It’s been a hell of a year & fun is back on the agenda. So is Karma.
This time last year, I was sitting in my living room fielding texts and calls nonstop from clients in total Pandemic-related panic mode. It was today last year we officially found out we were in a “Pandemic” and the world was on the verge of a total shut down. Huh? It blindsided us, and no one was prepared to go full-stop with life as we knew it.
I tried to hold back the tears of fear as I got busy cancelling a slew of Spring Break trips. I didn’t allow myself to freak out or worry about the immediate lost income that would result from all these quick cancellations. It wasn’t until a few months in that we all came to terms with how weird a year 2020 was going to be. No one was going anywhere, especially on “business” or “vacation”. Not at least until later in the year when negative covid tests became an entry ticket to hot spots like Hawaii and Mexico.
That said, I went from running an $18million travel business in 2019 to one that was in the red in 2020. With few exceptions, travel just really wasn’t even on the list of options for most Americans last year. Looking back, I realize that I threw myself into learning a completely new skill set and brought a gluten-free vegan cookie business to life as a huge distraction and way to stay busy during this “forced sabbatical” from selling travel.
It was fun. It was also a lot of hard work. I had to figure out things I never knew how to do like get my food safety certification, lease a commercial kitchen, launch an online store, purchase materials for shipping and on and on. I baked thousands of healthier cookies in 2020 on a mission to spark joy during this distressing time when so many were feeling stressed and lost and afraid of the unknown.
Fortunately for me, I had followed my intuition and moved back to Maui last January and I got to ride out 2020 on this beautiful island. Being here to launch a healthier cookie business while the travel business was decimated allowed me to see even more strongly in how clearly I am guided. I just have to follow the path that presents itself. I have to stay faithful to my faith, and allow it to be larger than any fears of the unknown. For most of the Pandemic, I’ve challenged my strength and belief system — which centers around trusting the unknown. Intuitively, I’ve known that all will turn out really well on the flip side of this horrific Pandemic.
I’ve been meditating a lot lately on the direction I want to follow. It’s been feeling a bit up in the air. As in, do I dive right back into my pre-pandemic role of being one of the best luxury travel advisors in the business and focus on manifesting amazing new clients who will appreciate my nearly 30 years of knowledge and global relationships? A year ago, I was SO stressed and freaked out at the sudden changes I thought I might never want to book anyone’s travel again. That was in the moment…at a time when we were all just trying to get through each day and find some peace and calm amidst the chaos.
I fantasized about putting it all aside and being “just” a healthier cookie baker, but I see now that isn’t my destiny or my desire. What I have enjoyed SO much lately is reconnecting with really fascinating amazing souls who want to talk about where they want to travel — SOON. Many are getting vaccinated, and many are really ready to get back out into the world once it feels safe. For now, they want my guidance on where it’s safe to go NOW and where we should book them for the holiday season to make up for the 2020 holiday season that wasn’t!
My point of this rambling post is that karma is legit. I watched and experienced some pretty terrible actions by various people last year, and opted to let that shit go. It wasn’t going to benefit me to concern myself with or judge others’ actions. I’ve long believed in karma, and after seeing a few things happen this week, my question is: “Would you like coconut milk or almond milk with your cup of karma?”. Sort of kidding. It feels exciting to be getting back to work doing what I enjoy with people I enjoy, without any of the stress that goes along with tolerating others’ BS.
It’s a year since we all found ourselves caught up in this crazy period of history, that I will always fondly refer to as the year I baked thousands of cookies, sparked joy one cookie at a time, got to be a full-time (non-traveling) dog mom on Maui and honestly, really LOVED my forced sabbatical that I secretly always fantasized about taking (and never could, I was too busy!). Here’s to enjoying a really wonderful post-pandemic life…which is coming soon, really soon. xo Stacy
