Full on. Then? Kaput. I have that pattern.
By the time you’re reading this, I’ve just finished walking the West Highland Way in Scotland—another vitality reset. Three years ago it was the Camino, 16 days from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela. And the Camino? I highly recommend. It is much more than a walk. It is a pilgrimage, whether you plan it that way or not.
I’m sure there’s beauty in a steadier approach. And wisdom. Perhaps some day I’ll find it. 😉
While I reset, some reflections from the Camino in 2023:
I needed this break. This year has been a challenge for me. I rather feel like I won the pandemic compared to so many. I sheltered in the beauty of my beloved Fiji, I fought back loneliness being separated from my children for nearly two years, and I started sharing transformational Quantum Surfing—a philosophy, refreshing perspective and way of life I’ve cultivated for over a decade.
But post-pandemic blues have been a thing. A bit like an engine that won’t rev. Sputtering with starts and stops. We re-opened the resort in 2022, and I sprinted to close the year with a TEDx in Toronto. But 5 months into 2023 I was chronically ill with headaches, gut upsets and zippo energy. In May my accountant said, “Monica, you don’t sound like yourself.” I burst into tears, and he wisely urged me to take a break. Bless him.
When you’ve lost your vitality, you lose your access to joy. To balance. To your very life force. You run on fumes. Short term band-aids don’t deliver the fixes. You watch your energy ebb. You may still laugh and smile, but you realize that you are missing. The structure of you may still be operating, but you are not present.
I took a long break. I was overdue for the power of the pause. And I highly recommend the same.
I flew to Spain. I took walks on the beach. I ate nourishing food. And mostly I slept. A lot. I hadn’t been sleeping well for a long time, frequently waking for hours during the night. In Spain I switched on siesta mode. That was a lifesaver.
Then I flew to Portugal to walk the Camino Santiago over 16 days from Porto to Santiago de Compostela. What a gorgeous adventure. Step by step I was energized and renewed. I felt genuinely happy, even giddy. And by day 12, my next life chapter started to reveal itself. Without me having to think about it. The pieces simply fell into place.
Walking and sharing, we see and experience more beauty. We gain perspective. And we feel more deeply, appreciate more deeply, love more deeply.
Like a shimmering reflection on a wave, we’re all leaving a golden trail behind us. From time to time, turn around. Take in its magnificence.
All of us, in motion, together.