After a busy fall my husband and I take a week and go to Cabo to rest and relax.
Unfortunately Cabo took a big hit from the September hurricane, so it was not as restful as previous years. The Mexican people are working hard to get everything back to normal, they are a resilient bunch. Instead of the sound of waves we heard jack hammers and power saws as they work to repair the damages from the storm.
The highlight of the trip was the release of baby turtles on the beach. It was quite the event, people all gathered together to watch these tiny creatures doing what comes naturally. The hotel staff makes sure these little guys get the best opportunity for survival by releasing them as the sun is going down.
There are so many risks for them, and many of them never make it to the water, or once they get there, they are quickly gobbled up by the big fish. Yet they go forward, get washed back, go forward, get washed back, until finally they make their way into the waves, if they don't get snatched up by birds first.
My husband pointed that it is kind of like life itself. We do what comes naturally, and we are pushed backwards again and again. It is the continual trying that finally gets us to our goal.
Last week I had one of those events. I was excited to be moving forward, taking a trip to Victoria for my first licensees launch of Fabulous at 50. Annie was inviting me to attend and was hosting me in her home. I love Victoria and my friendship with Annie has been such a blessing.
I was packed and ready to roll, and as I walked down the back steps of our home in the early morning, my feet slipped on the icy stairs and I crashed backwards onto the steps breaking a rib on my left side.
I tried to breath through it, but to to avail the pain was too great and all my plans were canceled and all I could do now was rest and heal.
I am an active person, so I can tell you not being able to go to yoga, ski or go workout was killing me. But like those little turtles, I will recover and start again. Just not for a few weeks.
I feel such gratitude for the life I have, but even more today as I lay on my sofa in front of the fireplace with my iPad and a cup of tea. I don't have to worry about going to work, or how I will manage while I recover. It is easy to be happy when all is well, but can you see the beauty when you are not well or up to your normal life. It is tough, but I say my thank you's on a regular basis through the day. There is a gift even in illness and death, it is a time to look at what we have, not what we have lost. We do get to choose how we play out these events, what we appreciate and the direction we choose to go as we recover. Forward, until we get there. As they say it is not the destination, but the journey that counts.
Dianna Bowes is the founder of Fabulous@50 and the editor of Be Fabulous! Magazine.
Dianna was the winner of the 2011 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Turning Point category and the 2014 Leader of Tomorrow Business Award. She is a creative soul, who loves connecting people and embracing life. Travel, great food, family, friends and a long bike ride on a sunny day is her definition of great life.