Today, I passed up going to a gorgeous island off New England at the height of spring to be with dear friends and do work I love. Sounds crazy, but it may be one of the more sane things I’ve done lately. You see, I love travel and my work, but as I get older, the wisdom of listening to my body and intuition has gained traction. At the same time, I heed that wisdom with some kicking and screaming, and bouts of excessive rationalization.
Eventually, though, I had to acknowledge that every time I thought of this great opportunity, I heard the word, “No,” and more specifically, “Not right now.” Travel is hard on me, and despite that urge to rush up the ramp to the plane and fly off to new and beautifulplaces, there’s an emerging wider and deeper urge to stay healthy. Over the last decade, I can trace most of my chronic sinus bouts that last weeks to getting on airplanes, going too many places, and doing too much.
So I wrote the necessary emails, drew little doodles over this event in my calendar, and directed my feet, wanting to wander far away and stay close to the center of home and health, toward the shaky joy of making the decision that resonates with all of me. Meanwhile, I’ll keep dreaming of what life is like on a beautiful island in the Atlantic, one I’ll go to when the time is right.
Check out my little exercise, “How to Make a Decision About Almost Everything,” which I also used to decide to stay home.
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