Tales from the East Coast (part 3)

Florida, the last leg in our East Coast trail. Such joy when we arrived in Tampa, we were greeted with two of the best things in the world ~ family and sunny weather!

Being in Florida meant reuniting with one of my favorite cousins and best friends, meeting her son Riley (who we couldn't stop hugging and carrying), seeing my cousin Mikey and his Special Olympic swimming medals (who won a total of 8 golds and bronzes in Greece) and seeing my uncle and getting to spend time with everyone in their new home.

We fell in love with their house the minute we walked into the living room. Inside everything was spacious, the living room and kitchen on the 2nd floor plus the bedrooms on the upper level overlooked the ocean. Shortly after we arrived, we heard shouts from my aunt and uncle. We ran to the deck and saw 2 dolphins swimming and jumping out of the water! It was such a treat! Dolphins playing in the wild, in their own backyard.

Days were spent swimming in their saltwater pool, having barbecues, jumping off the dock, eating ice cream and taking walks on the beach. But mostly spending time with family we don't see very often.

And for the first time, I truly felt I was on vacation. I was not traveling nor reading maps, I wasn't running after trains or trying out new cuisine... I was waking up to the sunrise and sleeping in again. I was making my breakfast smoothies in the kitchen. I was cooking dinner with family and watching tv (!) and I was hanging out, just blissfully hanging out.
 
It was such a wonderful and love-filled stay for which I am deeply grateful ♥ Vacations have taken on a different meaning. I've always believed that traveling is good for the soul and now I see that vacations like these are good for the heart. Thank you Universe for letting me see.

Our blissful view, every single day.

Great to be with family ♥

The new man in the clan ~ Riley ♥

Living room

Love love love ♥

Poolside afternoons

Boys' day out

Play time!

Sunrise through our bedroom window ♥

tout est grâce

No matter how upside-down it all temporarily appear, we will have no fear because we know this secret: Life is crazily in love with us - wildly and innocently in love with us. The universe always gives us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it." -- Rob Brezney

One of my dearest friends from college reminded me of this beautiful quote by St. Therese of Lisieux, "All is Grace". Imagine thinking & seeing everything in this light. How that changes not only our perspective, but our attitude towards the very things that would normally make our heads explode. So now instead of getting angry or busting out of my seams when something undesirable goes my way, I think to myself I'm being shown something here. It could be something that I needed to learn or realize. Heck, it could simply be showing me a personal breakthrough that hey, I can do patient too!

Until very recently, I've repeated a certain line to myself almost like a mantra that true enough, reinforced itself on me all the more. That I don't do well with uncertainty. That not knowing kills me. Which of course is a blatant lie. I've had my share of uncertainties & crossroads, dilemmas & left in the dark moments, but not one has managed to knock the life out of me. Apparently here I am, still standing after a thousand. Or maybe even more.

So truth is, I do well with uncertainty! But it was easier to bitch, claw someone's eyes out or make someone else responsible while I was at it. But I'm done abusing myself & others that way. I can't know everything & I certainly don't need to. When has it really made me happy anyway, struggling to get the answers? We all have questions, we can either spend our life asking or we can spend it living. So many things in my life are uncertain right now... so what? Big freaking deal. I'm still going to make the most out of it & I'm going to have fun. The most important thing I already know ~ today Love is truly infinite & abundant in my life. I look around me, past all these uncertainties and I see... there is much to be grateful for.

When we cease to believe that we're victims & instead co-creators of our fate then we see that Life is crazily in love with us. It's time to give some love back.