I laugh to myself, often. My laughter today emanates from a place of: I somehow managed to spend time at yet another crown jewel of a honeymoon destination and, well, I somehow just honeymooned on my own again. Of course, a honeymoon is typically a shared celebration between two people who have recently committed their lives to one another. For today, come along on an alternate version of a honeymoon, one where you find yourself falling in love with the world, making a commitment to exploration, allowing the journey to reveal itself to you. To echo the words of Alan Keightley, once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to…

A few weeks ago I had a 12 day European adventure, one in which my day job water-taxied me first to Guidecca Island in Venice, Italy. I wandered the grounds of Belmond Hotel Cipriani where orange and yellow butterflies flitted beside me, the sun shone so bright my heart expanded, and the earth’s aroma was as strong as every smile I encountered. This wasn’t an Icelandic volcanic ice climbing expedition nor was it spearfishing in a deep blue Belizean sea, yet it somehow opened up the same kind of self-love and gratitude for being alive. Being still, feeling grounded, paying attention, listening to nature, the opportunities are there each day and sometimes an unexpected spot will bring you right back to where you need to be. The subtle elegance of Hotel Cipriani’s grounds and actual happiness that comes from the wonderful people who work there made each step worthwhile. How do you see the world, no matter where you stand?

Image Credits: Jenny Graham