Ambiverts Unite!
Monday Missives #15 (Back Home Edition)
Keeping it real simple today, because after I got back late last night from my trip with my family, I woke up this morning totally drained—mentally, physically and spiritually. That’s because I’m an extroverted introvert—or is it an introverted extrovert? Either way, after I spend a lot of time with people (never mind morning, noon and night for ten days straight) and immersed in loud, high-energy, flashy places (like Las Vegas), I need some time to be still, sit in the quiet and refill my tank.
Which is why today, I am lowering the bar really low and will leave things with this one thought:
I am so grateful I went on this trip. I am even more grateful I was fully present with my family (in the car, at the table, in the hotel room, on trails or on sidewalks), enjoying every minute of my time with them (because they live far away and I don’t get to see them very often) and taking a crap ton of pics (of my fam, of expansive, breathtaking coastal, mountain, and desert views, of animals like seagulls, sea lions, and even humpback whales). And I am grateful that my brother, sister-in-law and niece are always up for some fun which is why I made a time lapse video of my brother packing up the car the morning we left Bakersfield, CA to drive to Death Valley, CA and a bunch of videos (including my first TikTok) with my niece.
And I am so totally grateful I got to spend so much time steeped in natural beauty (this country is beyond incredible). For ten days, I was immersed in an unparalleled natural majesty. It was humbling. It reminded me that this beautiful earth—the oceans, the mountains, and the (verdant or dry) valleys in between—is so much bigger than my thoughts, ideas or plans.
So today, I am lowering the bar. I will look at my full to-do list (edit podcast episodes, write intro copy, prepare emails, schedule interviews etc.) and do nothing about any of it. Instead, I will go for a walk, hug a few more trees (there are bunch of those where I live) and take in all that surrounds me. Then I will sit in my sunroom, watch the birds and soak up the silence (because soon, very soon, I will want to be on the go again, surrounded by a ton of sights and sounds, and hanging with a bunch of different people).
Meals Out: There were a bunch, so here are some highlights from the different places we were in since my last Monday post:
Stovepipe Wells, CA (in Death Valley):
Las Vegas, NV:
Broken Yolk (in the Fremont District)
Listening (song most likely on repeat): Stumblin’ In, Cyril. My kind of fun, upbeat, dance (while you walk) song.
Listening (voice)/Watching/Reading: Since I have been on the road, I have not watched anything so I have no idea where things stand with any of the shows I have on my watchlists. Nor have I dead anything. Nor have I listened to podcasts. Or really any music except for the playlist we made as we drove down the coast. And since I have been totally over stimulated with sounds (music everywhere, even coming out of speakers mounted on lampposts in the streets of Las Vegas plus bells and chimes and all the things on the casino floors) and sights (flashing lights of all kinds up above, in front and behind on every surface on all the buildings, buses and cabs not to mention slot machines), my brain is told shut down and in overload mode. So, once I have had enough quiet and recharge, I will catch up on things and maybe even have some thoughts about the White Lotus finale (from two weeks ago)…or maybe not.
Most Hours Logged Doing: Since Thursday, I walked all over, up and down, the Las Vegas Strip, shopped in an actual shopping mall, ate some great meals, played a couple of hands of Blackjack, and zoomed down Fremont Street on a zip line. You know, the usual stuff for a weekend.
Monday Morning Meditation: 4.28.25
It is great to get out there and it is amazing to come back home. Today I am grateful I am able to leave and come back because I feel comfortable in my own skin whether I am alone or surrounded by people.
What a gift it is to be comfortable in our own skin no matter what or who may be going on around us 🩵