I packed my bags and drove to my first writers retreat. I was so nervous! This is something I have never done before. I drove eleven hours by myself to North Carolina to meet with one of my favorite authors and guess what, I forgot how much I love to drive. My children called me a few times to let me know how proud they are of me. That felt really good! During my drive I had many hours by myself to think and hone in on many things that I needed to sort out in my mind. Naturally, I have become to realize how much I have completely lost myself over the years. “I” am not lost. I have a beautiful life. I am a blessed woman with an amazing husband and our five children. I am a natural born caretaker who has just slipped away a bit. No biggie! Simply, I need to figure out what this next chapter of my life holds for me as my children are getting older and I am becoming…well…a slightly different version of myself. It is time to focus on what Diana wants. I can still be the wife and mother I want to be and make sure I set aside some willingness to become something more on a personal level. I am taking a Leap Of Faith!

Where does that lead me…?

It led me here to this quiet house on the canal and nearby the ocean. I didn’t come here with any expectations. I left my expectations back home and went with the flow of my trip and the experience has been magical. There was an itinerary that we were suppose to follow. Nature had different plans for us. We all just kind of went with the flow. It turned out that the first couple days we were in the middle, “literally” of a bad forest fire. I suggested we say, “forget the plan”, this weekend is all about going with the flow. Everyone agreed. I felt an immense amount of disappointment from our host. I made sure she knew that I was not upset at all about the different plans and I am getting exactly what I intended on receiving from this trip.

When one gets side-tracked it is always for a reason…

This has been the greatest lesson of my life. When things do not go as planned and something gets re-directed it is for a reason. We just do not understand in the moment why. It is a good reminder that life cannot be controlled. Having a plan and a goal is wonderful, however, sometimes things do not always work out that way. There was a lot of silence and alone time during the trip and I was happy to hone in on it all. There has been a lot of writing, thinking and letting go.

I brought my yoga mat with me, every tarot and oracle deck that I own and a heart that needed to find the space to get into the flow of what is coming for me, and what this next chapter of my life looks like. I am an over thinker. I found my mind has quieted down a lot on my trip so far, and it turns out that this is exactly what I needed…

My trip is not over yet! I have two days left to continue to keep going with the tide of the ocean and the flow of life.

With Love,

Diana Rose

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