🌞 Good morning from beautiful Spain
Well, here I am, the only one awake in my chalet at 7:12 AM on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. This holiday brings me clarity and conscious tranquility. New holiday feelings and insights that have not yet fully settled.
📸 Living in the NOW
Never before in my adult life have I taken so few photos during my holiday. Why not, you might ask? Last night, it was more of a realization than a conscious choice. This is because I truly live in the NOW and am therefore not preoccupied with:
“Oh, I want to remember this, oh, I want to show this to those back home.”
No, simply truly experiencing and living the holiday as it is, and being grateful in the moment.
Martijn used to often call me a ‘Japanese tourist’. You can now imagine how much I have changed: I have only taken 10 photos, and I have already been here for 3 days. Impressive, isn’t it?
🌱 Ever Closer to My Core
What I further wish to share with you is how, this holiday, I am seeing for the first time the changes brought about by the steps I’ve taken outside of my daily life. It is remarkable how I am drawing ever closer to my own core, and how much less I ‘need’.
The consumer behavior I engaged in for years now feels empty. If you knew how often I visited shops with my parents and Martijn, you would wonder: did you truly have a holiday?
Yes, I did then, because that was part of who I was at the time.
Just last year, I was still dragging my husband and children along to all the gemstone, spiritual, and patisserie shops I could find via Google or ChatGPT.
🎁 Fewer Possessions, More Moments
This holiday, we agreed with the children beforehand not to buy ‘unnecessary’ items. We already have toys and jewelry, and one less pastry won’t hurt.
We collectively decided to prioritize more beautiful moments and memories over material possessions. These are irreplaceable.
Indeed, time, even more so than money, is the most precious asset one possesses.
A new sense of fulfillment, independent of external means, has been regularly overwhelming me lately and appears to be becoming a new state of BEING.
✨ Simplistic Luxury
However, I do find myself drawn to simplistic luxury: convenience versus simplicity. I initially thought I wanted to be in a secluded cabin on the heath. I am now reconsidering that notion.
Still, that tranquility, but with some conveniences and luxury. I allow myself that. In hindsight, this was an image I painted from a place of scarcity, as I believed my dream would otherwise be unattainable due to a lack of resources, such as money.
Now I realize very clearly, after all the synchronicities of recent times, that I am the true weaver of my reality, my YOUniverse.
I am the only person who views life through my lens. I decided to polish my lens and spontaneously seek out the silver linings in every situation I encounter on my path.
🌊 An Unexpected Lesson
Here is an example from this holiday: after ingesting ‘dirty’ pool water, due to his brother submerging him after going down the two-person slide, Kayden became quite ill for 24 hours.
My former self would have thought: “Oh dear, there goes my holiday with a sick child.”
Now, however, I shifted my perspective and realized that this could provide me with the gentle landing I needed to surrender to doing nothing.
I decided to stay in the cottage with Kayden for a few hours, while my husband and Menzo went to the pool. The tranquility I was able to experience while Kayden slept was precious and provided me with a beautiful moment of reflection — one I would not have had otherwise.
🕊️ Holiday Mode as a Bonus
A final insight to share with you: even last year, I still required at least two days to adjust to unwinding, to transition from the daily obligations to holiday mode.
This year, it has been wonderful to notice that the holiday serves as a bonus holiday mode, rather than being the only respite some people experience in a year…
Since I have transitioned from a ‘must-do’ mindset to a ‘may-do’ approach, my days at home feel lighter, more relaxed, and in flow.
🔥 No Obligations, All Possibilities
From the sidelines, I notice it appears ‘busy’ to others. However, when you have no obligations and everything is permissible, even the most packed days can feel incredibly relaxed.
I live a holiday-like life daily because I have turned my passion into my profession, and I allow myself to grow and transform — even if that means I sometimes have to burn bridges or slay dragons.
FYI: By ‘dragons,’ I refer to my inner demons. Actual dragons are wondrous beings of energy — anyhow, more on that later.
🌸 Carpe Diem
If you genuinely believe you must do certain things, there is always mañana.
Seize the day; you never know when it might be your last.
I wish everyone — including you — a holiday-like life.
Grant yourself the best and live a soulful life from your heart.
With much love,
Nancy from Studio voor Cosmeopathy 🍀🪄