Some people appear in our life just for a brief moment, yet they have a powerful message for us. The last thing I expected after arriving into the hotel in the middle of the Caribbean rain forest was to meet an angel looking lady. She was tall, slim, of a respectful age, with a hat and sunglasses. I barely could see her face; her body posture was elegant and strong.
In a very short moment, while our luggage was being unloaded, she appeared next to me and said: “Breathe and decompress. That’s why you are here.” Then, she was gone.
The location my husband and I chose for our vacation was not a typical tourist place. A secluded resort, at the end of the road, surrounded by hills, with a rocky beach. No cell phone signal. No village nearby. A perfect place to retreat from the business of the world.
In my life, I have travelled a lot, and my vacations were usually full of activities, rushing from one place to another. But the older I am (and yes, I just turned 40), the more I appreciate the opportunity to just “be” during vacation, have no schedule, no sightseeing or other action-oriented goals.
I know that an idea of “doing nothing” may sound a bit scary. We live in a society where action is highly valued. It is hard to “unplug” ourselves from the outer world and spend time sorting our thoughts. But when else shall we listen to our inner guidance and our intuition if not during our time off?
I came to this little island with several intentions. I wanted to reflect on my life so far, and also to get guidance on the next steps of my personal and professional journey. I journaled a bit, took naps, watched a brown pelican eating his fish, contemplated over my favorite book Loveability by Robert Holden and, most importantly, listened to the ocean. The sound of the ocean was powerful, ever-present, a bit uncomfortable at the beginning (it was really loud) and very meditative.
During the whole stay, I was somehow hoping to see the angel lady again. She did appear in the end, only several minutes before our departure. She was talking to other people and didn’t notice me at all (what a disappointment!). I wanted to tell her that her advice works.
When we allow ourselves to relax, truly relax,
we create a space to connect to our heart and hear what we normally don’t hear.
So, let’s breathe and decompress 🙂
