Few things exhilarate me more than foreign travel. Niggles of fear propel me to the far reaches of my comfort zone, inviting me to drop any resistance and let myself flourish.

Case in point? My recent 2 weeks licking, sipping, and breathing my way around Italy left an indelible imprint on my heart, my soul, and my outlook. I've returned to my home routine grounded, content, and deeply present.

I also tucked many juicy moments into the marrow of my bones and get to reexperience those feels at any time. It's like vakay on repeat!

Because YOLO, I made this getaway as sweet as cherry crunch gelato and tacked on an extra week of travel for play and adventure with my 2 salsa gal pals A and K who came along.

The core reason I took this trip was to complete my continuing education hours necessary to renew my massage license next year. A breath, body, and sound healing retreat in southern Tuscany? Sign me up! More on this experience later.

This trip, like all others before it, reminded me why I love to travel and offered me the chance to (re)learn some critical life lessons.

1. When it Italy, always have 1 € coins on hand. Many public potties charge a fee to pee and when ya gotta go, ya gotta pay. The upside of this system is that most restrooms are clean and well stocked with TP and soap. The downside is if you don't have the coinage, you better have strong pelvic floor muscles and the capacity to breathe deeply to quell the urge to purge.
2. Knowing even a few words of the local language is a good thing. I Duolingo'd my way to basic competency in the half-year prior to my trip. In my spare time, I filled my ears with Italian pop music and stories told by native speakers to warm up my ears. I tried ordering and asking in Italian as often as I could. I failed frequently and tried some more. That's how I learn. I didn't die.
3. Often, you're not lost; you're just about to discover a gem! With mobs of people using Google maps all at once the app tanked on the daily, leading my friends and me on dizzying, serpentine routes along cobblestone streets. One afternoon in Florence our "wrong turns" led us to the most delightful yarn shop on a quaint side street. For my friend A, a talented knitter, this shop was nirvana! And, while K and I am are not people who tie knots around needles, we let A take allllll the time she needed browsing and asking questions of the drop-dead gorgeous shopkeeper who we've come to call "Tommás.” A wee bit of a show-off, Tommás wove rhythmic, needle-clicking stitches whilst making eye contact with his customers, trying (and not succeeding) to distract our swooning selves with both his beautiful accent and his ability to excite anyone about wool, pashmina, or cotton threads. Lost, schmost! With rewards like this, lead me astray anytime! (And yes, A bought some stunning yarn.)
4. You can savor a moment of pleasure, just for you, and be simply magnetizing, no effort required. I've experienced this a few times this year and now the universe keeps sending me loving reminders that THIS is the path of least resistance. While craning my neck to gaze at a painted ceiling in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, a docent came to stand beside me. We made small talk, he muddling his way through English and me Italian. Before I knew it he was asking me out for a drink. He politely persisted, asking for my company that afternoon or evening or sometime the following day. I declined his invitation and giggled on the inside as I realized this: being immersed in what brings me joy draws people into my circle like flies on honey. I don't need to do so much. I can just be.

After a week of non-stop sightseeing in Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Siena, we tucked in at Le Pianore, a family-run organic farm and restful getaway nestled in a lush mountain valley.

We watched the olive harvest and dunked bread into the fruity, liquid gold oil 3 times a day. We were nourished with field-to-table meals, each repast better than the one put on the table before.

On retreat, our days were a blend of guided, conscious breathwork that led my classmates and me to much needed emotional and fascial release. We chanted and sang, we danced in meditative rhythms, we stared endlessly at sunrises and inky blue-black skies full of twinkling stars, all intended to quiet our fritzing nervous systems.

During partnered breath activities, I fell back in love with the power of observing process. So much of my work with clients is just that: allowing whatever needs to shift to have a safe container in which to move.

Like the moments of joy I experienced outside of the retreat, those snippets in time where I was truly embodied, being in this healing educational space was yet another divine voice whispering, "Jen, you don't have to do so much."

I know that my most profound healing tool is my unwavering presence and my compassion for who and what is showing up. Being on retreat reminded me why this matters.

I think the core lesson of being over doing, shown to me during times of child-like play as a tourist and times of practice on retreat, is so fitting for the season.

Outside my window, Mother Nature is fluttering leaves toward the earth as if to say, "Let go, put down the weights you can no longer carry, and rest close to the earth. Be."

Despite the challenge and busyness of your life, how can you prioritize your BEINGNESS over the incessant push to DO MORE?

Hope you'll cozy up with me soon,

Jen (she/her)