Vacation

I have just returned from a vacation to Italy. My daughter and I spent 10 days seeing Rome, Florence and Venice. We spent time traveling on planes, in cars, buses, trains and boats. We ate lots of pasta, pizza, cheese, cured meats, gelato and drank wine. We walked - a lot of walking, and saw amazing sites, architecture, art, people, history all around us. It was a great time and I am so grateful that I had this opportunity.

Back at home, once I had a day to recover from a 25 hour travel day back to Colorado, it finally hit me why this journey has been so special.

I thought that I was just going on a fun adventure for my birthday with my daughter, but that was only the surface of the entire odyssey. My journey to Italy took me to an Unknown Zone of a different sort. Beyond eating all the delicious food and drinking all the delicious wine that I wanted -  there was the more subtle shift of letting go of my life. That's right folks, I let go of my life. It wasn't that I let go of thinking about my loved ones at home, or the best dog ever - Tucker, or that I didn't post photos daily to Facebook to keep friends and family updated. It wasn't that I didn't attempt to check my emails several times during my stay. It was simply that I left all need to think about clients, work, bills, my future, my purpose in life, my 3rd act in life, signing up for AARP or not, any thought about my life beyond each day that I was experiencing in that moment was just let go of. Completely.

I took a vacation. I don't know if I have ever realized how powerful that is. I haven't taken many vacations in my adult life -  but there have been a few and they have all been wonderful. The difference this time is that I have really gotten the concept of how important it is to take time away from the constant presence of thinking about living my life. While I was in Italy my days were filled simply with getting from point A to point B without getting too lost and finding the next plate of olives and salami, glass of Chianti or cappuccino. Each day pasta, pizza, gelato and which bus, train or water taxi to take consumed my thoughts to the degree that I had no room to worry about my future purpose in life.

I took a vacation and now that I am home, having spent 10 days letting go of my life, I feel energized and excited about leaping back into my life. I have gained clarity and find myself looking forward to all the potential awaiting me.

And that, my sweet daughter, is the true gift you gave me with this wonderful journey you made happen.