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Exhausted, Appreciative, Inspired

An emotional few days (Candace)

Most of the time, I have no trouble opening the laptop and typing away. My blog posts tend to be about the day’s events, so it’s been easy to do my brain dumps. But today, I’m having a bit of trouble knowing where to start because I’m feeling such a range of emotions.

As I’ve mentioned previously, Jane (Andrew’s mom) has come to visit us for our last week in Bali to celebrate her 70th birthday. And because she invested the time and money to get all the way around the world, we really wanted to make her time here special. So we’ve planned fun and exciting activities for nearly every waking moment of the day. We’ve driven the entire length of the island twice, been to beaches and temples and islands and spas. We’ve stayed in three cities, snorkeled, rode with dolphins, jumped off waterfalls, ridden in underwater coral viewers and banana boats. We’ve availed ourselves of nearly every activity this beautiful place has to offer, and we are all exhausted. Pooped. Completely worn out. And it’s only been five days!

But as we swam in the pool last night, preparing for our best night’s sleep of the trip, we all shared how appreciative we are of the other person. I’m so grateful that Jane raised this wonderful man I call my husband. That she showed him how to respect a woman like me. I’m so grateful to Andrew for keeping me grounded, helping me to stay in the moment. And they both appreciate that my love language is acts of kindness, and that I am constantly seeking to serve. I slept so well last night knowing that we had ended Jane’s birthday with love and gratitude.

And then this morning, I woke up to Michelle Obama’s speech about Trump’s most recent fiasco with statements regarding sexual assault, and I was inspired. Not by her clear disgust, hurt and anger about his acts, but by her heartfelt call to demand more from our male role models. Because our daughters’ futures depend upon an environment where they can feel safe to thrive. And because our sons need to look to their male role models for how to be strong contributors so they can thrive. And I was so inspired to vote this November, but also to continue to lead a life that can serve this purpose.

I have so much on my mind. And I’m feeling so many emotions. And what a gift that is.