We’ve been in Lisbon for 12 days now. And I’d say after about a week, I started to settle and get into a routine.

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The city stopped feeling so new and something we had to race through to not miss anything and started feeling familiar.

We know the routes now. We recognize buildings. We have a grocery store (and a guy at the deli counter that is not the friendliest). We already scoped out a good gelato spot (but I am keeping it to weekly, because there are so many other yummy things to indulge in).

For those of you who were worried (me), Rob has figured out the mosquito situation after days of hunting them down and finding some devices that work. Those pesky little skeeters, ha! We won.

So a bit of the travel diary recap (because remember, I’m building memory dividends here and “the palest ink is better than the strongest memory,” the saying goes.)

The Week in Wandering

Last Sunday started with a walk to church, about 30 minutes from us. The building is this old house (or mansion??) that’s been fully renovated with beautiful typical Portuguese tiles, and it is the cutest thing. We found a nice brunch spot on our walk back back. Although I am not too much of a brunch person, who could resist the quaint place on the most gorgeous street?!

The streets in Lisbon are stunning. Tile everywhere. 

And everything feels very clean. 

That afternoon we did a bit of a walking tour and explored the Alfama district. At times it reminded me of Fez in Morocco. Narrow little maze like streets/alleys that you can get lost in.

On Monday we walked along the Tagus River in the early morning. Cruise ships were docked and I got super excited about the cruise we’re doing after my retreat in September in Italy. 

I know some people pooh-pooh cruises. But, I’m not a travel snob. I love all types of travel. Cruising, day trips, staying put, or moving around. Planes, trains, automobiles and by foot. The most touristy areas and off the beaten path. All of their pluses and minuses. 

The rest of the day/evening was work

Tuesday, as we were getting ready to head out for our morning walk, we heard a siren outside and a loud announcement over and over. 

Turns out it was an emergency tsunami drill. Drill only. Phew. Mosquitoes and tsunamis would have been a bit much! 

We found our way back to Bonjardim for piri piri chicken (first in line! We knew to go early because we had been there back in January when we visited here for the weekend). Later that night, a super cute garden patio with mediocre food, but then we found our gelato spot. I know it’s not Italy, but gelato in Europe in general is so good!

Wednesday morning we found these really cute chairs by the river and just chilled. The place is literally called “the chill spot,” so very appropriate. We walked around a bit, and then headed back for another day of work.

Thursday we caught the famous Streetcar 28 and rode it the full route through the city. Really busy at some points, but nice to see all the different neighborhoods. 

That led us to Leon Bistro for lunch, where we had the most incredible chocolate mousse ever (and a broccoli salad that was to die for. We will be back). 

But back to the mousse…can I just say, everyone in Portugal is comparing pasteis de nata, and I don’t know why people aren’t comparing the chocolate mousse!? It seems to be on every menu here and it is so good. This one was outstanding. I’m salivating writing about it. 12/10. 

Friday we took the streetcar out to Belem to see Jeronimos Monastery (under construction) and walked along the waterfront. The tower is also under construction, but it’s was a pretty view. Then we stopped to get the famous pasteis de Belém from the original bakery. Meh. (I wrote about that in a previous post… so go check that out!)

Saturday we took a train out to Cascais on the coast. Loved it! Cute, cute little town. We walked out to Boca do Inferno where the waves crash through the rock formations, then along this beautiful boardwalk by the beach. Everybody was beaching and swimming. It was really, really pretty. I definitely think we will come back in a couple of weekends. We also sat on a patio and had a nice lunch of tuna tartar and tuna steak. Yum. 

And Sunday (today) was very, very chill. The pretty walk to church, lunch at the market, and a whole afternoon of nothing. Of course, we did get out walking again in the evening. Getting back to our regular routine that we have at home too. Lots of walks.

We are figuring the food thing out. We are foodies for sure. We don’t want to miss out, we want to try everything. But we also want to try to be somewhat healthy and cost conscious since we are travelling/working remotely for a while. Luckily food in Lisbon is not astronomical, and we are managing to share things, and trying to keep it to one meal out (if that) We are finding some of our favourites at the grocery store too:)

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A few musings and thoughts from this week…

Full Circle

This was a big work week. My Midlife Recalibration Week officially launched with over 450 people signed up, and I had clients and calls stacked most days.

But Wednesday was a bittersweet day. I wrapped up my very last Connections call. Two years I ran that membership. I loved (love – because I hope to stay connected!) the people in it, I loved the experiences we had.

But I also had this feeling of things coming full circle, coming to completion. And when things close off like that, when they come full circle, I don’t feel bad about it.

I feel like that was the time and place and now we move on.

I’m excited for the next chapter, even though I’m also anxious about it.

I also had to spend some time regulating and managing my own mind, trying not to get too wrapped up in whether people are benefiting from the Recalibration Week, whether people are liking it etc. All I know is that I put my best effort out there. I am a trial and error kind of gal (3/5 Manifesting Generator) so never sure how things will turn out. But I put my best in. The experience they have, the transformation they have, the investment they make in themselves, that’s on them.

And it’s hard to remember that sometimes.

The Complete Break

Rob and I also talked about how over the course of time that we are away, I’m going to continue to work (as was always the plan), but also take a couple of weeks completely off.

Not just reduce my schedule. Actually cancel some weeks and just be. Do nothing. Niksen. 

Because I realized that even if I just have one call a day, my mind is still in the game. My nervous system doesn’t fully switch off. It’s still in work mode, still anticipating, still “on.”

I feel like I need a complete break for my system to actually come down. 

Because it has been a big year around here. I feel like we have a bit of space now and that means that things sneak in and come up and I want some time to process and really disconnect. 

So, I quickly redesigned my new program (Becoming – launches this week!! Eek!) to make that possible, and in doing so, I actually ended up giving my clients more. I built in implementation time and gave someone else an opportunity to step up and do some leadership while I’m away.

It always works out as it should. 

So we shall see who will take this Becoming journey with me. (Info here. ) I’m excited. 

Sabatirement

Yesterday, on the train home from Cascais, we were tired, and we got into a conversation about what we’re actually doing here. In Portugal. 

We talked about our past year. Family stuff. Rob’s health. The work situation. My business. So many things feel up in the air. Unsure of what to make of it all and what is to come. 

And without certainty, I get pulled into an anxious spot, and then tend to want to drag Rob down there with me. (Who wants to be there alone, right?)

And I begin to wonder whether we should be worried or discouraged….

But the conversation we had this time was: What if this uncertainty is THE actual plan? What if this is the semi gap “year” we craved (we’d been hoping to do an actual gap year in a few years) and it is just showing up earlier than expected? Unplanned. Unannounced. But begging to be embraced?

We are already just rolling with it. But we can reframe it even more. We can make sure we absolutely take advantage and enjoy every second. 

I shared some of these thoughts with some girlfriends on a text exchange. One of them called what we’re doing a “Sabatirement” (sabbatical + retirement) Another one wrote back something along the lines of: all is as it should be, trust the timing, breathe.

Perfect timing to read that. Because that is exactly what we need to do.

Living in the Meantime

Our conversation on the train drifted to how this space seems kind of familiar to me. When life was uncertain and unpredictable back in my early years of divorce. And as hard as that time was, as unknown as the future was, when I look back, it’s a time that has some of my sweetest and most cherished memories.

During that time, I had said to myself, if I knew everything was going to be OK, what would I regret not doing now?

And so I lived that way with my two boys. And yes, it involved travel. A very different kind of travel mind you (and I give young Mom, Leah, a high five for having some adventures on her own with her two little high spirited boys!) 

I feel like this is a similar space now. Unknown. But, everything will move forward. Who knows what the future holds, but it is all going to be ok. 

When you’re in the in-between, you’ve got to be living life in the meantime.

And so much of life, if you think about it, is the meantime. We’re always waiting for something, and telling ourselves that when that something happens, that’s when we’ll feel OK, or do something.

But what are we doing in the meantime?

Because the meantime is kind of where life actually happens.

This is our meantime. And we’re in it.

Slow Mode

I also noticed something else.

We still have so much more time ahead of us to be here in Portugal (and beyond, we are certainly keeping an open mind about this all) , and it’s fun to realize that. We don’t have to go and get everything done. We can just be in a slower mode.

I can definitely see that my nervous system is slowing down.

Not in a dramatic hit the full brakes way. 

Just in the way that I’m not feeling the same urgency that I usually do when I travel. The constant hum of “go, go, go” that I’ve carried for years (decades, really) is starting to quiet down.

I think that’s what happens when you remove the pressure. When you give your system enough time in a new environment to actually believe that it’s safe to slow down. It doesn’t happen overnight. It took about a week. But I can feel the shift.

I’ve also been loving this little habit I started of recording a short Loom video at the end of each day, just rambling about what we did and what I was thinking. A brain dump, not polished at all, but I know future me will be so happy to have them. Maybe this week I’ll get Rob to do it with me. (Maybe I’ll even get brave enough to share one)

For now, I’m sitting here with no agenda for the evening, looking forward to the week, and just appreciating the meantime.