Lessons from Vacation

I just got back from a two-week vacation in Chile.

A real vacation. Not the kind where you work in the morning and take the afternoon off.

I did not take my computer with me. I tried not to think about everything waiting for me at home. I trusted good people to take care of the horses. The book is already out, so there is no more editing, second-guessing or fussing with it.

So, I rested.

I slept.

I read.

I knitted.

I sat by the pool.

I visited cousins. We went to the beach and to vineyards.

I ate well.

I drank pisco sours, Chilean wine, and Austral Calafate beer.

I prayed.

I meditated.

I walked.

And somewhere in the middle of all that, something inside me settled back into alignment.

Coming home, I realized I want to hold on to a few lessons from the trip.

1. Stop knocking on doors that don’t open.

Instead, walk through the ones that do. Happily, and without overthinking.

2. Keep learning and growing.

That is what energizes me. When I am learning, I feel alive. Keep dancing and doing fun things.

3. Slow down. Way down.

Just because I have an idea does not mean I need to act on it immediately. Inspiration is wonderful. Overwhelm is not. Some ideas need space before they become action.

4. Take real vacations without guilt.

Rest is not laziness. It is maintenance.

And above all of this:

Keep asking God to lead.

I forget this daily. I start believing I am the one in control.

But every time I pause long enough to listen, the path becomes clearer.

Maybe that is the real lesson.

Sometimes the best way to move forward is to stop pushing so hard and simply be still long enough to hear where you are meant to go.

Interestingly, this is also what the horses teach me. Clarity. Patience. Presence. The conversation always works better when we stop forcing and start listening.