One Month in Latvia: What I’m Learning About Movement, Meaning, and Myself

Vanessa Harris
Aug 4
4 min read

Just over a month ago, I packed my life into a few suitcases and boarded a plane to Latvia. Not for vacation. Not for escape. But for something harder to define: clarity, maybe. Or meaning. A deeper understanding of who I am when everything familiar is stripped away.

In my first article about this journey, I shared that I came here seeking more than just a change of scenery. I wanted a change of rhythm. A new relationship with work, with movement, with life itself. And now, a month in, I can honestly say: that shift is happening.

But not in the ways I expected.

From Stillness to Strength

The last few years of my life have been defined by loss, transition, and healing. I gave myself permission to slow down, to rest, to rebuild from the inside out. That season was vital. It taught me how to hold myself with compassion. How to let go of pressure and perfectionism. How to trust my intuition, even when it led me away from the life I had carefully built.

Now, here in Latvia, a new season is unfolding. One that asks for movement, not just physical, but emotional and energetic. My workdays are long, but layered. I teach fitness classes and organize recreation programs, which means I am constantly moving. Walking, demonstrating, planning, adapting. But I also get to retreat into quieter moments. Designing programs behind the scenes, sipping coffee on rain-drenched patios, and carving out time to write.

There is balance here. A rhythm that feels both demanding and deeply aligned.

A Culture That Moves

Something I didn’t anticipate before arriving is how deeply ingrained movement is in the Baltic lifestyle. People here walk. Everywhere. Nature isn’t something you go to. It is just part of daily life. Parks, forests, the seaside… they are woven into the fabric of the everyday. And people make time for it. Even after long workdays.

It’s not about chasing fitness goals or hitting macros. It’s about living well. Living in your body. Moving not to fix yourself, but to feel yourself.

This mindset has rubbed off on me in the best way. After completing the 75 Hard Challenge, which I will be reflecting on in more detail in an upcoming article, I feel physically strong again. But more importantly, I feel ready to push myself, in ways that are aligned, not punishing. I know when to go hard, and I know when to step back. Latvia has helped sharpen that intuition.

Space to Reconnect

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the relationships blooming here. I’ve met people who feel like they’ll be in my life forever. Not because we’ve had decades together, but because we’ve shared stories over walks in the forest, trained side by side in the gym, laughed over language mix-ups, and held space for each other in this shared experience of being far from home.

I’ve started learning Latvian, French, and Spanish. I’ve travelled through forests that feel untouched by time. I’ve watched the sun set at 11 PM and rise before 4. I’ve sat alone with my journal, and I’ve danced with new friends to music I didn’t understand but could feel in my bones.

All of it, the quiet moments and the connections, is helping me see what matters to me most.

Clarity, Not Certainty

I didn’t come here to find answers. I came to ask better questions. To pay attention. To live deliberately. And in just one month, I’ve learned so much about what I’m willing to work hard for, and where I need to surrender.

Yes, I’m still working a lot. But it’s different now. I’m not in survival mode. I’m not chasing someone else’s idea of success. I’m living in flow, balancing people time with solitude; structure with spontaneity; and movement with stillness.

And for the first time in a long time, I feel deeply okay.

Not because everything is perfect. But because I am aligned with what I value.

I don’t know exactly where this chapter leads. But I do know I’m walking it with intention. And that, to me, feels like meaning.

If you’ve been following along since my move or have been curious about how the 75 Hard Challenge shaped my mindset and habits, stay tuned. My next article will explore exactly that.

In the meantime, I’ll be here. Soaking in the Baltic sun (and rain), breathing in the forest air, and reminding myself that clarity isn’t something you find all at once. It’s something that builds as you live, one mindful moment at a time.

With lightness & curiosity,

Vanessa