My Trip On Nantucket
30 miles out to sea and this magical little island is well MAGICAL! I could attribute it to a lot of things, but the main reason is because of ALL of the memories that my family, my father, and myself have made here for almost 40 years of my life. I have been coming here since I was little and it is so beyond special to me. I have been so fortunate to travel to many places around the world, but Nantucket always feels like home. The salt air, the salty ocean, the cobblestones, the flowers, the beautiful homes that you can look at over and over again, the FOOD, the people I have met, the cool breeze at night that helps you sleep like a baby, sitting on the beach at that magical mermaid hour, and well partying on Nantucket is always pretty fun too! The magic here is not for everyone and not everyone may feel about it like I do and that is okay, I am just grateful that I have a place that is so special to me.
Its magical powers took over me this trip…Things always happen for a reason and I believe the universe aligned for me on this journey of healing to heal even more. To show a whole other side of ME. I’m sure some people are reading this and thinking, okay she has totally lost her mind…I have been doing so much WORK on myself and when I was here this past week, I truly felt a new beautiful part of myself emerge.
I was able to LET GO…
I was able to say NO to all my old rules…
I was present with my friends…
I was smiling, glowing, happy, and living my TRUTH…
I could probably write a novel about this trip, but let’s focus on these three things that really were AH-HA moments for me. Things that just resonated with me and showed how doing the work WORKS!
MOVEMENT
In the past when I have come to Nantucket, I would keep up with my intense workouts. I would run all the miles. I would get day passes to the gym. I would never give myself time to rest, relax, and give my body that time to heal. The amount of energy and time that I would waste on making sure I got those workouts in, well, was a LOT OF TIME! I would be tired, cranky, and not present with the ones that I loved in the place that I LOVE!
On this trip, I had an epic Katie AH-HA moment, which if you have noticed, that the more I do the work, the more these moments happen. While packing for this trip, I thought about what kind of runs, workouts, maybe even some videos to do, since I brought my band up with me. In my head, I was falling into old habits.
I arrived on Wednesday and that was a FULL rest day for me and I knew I wanted to wake up and do a nice long run on Thursday morning, because running on Nantucket is beautiful. There are so many bike paths, roads, trails, beaches, I mean you can just get lost running and not be mad, because it is that beautiful. The run felt great. It was sunny, beautiful, my body felt strong, and I had that sweaty glow along with a big ass smile on my face. It felt good.
When I woke up on Friday morning and was doing some work and sipping on coffee while all the windows and doors were open, I tuned into my body and realized I didn’t want to do any intense workouts. I didn’t want to run. I didn’t want to lift weights, do yoga, do videos, I just wanted to WALK. And that is exactly what I did. I walked the trails, that I used to walk with Lucy. I walked every day to the beach. I just let my body heal. I let my body rest. And I LOVED every beautiful second of it. I felt rested and rejuvenated, like I never had before.
My last day was on Tuesday and the urge to run came back, but I knew I was ready. I wanted to do it. It wasn’t a FORCED workout. Plus, I am definitely that person who likes to do movement if I am going to be stuck on a plane for most of the day. It was a great run to end the trip and I even put on my flip-flops after and went for a long walk, because I had to do one more walk to soak up the day, the flowers, and just breathe in the beauty and everything that this island gives to me in my mind, body, and soul.
How do I feel after not taking a step back from my insane workouts?
Pretty freaking amazing! I LET GO and LISTENED to my body and it came so naturally to me. I knew that I needed this and I just did it and didn’t feel any guilt, regret, or stress. It was the right thing to do and just part of this amazing healing process.
FOOD
I ate what I wanted when I wanted it and that is that!
I didn’t STRESS about the food!
I didn’t binge!
I didn’t restrict!
Just like with the movement, I listened to what my body wanted and I fed it just that. For example, the first three days, all I wanted was to eat sandwiches at the beach. Guess what I did, I ate delicious sandwiches…and with CHIPS! Then the next few days I wanted Greek yogurt, fruit, salads, so I ate that! When I went out to dinner with my friends, I had oysters and lobster rolls with french fries TWO nights in a row…NO GUILT…NO SHAME…I just was HAPPY!
I am so proud of myself, for again LETTING GO of all my rules and listening to my body. I was happier, more energized, more present, and living in every single moment. It felt so good to be able to do that. And my last night there, my brother and I grilled steaks, with salads, potatoes, and sat outside at the table, just talking.
All of my meals, not only with him, but with new and old friends, were so much more enjoyable. They were FUN and just me living my best life with those I love. And all of my meals, were freaking AMAZING, because the food on Nantucket is so fresh, so good, and obviously sandwiches at the beach are always that much better. Add don’t forget to add the Cape Cod potato chips into the mix, because that extra crunch with every bite is DELISH!
ALONE TIME
There was a lot of alone time, but there was a lot of social time! It was a healthy mix. Sometimes it is hard to be alone and sit with your thoughts and your STUFF. I embraced it. Hours upon hours at the beach just swimming, breathing, watching, listening, and thinking about everything or nothing at all. I couldn’t really scroll, because the beach that I went to, had no service. I didn’t read, because I wasn’t into my book. So I just kind of sat with myself in the peace and quiet.
I walked and walked and walked. Sometimes I listened to music. Sometimes I connected with my friends. Sometimes I just did nothing, except soak it all up.
Sometimes it was hard to be alone. I cried. I laughed. I just let it all happen.
This was a breakthrough that I have NEVER experienced before. As hard as it was in some moments, I came back home lighter, stronger, more focused, more determined, more clear, happier, and truly LOVING myself inside and out. THIS IS THE WORK and being at peace with that at this moment is a pretty powerful breakthrough. PURE BLISS!
Powerful RIGHT?!?! It’s amazing what you can learn about yourself when you sit in the quiet.
What is NEXT?
There are a few things that are in the works, but I think after this trip, it is time to take a break from writing about the healing in this space and focus on some other things. I have shared a lot and you have seen a lot and I think we just switch gears and see what the rest of summer holds for me, my relationship with Shannon, our travels, our journey together.
I feel that I am ready to move on and do other things.
My health journey of healing has not ended and I am still working with someone, but I want you to learn more about me. I feel so much stronger, healthier, energized, and ALIVE, so let us just roll with it and see what happens.
Love y’all and thank you for following me on this beautiful journey!
I can’t wait to go bACK and see what the island gives me the next time around!
xoxo
