Embrace This One Life

I just spent 2 weeks at the beach in Grand Cayman. A few years ago we invested in a little condo unit there, and the weeks we spend there each year as a family have become a ritual of life that is sacred to me. Preserving slivers of life for these sacred moments is a renewal from the chaos of the other moments. Those modern moments of running a family. Where I lean on my phone too much. Where instant access allows me to add length but not depth to my to-do list. Where my kids and I are shuttling and commuting to get to all the places we “NEED” to be. Then I get to the beach. Seduced by the ocean, I put down the tech. I live out of one suitcase. I drive on the wrong side of the road in a white, non-descript rental van. Our family of five snuggles tight in 2 slightly dated bedrooms like a throwback from a beach vacation movie of the 90s. I heal in the salt and get space to laugh and cry without agenda. It is prime preserved beach front on 7 mile beach. Yet undeveloped by large developers, though

There has been much ado about a little book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  A book about purging your life and your home to make space and sanctuary for what matters.  It’s worth the hype.  The book is innovative in its approach.  It’s direct.  You reconsider how you live every day. The author, Marie Kondo, also got me thinking about another form of life changing magic.  Girl time.  A soulful kind of making space. Time when you get together.  Let your hair down and let go.  Let go of negative energy and fill your tank. Time we realize as humans that we all encounter the same bullshit that weighs us down.  When that happens, we need to purge a little.  Tidy up our souls.  Start fresh. This weekend, I gave myself an early birthday gift.  I attended a “Living your Yoga” women’s retreat at Tres Lunas Resort in Mason, Texas.  Hosted by dear friends Aline Hanle and Iva Drtina-Hall, my intention was to enjoy girl time, yoga and connection.  To step out of mom mode for a second and recapture some time to be “just a girl” myself. I received so much more.  I began the weekend unwrapping a small Dove chocolate candy.  Inside the wrapper it read, “Because you can.” On day one of the retreat, it just