Olivia Conde

The Footprints of Return Olivia Conde

I was born and grew up in the countryside of northern Spain near De Santiago de Compostela. My family was extremely religious, and I was constantly afraid of mistakes-everything had to be perfect in obedience. The same was true of relationships with other people. I lived in a very large country house surrounded by landscapes with farm animals. But I didn't want to follow tradition-I was desperate to go live in the city. At the young age of 18, I went to Switzerland and lived there for fifteen years. Life was quite different, as I lived in only one room so I could afford my rent and food. As time passed, I was caught up in a romance with someone who wanted to get married very quickly for the sake of documents. All these things seemed like suffering because they were strange to me, but they were really apprenticeships. The difficulties of life are for growing and sharing wisely. Mistakes and suffering are the best times to wake up. This was a very good experience for me in understanding how to find peace in life. After living in Switzerland, I spent four years in Barcelona and then moved to London, where I have lived for seventeen years. The time of COVID-19 came my way. It made it difficult for me to show my love for others and stopped my work with a group for the elderly offering emotional therapies. I became very tired at home, thinking what work to do. Ideas came to my mind which told me to write poems for my friends. It began by making stories in poems, small histories of the lives of each of my friends. I had thoughts in my dreams in which I was told to write more poems mostly related to the world and history, as well as emotions that surround human thought. Passing the time, ideas came to my mind to keep writing poems. In my daily life, I take moments to write, and that has inspired me to make a book to share. I can only say that everything ahead is always a new day. It's only time that leads us to understand that the reality of happiness is united with unhappiness. However, when understanding, difficult things become one with easy things. The exits of difficulties become faster when time does not exist. So the moment of the present is the strength of the roots that grow, so that in infinity they become part of the whole in the learning of life.