It has been several weeks since my last post. Since then, I have had several topics pop up in my head that I want to write about. I have never been a true writer as you have probably picked up on in my past post typos and misuse of grammar - ha! However, I have realized it is the best way for you to get to know me and for me to send out what I consider vital health and wellness information. Since launching my new business, I have had to explore how to balance my many jobs of being a wife, mother, caretaker, home chef, animal caregiver and personal assistant to all my people;). All the things – right? I know you can relate! We can all relate to the “busi-ness” of life and how easy it can be to get caught up and run out of time. I decided at the beginning of June that I would give myself a few weeks to adjust to this – focus on my clients, my kids and get through the stresses and enjoyment of travel and vacation. Now, I’m back and excited to share with you all my health tips! I have so many topics oozing out of my brain. I want to go over all of them, all at once – it’s the excitement of telling a story but not sure where to start and really wanting to get to the end so we can sit back, laugh or cry chiming in with commits and recollections. I want everyone to live their best life and I want to explore with you what that looks like in your life and how you can navigate the best path that will get you to your ultimate destination! I want to help you tell your story!
During this past vacation, Ben and I went to Greece and explored many of the beautiful islands in the Aegean Sea. We had the most amazing time visiting these islands, sailing, swimming in the brilliant navy-blue waters, enjoying the company of sweet friends and meeting new ones too! I have found myself reflecting on our trip as we told and retold our adventures. I have a saying that always comes up in my head is Less Is More. This trip describes that to a tee! When we begin planning this vacation almost 2 years ago, we knew we wanted to go on a sailing adventure and in the Mediterranean sounded even more incredible. If you have ever been on a sailboat, you realize you do not have much space so therefore you cannot bring your typical vacation attire. I was okay with that, I thought! Packing for this trip seemed tricky. One of the requirements was to pack in collapsible luggage that could be easily stowed on the boat, so a rolling suitcase was not an option. I love a good challenge, and this was a good one! I can say I successfully packed a backpack’s worth of clothing, toiletries, swimwear including coverups, flip flops, water shoes and a pair of sneakers for 10 days and I was able to carry – on versus checking my bag. Yes – I carried on!! I still cannot believe it. The Delta attendant had never heard of someone flying halfway across the world and NOT checking a bag! He gave Ben a high five and thought this would keep me from shopping while I was there – not a chance:)
See I didn’t need fancy clothing, shoes, or jewelry to make my experience extraordinary. A couple of bathing suits, coverups, shorts, tank tops, flip flops and sneakers gave me the best experience I could have ever imagined. Ben and I are easy-going simple people but less can be so much MORE when you take away some of the silly stresses of our day-to-day life. You can be present, live and experience the world for what it is. I really took in the beauty of the Mediterranean, the water, the sea life, and the people of Greece. We walked through historical ruins and were refreshed on the many ancient God’s and Greek Mythology. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t care what I looked like, and I wasn’t worried about it. Now while planning the trip – I was worried about not having all my tools – my hairdryer being the most important! Without the ability to dry my hair, use a proper shower and have a mirror large enough to put on makeup – it could be easily described as camping on a boat. The less time it took me to “get ready” every day gave me MORE time to enjoy the views, talk with Ben and our traveling companions. Now don’t get me wrong, after a week on the boat – I took a shower long enough to flood our room a bit and enjoyed every minute it took me to dry my hair! It feels good to dress up, put on makeup and enjoy a good blowout but it doesn’t necessarily make the experience better it is only a matter of perception.
This saying can be applied to many things in my life, and to other aspects of this trip. I worked out less but moved MORE, giving my body the time to truly relax and recover. I ate less of my typical diet but enjoyed MORE fresh island foods and tried new dishes. I spent less time on my phone checking emails and social media but took MORE pictures capturing our adventure. I ran less but walked MORE enjoying the flowers and culture of the islands. I bought less souvenirs but talked MORE with the shop owners and people of the various islands. Most importantly I spent less time worrying about my appearance and spent MORE time enjoying my vacation!
Let me ask you – what could you do less in your life that would provide MORE enjoyment, MORE time and allow you to be MORE present?