My Turquoise Bag

Towards the later part of 2024, life felt like it was in a knot.

In a span of five months, I was experiencing interruptions and disappointments on a frequency too rapid for me to keep up with. A new challenge would present itself just when I was still processing the previous one.

Not to mention we were still recovering from the tiredness of moving, unpacking and settling into a new life.

I am getting better at adjusting my mindset to expect, and accept, that life is a cycle of equal parts hardship and peace.

Sometimes though, when we find ourselves tilting more towards the scale of hardship, a change of scenery is just what we need to re-balance.

No matter how dark it feels, I think there is always room to notice the fleeting moments of light and beauty.

This time around, my peace and balance was found in Mexico.

A previously booked trip to the Dreams Riviera Cancún aligned at a perfect time last November, right when the messiness of life was emerging again.

We had the privilege to remove ourselves from that knot, recharge somewhere new, and return with tanned shoulders, freckled noses and untangled minds.

Below are my top 4 highlights from our time in Cancún. The moments that truly replenished my soul and shed the heaviness I carried longer than necessary.

Swimming in the rain

We experienced a memorable tropical rainfall one afternoon when we were lounging in the infinity pool. Floating on my back and looking up at the vastness of the grey sky surrounding me, I floated in sync with the stormy clouds.

I locked eyes with the droplets pouring down from the sky, and I surrendered to the storm. Hearing my breathing and the sound of raindrops in the body of water I was floating in, I felt very connected to my environment and felt a very present sensation of being alive.

A feeling, I realized in the pool, that I haven’t felt in a long time.

Doing nothing

My therapist once suggested “less doing, more being” during a period when I was experiencing work burnout, job loss and equating my self-worth with productivity. All of those negative thoughts dissolved in Cancún.

That sandy beach was very much designed to just be. Being alive, being where my feet were, and being delightfully aware that there is nothing in the world that needed my attention, except for myself.

Hydrotherapy at the spa

Back home, we are regulars at hydrotherapy spas but this was the first time experiencing it in the tropics. We had a guided water therapy session and between the cooling cucumber water, an aromatherapy massage and the swaying palm trees, we were pleasantly secluded in a dreamy respite.

Romantic moonlit dinner

We had a voucher to use on a romantic dinner on the beach that included all the bells and whistles. With the moon above our heads, we were seated at a decorated table just steps away from the shore. The warm breeze of the Caribbean Sea cooled our sunkissed skin and the nightly horizon glowed gently from the string lights in the sand.

Over clinks of champagne and mouthfuls of foie gras, we giggled at how this setting was comparable to being in a cheesy Hallmark movie. Secretly though, we enjoyed this VIP service and we were reminded that we deserve a little red carpet treatment every once in a while.

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I suppose this post is a little thank you note to Cancún for:

• the rainfall washing over me
• the moonlit beach dinner
• the tropical wellness spa
• the naps on the beach
• the friendly smiles
• the cotton candy skies
• the reminder to soothe ourselves when we need it
• the reminder to breathe a little more slowly
• the faith that things will work out, just like they have before.

xo 🐚