I recently returned home from a three-week trip to the UK with my daughter Nicole. Nicole is an ambitious, experienced traveler making ease of the travel logistics. So when she said okay, we're going for three weeks and covering three countries my first reaction was wow with a mix of hesitation, seeing all of that as a bit of travel, but my second response was okay, I am down! Our mother/daughter's annual/semiannual trip started with Nicole as a high school senior. At age 7, she aspired to play the fiddle, and after years of fiddle lessons with the perfect teacher combined with the school orchestra, she became pretty good at playing. So, we always said that when you graduate high school, we are going to Ireland to find the authentic Irish fiddle she loves. During this first trip, we solidified something that now, ten years in it, has become a cherished and very intentional time out together each year as we have moved up into Scotland and parts of England as well.
I share this with you as I come fresh from one of our trips and after coming out of a worldwide pandemic lockdown and missing our trip last year, makes this year especially sweet. In these experiences, we are ignited by life's sparkle. So often, it is easy for us to be too much in our heads about putting off or justifying those big moments in our lives. Permitting ourselves to live into life's sparkle can also be found in all the small moments that make up our time here on earth. Finding the beauty in the mundane and becoming excited about connecting in the most basic experiences is capturing that sparkle.
Becoming intentional about allowing in the sparkle can be tricky. Life requires a lot from us, and everyone around us can seem to think they have a better idea of what that sparkle is for us than we do for ourselves. That's never going to change, so accepting bits and getting beyond the undue influences of what others may think, and moving toward what feels more true for us brings us closer to intentional authenticity. We've all heard of the Bucket List, compiling a list of what it is we want to do before we exit. Why do we wait to count the items on our list rather than living into what counts? Like the Visa credit card commercial says," 20 hour travel day, waiting in the long international customs line, smelling the stinky feet of a guy on the airplane for 8 hours, living out of a suitcase for three weeks with my own stinky, spending quality uninterrupted time with my girl..... PRICELESS." Live into your life now and into all the many seemingly mundane moments.
Different things make up our Bucket List or offer opportunities to be mindful of life's sparkle. We can wait a long time for a big moment to come about or start noticing the moments along the way. When I arrived home from our trip, which I'll be it is a fantastic opportunity for gratitude, my heart was genuinely whole from the many little moments experienced along the way. We shared energizing walks and talks, endless cups of tea, and laughter in most things as we attempted our not-so-good Scottish accents. Beautiful nature surrounded us, and we did a lot of scheming and dreaming of the future with the relentless search for fairies and the perfect scone. Nicole's impromptu fiddle playing in pubs always a full circle moment was so much fun, along with the many beautiful conversations and commonalities shared with strangers throughout.
Capturing Life's Sparkle isn't always easy; it is a practice, and none of us are perfect at the capture. Become mindful of being intentional about your so-called perpetual Bucket List while being careful not to miss all the little sparkles presented along the way because, in the end, they are in the sum of our experience. Don't wait for the big moments; make the most of every moment by being present and connecting with your life in motion. Of course, there will be trips planned with others, responsibilities, and life will always be adjusting. Still, for now, as long as we're able, we will prioritize this special mother/daughter trip as it has become an important one on our ever-evolving Bucket List. Plan, dream, set big goals, and don't forget to be here right now. Thanks for reading my share; as with all of my posts, I only hope to encourage and inspire.
XO Sparkle Away,
Donna
