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September is here!  Marked with the sounds of shiny school bells and cheerful chattering children, this season rings in a “new year” for students, teachers and parents alike; a new learning voyage and its learning treasures, just waiting to be discovered!  In fact,  this is all I’ve ever known for nearly my entire lifetime—18 years as an ever eager student and 18 years, to follow, as a passionate and dedicated educator.  There hasn’t been a September since I first entered the educational system that I didn’t skip out the front door in a fresh new outfit, lunchbag in hand, ready to hit the books.  Until this year, that is, when I requested a leave of absence from my classroom to explore life on my own terms.

What on earth causes a highly tenured teacher to pack up her classroom and step into the great unknown?  Simply put, her heart.  Her ginormous, overflowing creative heart and the deep tugging at her soul to step out of routine and outside of her comfort levels.  The underlying knowing that life will continue on as she’s always known, if she doesn’t take a chance and switch things up a bit.  The desire to leap at opportunities that have abound, and follow the passions that have gone from silently tapping, to fiercely knocking at her doorstep.  The idea that maybe, just maybe, there is something more to life than repeating the same days over and over again, and that, perhaps, there’s an even greater abundance that could lie on the other side of all of it.

…maybe, just maybe, there is something more to life than repeating the same days over and over again…

Surely the rational minds have decided she’s having a mid-life crisis.  The dreamers, however, know differently.  There’s no doubt there will come a point in your life when you will recognize its impermanence, and with it will come the realization that you’re only given one shot to fulfill your life’s journey.  But, it’s no breakdown to have come to know yourself better than you ever have, and decide you’re not messing around—it’s actually a breakthrough.  You can choose to carry on as usual, ultimately restrained by fear of change, or you can honor your heart and take the road less traveled and figure out the destination as you go.

When you make decisions like these, those that are a little less conventional than some people can be comfortable with, it is very important to share you ideas, hopes, and dreams with people you know will support and encourage you.  Sometimes this means compassionately detaching from those who may try to talk you out of your “crazy idea” based on their own life experiences and fears.  Your story is not theirs.  Reach out to your soul tribe and those people whom you know are your cheerleaders in life—you know who they are.  Or, take the time to go inward and sit with the idea yourself, coming forward only when you feel strong enough in your own will to share.  I did a little bit of both.

Now, don’t get me wrong, charting these unknown waters is as equally terrifying as it is exciting.  Do I have a plan?  Yes.  Have I done my homework to make this leap?  Diligently.  Will it play out the way I hope it to?  Maybe.  Will I be completely carefree?  Highly unlikely.  Do I plan to work hard to make my own dreams and experiences come true?  Absolutely.  Above all, I hope I walk away from this experience a stronger person, with a sense of fulfillment for taking a risk, and as an inspiration for others to let them know they can do the same.

Just what have I charted on this course?  Well, more than a few ideas and creative projects that I hope to grow and roll out over the next few months, and, of course, some tropical travel. I’d love to have you follow my journey here and via my online community on Facebook and Instagram if you’ll join me.  I’ll take any of the encouragement and positivity I can get from this inspirational group of people that this blog so elegantly brings together.

And, just for the record, this really is no leave of absence. I’m totally coining this experience as my #leapofpresence—this has been one giant leap of faith and I don’t plan on being absent from anything at all!

Hellooooo Summer!  The “most wonderful time of the year” is in full swing all over the Northern Hemisphere—well, at least according to this gal—and with that, comes the opportunity for making the most of what always seems to be the shortest, yet, most anticipated, time of the year in my neck of the woods—Ontario, Canada.

Over the last year and a half, upon taking on my own SOULo travels to Key West, it appears as though I’ve become a stereotypical snowbird, jumping at every opportunity possible to escape the cold and dreary winter months of my homeland.  However, it isn’t JUST the weather that calls my soul to the islands.

As many of you who have been following me here and online via social media have known, I spent an entire month living the island life in a little apartment in a beautifully restored Conch home in the Historic Seaport of Old Town in Key West last July—and I had never even been to camp as a kid!  What an incredible experience for growth and adventure taking myself out of my comfort zone and making one of my own personal dreams come true.

And so, here I am again, Summer 2016, and, to quote the Clash, “this indecision’s buggin’ me!” Should I stay and enjoy the best time of the year in my beautiful home near the Great Lakes OR take on another long-term adventure in the place my heart holds so dear?  Somehow, I feel a “sunbirding” tradition coming on.  And now, more than ever, with the incredible connections and Conch family I have acquired through all of my previous visits.

Many people don’t quite understand the appeal to go to a place that averages in the low 90’s on any given day in the summer, where the ocean temps feel more like hot springs, and you absolutely must hydrate every two blocks when walking down the street, but this is the stuff my dreams are made of!  And to top it off, there are new adventures waiting for me around every corner!  If I stick around home this summer, it’s likely I’ll have the same experiences I have had for 90% of all of my previous summers if I don’t make a conscious effort to do something different.  Not that there is anything wrong with those experiences, but it sure is exciting to switch life up a bit and there’s nothing more extreme than plucking yourself up out of familiar surrounding and totally changing your geographical location or physical surroundings.  I really believe life is about having as many experiences as possible and there is so much to experience through change.  And, if these changes resonate with your heart…you can bet there’s something great waiting on the other side of it all.

There are many perks to visiting Key West during the summer season.  With slightly less tourists, you really get a feel for the local vibe, as well as less congestion in the streets, local establishments, and on excursions.  Living like a local is the ultimate way to experience your favorite places.  I was highly flattered when I was mistaken for a local several times last year, and couldn’t have been more humbled; it certainly helped validate my inner calling to be there.

With the summer season, also comes discounted pricing on many activities, as well as accommodations.  You can literally pay half the price to stay in the same place or neighborhood as you would during the winter months.  This is a no-brainer for me when, as a teacher with no flexibility in my vacation time, I’m forced to pay nearly the same price for a short, week-long winter getaway as I am for a rental property for the entire month of July or August.

And don’t think that just because there’ll be less snowbirds flocking to the streets, there’ll be less to do.  It is always high season for festivals in Key West, and the summer months are no exception.  From Independence Day fireworks at Smathers Beach, Mel Fisher Days in the Historic Seaport, Hemingway Days on Duval, and Mini-Lobster season on the beautifully calm, turquoise waters that surround this eclectic little island, you are sure to find enough local activities to be festi-FULL!

Above all, is the excitement of the unknown, the new people, and life experiences that await you when you are brave enough to break free from your normal routine.  If you can’t physically relocate yourself to a place like Key West this summer, then getting involved in activities and attending events that you wouldn’t normally participate in, in and around your own summer paradise, can make all the difference in the opportunities and adventures that come your way this magical season.

And so, as I sit in front of my laptop looking at my freshly cut, vibrant green lawn, the newly opened pool, and the freely flowing waters of the creek in my backyard, I have to wonder if I’ll be out on the waters racing freighters in Lake St. Clair, or wiping my brow reading this article on Simonton Beach over some fresh fish tacos, by the time this article hits the stands.  Neither option is a bad deal,…but “c’mon and let me know, should I stay or should I go?”

“I don’t know where I’m going…but I sure know where I’ve been…”  How many of you can instantly hear the tune to this late 80’s hit, “Here I Go Again”, by Whitesnake, as soon as you hear the opening line?  I’m sure I’m not the only one who used to belt out this song sporting some very big hair and a wrist full of neon jelly bracelets.

This Spring Break, I knew exactly where I was going, AND where I’d been.  It was back to another rock for me.  My usual routine to escape the still cold and dreary days of my home in the North, took my ‘summer girl at heart’ back to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.  This return trip, following my most recent visit at Christmas.

Why am I always heading South every break I get?  Some may say to escape–life, the winter, a challenging profession–and in some ways it may be, but I know the reasons run deeper than that.  There is something that makes my soul feel even more alive when I am on an island or in a tropical destination, and I totally feel at ‘home’ when I am.  I heard a quote recently that said, “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us” and that one really couldn’t have described it any better from my own personal outlook on my tropical wanderlust.

We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.

While I was traveling throughout the US and British Virgin Islands this go around, I realized that so many opportunities seem to come my way when I’m traveling—whether they be new friendships, new experiences, or new business opportunities.  What I fully became aware of though, was the plethora of new LIFE experiences, in general, that seem to work their way into my presence when I’m away from the comfort zones of home.  I also started to take note that, while so many of these opportunities seem to present themselves, I don’t always act upon them; with a hard realization that these opportunities are not always going to be there if I always pass them by or don’t get brave enough to take a risk and take them on.

Lately, it seems I’ve been traveling towards something, but I don’t fully know what it is.  That still, small voice inside just keeps telling me to keep moving forward because something, or someone, is waiting on the other side of all of this travel.  It’s hard when you don’t know what that ‘something’ is and people around you want answers to questions you haven’t even come up with yet for your own life.  We all want that compass to sail us on the ‘right’ course and to know the end destination on the map, but, the reality is, we can never really know.  We can certainly get clear with our dreams and set a plan in motion, but we do have to be prepared, and open, for the detours that may throw us off course temporarily, or onto an entirely new route.

There are things I may be striving for in life and questions I have about where I’m heading with my own personal goals and dreams, but, no matter how hard I try, there’s only so much control I have over those outcomes. Making peace with my own personal being and the incredible life that I lead in between the ‘checkpoints’ I have wanted to manifest in my life, are really the only options I have.  Celebrating the simple and non-glamorous moments of my day-to-day life, appreciating the special people who surround me (near and far), taking in the beauty of all life has to offer a healthy and creative woman such as myself (whether on an island or back home), and being grateful for it all in the meantime.

It’s easy to get ‘lost’ when you may not know precisely where you’re going, but if you open your heart and let it lead you, enjoying the journey along the way—you’ll ‘find’ that THAT really IS what life is about.  You know, that good ole journey—not the destination.  Having hopes and dreams in your heart and setting goals, but trusting the process and how it plays out, knowing that what is for you cannot pass you by, and making peace with the in between moments, are the only ways to keep moving forward in life.

So, for now, I don’t know completely what my future has in store, and I’m okay with that.  I just keep heading for the ‘rocks’, because that is where my heart is called.  There’s really no benefit to stop and feel sad, sorry, or worried about the things that aren’t the way I wish them to be in this moment.  I can acknowledge them, and honor the feelings that do arise without pushing them aside and pretending they don’t exist…“but I’ve made up my mind…I ain’t wastin’ no more time…So, here I go again”…

Have you ever met someone and felt an instant connection?  The conversation is effortless and the commonalities uncanny?  The feeling that, perhaps, you’d known them before in some wildly previous lifetime or that they were, quite possibly, your long lost twin, separated at birth, that, somehow, your parents just forgot to mention existed?  What amazes me is how, on the rare chance this type of meeting does occur, it usually happens in the most synchronistic of ways and, at least for me, generally far from home.  I was fortunate enough to have this experience on my second SOULo trip to Key West in March of 2015, when I met my Soul Sister, Sara.

To begin, let’s back this story up just a few years.  It was summer of 2013 and I was basking in the sun on the beautiful sands of Sugar Beach on Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, Michigan (what I’ve come to call the “Caribbean North”; if you Southerners are ever looking to “sunbird” North to escape the steaming hot summers in your neck of the woods, I highly recommend it!).  As I watched the serene paddleboarders and the brave parasailers pass by from my beach lounger, a woman sat next to me and we began to chat.  Little did I know at the time, but this was Sara and my fairy Godmother.  Her name was Helen and she was much like the previous people I have mentioned in my “Angels Among Us” article that I tend to meet on my travels.  Before we knew it, we were sharing life stories and my love for Key West became a topic.  At this point, I was still somewhere in the mid 5 year range that it took me to get back to Key West and plunge into my SOULo travel scene, but Helen, “coincidentally” (I always use this term lightly!), had a friend who had just moved there and she had assured me that, if I went back, I needed to meet a girl named Sara—that we were very much alike and that she would need a new friend since she and her husband, Joe, had just been relocated from Greece to Key West as part of his job with the US Navy.  Not thinking too much of it at the time, Helen and I parted ways after over an hour of heartfelt conversation and each of us with a new Facebook friend connection.

Next, we fast forward, a year and a half later, to December 2014.  When I finally decided I couldn’t wait any longer to get back to Key West, and had announced my decision to take the trip on my own via social media, Helen sent me a message reminding me of Sara and that I just had to connect with her in some way.  Unfortunately, I had no other details about Sara except that she was a realtor who worked for Royal Palms Realty.  Sara and I never met on this trip and I found out, later on, that she was up in Fort Myers with family for Christmas while Helen was sending her messages telling her she had to meet me.   My three-night getaway was chalk full of adventures, so the timing, more than likely, wouldn’t have proved to work in our favor anyway.  Until…

…three months later, March 2015.  After my December trip, I knew Key West was etched in my soul and that I would be returning as often as possible.  This trip came with a longer stay AND more detailed contact information, from Helen, and Sara and I connected on Facebook before I left.  Now I have to say, it can be a brave move to add someone on Facebook who is literally a stranger, but I trusted Helen, and know now, she certainly knew what she was doing.  Sara and I definitely had a lot in common.

Between Sara’s busy schedule, and my fun-filled plans for the week, we managed to catch lunch at the Half Shell Raw Bar.  We greeted each other with a hug, ordered the same meal (go figure!), and, in that short lunch break, walked away knowing we had both met a kindred spirit.  We felt like we had been friends forever!  The rest of the week we spent lunches (aka fish tacos) sharing our philosophies on life, teaching stories (Sara had been a teacher before arriving in Key West), our love for our pets and, of course, mermaids.  By the end of the week, I was touring properties with Sara for the summer adventure that I had been dreaming of for the past five years.  How magical was it that the Universe had “somehow” placed this person in my life?

When I returned last July to live my island life dream for one full month, Sara and, not to forget, her husband Joe (this friendship came as an awesome packaged deal!), were a big part of what made me want to stay.  The kindness and generosity they extended really made me feel a part of life in Key West.  We went on fish taco frenzies at Garbo’s Grill, Andy’s Cabana and Turtle Kraals, enjoyed chocolate covered key lime pie on a stick from Kermit’s, trudged through the backstreets in the summer rains of the island looking for offstreet parking on a Sunday for one of her clients (this girl is dedicated and didn’t earn her title from the Key West Association of Realtors as 2015’s “Rookie of the Year” for nothin’!), and, my personal favorite, partook in the “Running of the Bulls” during all of the excitement of Hemingway Days!

Sara and I haven’t seen one another since the end of July, but we stay in touch lots.  She surprises me with thoughtful snail mail and we eagerly entertain our dreams via text to someday be island neighbors and run our own mermaid business.  I’m not sure what life will bring next for our friendship, but I know my KWBFF is never far from heart and that Sara inspires me in ways she may not even know.  I’m quite certain, though, our reunion will involve fish tacos and, if we’re lucky, maybe even some “rumming” through the streets in red scarves!

Staying in the present moment. This is no easy task when it comes to navigating our course. Sometimes we are so immersed in what we’re doing that the time passes so quickly we wonder where it even went, but, more often than not, we deny ourselves the joy of the present moment and all it has to offer by focusing longingly on the past or anxiously on the future. When trying to find a balance between these two places our thoughts are continually tempted to drift off. Anchoring ourselves in the “power of now” takes mindful and ongoing practice in our everyday lives.

This Christmas break, I decided to switch things up and do some “rock hopping” down to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Before I left, I already knew this short trip would be an opportunity to hone in on these skills and practice a little bit of presence in paradise. First, because I was spending a limited amount of time with someone I cared about whom I hadn’t seen in some time and, second, because I had only booked the trip for 6 days out of a full 17 days away from school. The potential to stay longer was already weighing on me before I had even made it to the airport.

When two days of your travel time are taken up en route to and from your destination, you’ll find yourself, on the first day, being too exhausted to do anything but sleep in, watch movies and relax briefly at the pool; and the last day, too concerned with making arrangements to leave and packing yourself up again to go home. If you’re not careful, those six days can easily turn into only three full days in paradise where you’re not thinking about whether you’re coming or going. Each day that passes, whether you’re relaxing on the beach with a good book, or hopping a ferry to St. John with new friends, can have you counting down to the next and watching not only the sand, but the time, slip through your fingers faster than Charlie, the resident iguana, can attempt to steal your mahi sandwich on the beach! (True story!)

In my anticipation to stay longer and get a little more out of my holiday, I actually did end up extending my stay an extra 3 days, figuring there was no rush to return back to the gloomy skies of winter in Ontario when I still had so many days away from the classroom. This decision was swayed by the help of some new friends after I was completely packed and ready to go and only hours before I was to depart. (Thank you, Delta, for the delightful change fee. Ouch!)

Over these next few days, I was able to explore some new and beautiful places and connect with some new and amazing people, but, ultimately, I still found myself alone on Christmas Day struggling with some of my own personal thoughts and feelings (i.e., being away from family; not having someone special to share the holiday with) and declining invitations to check out the new Margaritaville on St. Thomas as a result. (Imagine that?!?!)

As one of my previous articles had noted, I pay close attention to the people around me and the conversations that we share when I’m traveling. It was interesting to meet and witness so many people, myself included, who really struggled with just enjoying the moment–whether soaking up the beauty of the sights on vacation, or going about daily life while having the luxury of actually living in “paradise” every day.

This reality reminded me of the quote “Where your heart lies, there is your treasure.” No matter where we are, our thoughts are always with us and it’s incredible to be surrounded by such beauty and yet, still feel unhappy, sad, frustrated, or anxious about life. If your thoughts (which come from your heart’s longings or desires) are continually stuck in the past, or constantly focused on the future, your “treasure” is never really within reach. That treasure is buried in the past, or still undiscovered in the future, and you’re always missing out on the one that lies right before your very eyes.

Where your heart lies, there is your treasure.

Our true, tangible treasures are available in the present moments, and we’re missing so many of them. Whether it’s the sound of the waves smoothing the shoreline, a butterfly circling through the tropical foliage, or the minutes spent in silence under the sun with someone you love; these moments can fill your heart with the peace you are searching for if you only take the time to break free from the thoughts set on replay in your mind. The only true paradise we can experience comes from within, and then, it doesn’t matter where we are. This is the reason you can literally be surrounded by a physical “paradise”, and not fully see it, clouded by the negative or uneasy thoughts that consume your mind.

The key, then, lies in creating your own personal paradise and allowing yourself to become more present and accepting of the moment. But, just how do you manifest this space? Slow down, recognize your breath, feel the sand beneath your toes and the warmth of the sun upon your face, look up at the skies, recognize and be grateful for the little things, tune in to the people around you, release your expectations for the way you think things ought to turn out, and above all…have a little faith. None of our sadness and worry will control or prevent the winds that are bound to blow, but our awareness of the present may just allow us to direct our sails for a smoother, more joyful journey.

Paradise is not a destination outside of oneself, but rather a place you travel within. And then, and only then, are you able to pack your own paradise and carry it anywhere, and everywhere, you go.