conversations of my recent time with her. ⁠

I just couldn’t stop marveling at her deep wrinkles, it was as if each one of them wanted to tell me a story that was overflowing with hard-earned wisdom. ⁠

This year has been one of the toughest chapters of my life.⁠

I lost a woman who meant the world to me, I’ve had to let go of friends who I thought were my family, I lost my home and my entrepreneurial pursuits ate up every single buck I ever accumulated. ⁠

Yet, when I gazed into the pitch-black eyes of Ramina I felt a sense of relief and faith. ⁠

It was as if she was saying “I know, I’ve been in your shoes and I also felt the urge to quit but you are exactly where you need to be and this character-building year will give birth to the person that you need to become”.⁠

Whoever is reading this, I want to acknowledge your courage and resiliency for fighting a battle nobody knows about. ⁠

Unfortunate is the person who never had to live through adversity for as they are robbed of the opportunity of discovering what they were truly capable of. ⁠

FREE Habit Builder

Get my guide to tap into the power of habit formation for free.

Daniel Karim
Follow Me

© Daniel Karim