Thank you. Thank you for sending me off and welcoming me back. Thank you for the break and the encouragement to take a real break.
This wasn’t merely time away from the office. I didn’t try my usual mixed up stay-cation, I went on a true vacation. For the first time in years, I vacated my responsibilities and left them behind. Generous people took care of the ones that couldn’t wait.
Thich Nhat Hanh calls the accumulated layers that keep us from being fully present – the dust of the world. I rested, played hard, and laughed a lot. As the dust washed off, a new old me shone through. I’m still smiling in recognition and appreciation.
I left Hendersonville, drove to Florida, and flew to Panama with two lifelong friends, along with one of their 16-year-old sons. We spent the first few days in Panama City and toured the canal.
We then visited some friends on the Azuero peninsula near Playa Venao. But for the rest of the month we settled into a comfortable hostel on a fairly undeveloped cove along the Pacific coast. Our routine, if you could call it that, began with Tai Chi on the beach at dawn, and was filled with surfing, fixing meals, reading a little, writing less often than we thought we would, doing small projects and going on hikes or an occasional day trip or two. Include a few afternoon naps in the hammock, and that about covers it. It feels like I pushed the reset button on “alive” and “awake.”
But I almost missed or messed up one of the most important gifts of the trip.
I thought I’d have lots of free time. I thought there’d be enough extra time to easily fit in a little work and stay in phone contact. So, I came prepared to do just that, only to find there was no wi-fi and the only cell phone reception was 200 meters away at the magic tree.
The wooden sign next to the bar summed it up perfectly: “No Wi-Fi. Go Surf.” And that’s what we did.
It takes 21 days to create new habits. I haven’t been back long enough to know if, or how long the effects will last, but I like being a little more unplugged and able to check in on news headlines only once or twice a day and to do it on my terms. I like being better able to take a break.
I didn’t just get away. I got out of touch. And that is the point. I got out of touch with “the world,” and in touch with myself. For the first time in a long time, I thought for myself. I like feeling awake. I like feeling more alive. I like surfing the real waves of my life and loves and intentions. I think we all do.
With so much going on and happening around us, I know this column is very much out of touch in important and real ways. But it’s my way of naming and bringing back a gift from the journey. Getting back in touch, all the while hoping to somehow keep in touch with the love and power and joy that lives in each and every one of us.
Surf’s up. So, dust yourself off. Life is living and loving as we speak. It’s good to be back. It’s good to be home.