this is a post i’ve thought about for a month now. i’ve decided to quit processing and start penning.

while camping in the outer banks early november, i penned a few takeaways in my journal via collaboration with le beau. since i’ve been home, i’ve pondered the takeaways and, when asked, simply state that i’m still processing the experience.

truth is there are so many takeaways, yet they are so simple that i’ve struggled to put them all into a few nuggets. here’s my attempt to tie a bow around our 22-event, 2-month, 11,500-mile tranquility tour with my top 10 tranquility tour takeaways:

1. live with less: honestly living with a 1 square foot drawer for my clothing was no problem. or living in 100 square feet of space with a beau and pug. or having one tote for my toiletries. i’ve been on a mission to purge since our return and feel no desire to shop for anything other than essentials/consumables {and a few books, of course}.

2. i heart the open road: looking out the window for hours became my full-time job. and i liked it. daydreaming is a worthy profession.

3. determine your essentials: sure le beau scoffed at me for packing five candles, two tiny succulents, and white twinkle lights but they added a nice touch to our overall experience. some delights are simply non-negotiables. now, that’s a tweetable!

4. home is where you make it: driving miss lillie on highways and then parking her into a campsite at night felt perfect. within minutes we had twinkle lights plugged in, candles burning, and the bed unrolled. only missing pieces were a fireplace and bathtub.

5. be with nature: my favorite experiences were not so much the cities {even though i love them}, but the smell, sounds, and beauty of the great outdoors. i’m a city girl at heart who needs regular time in the woods.

6. be prepared: picking up bear spray made me feel much more empowered in the canadian rockies. so. very. scared. {i’ve skimmed too many books like this} toting rain boots, an umbrella, sunscreen, a space heater, a wine opener, and other helpful sundries ensured we were set for various conditions.

7. being connected feels good: although i never missed home, having the chance to be in touch via social media, email, text, and calls helped me feel less “away.” i loved meeting long-time podcast listeners and blog readers, reconnecting with former tranquil space yogis, sand eeing family. interconnection rocks.

8. guilt was removed: often times when working on a project for one business, i feel a sense of guilt for not working on another or physically being at the studio. it’s something i’ve suffered from for years. being on tour while raising money for tranquil space foundation, spreading the word about tranquilologie, donning TranquiliT, blogging/podcasting, and teaching yoga with my two companions {le beau and le pug} was one of my first guilt-free two months in nearly 15 years. it was all-encompassing.

9. it feels good to be home: we’ve been back to dc almost 4 weeks now and i’m over the moon to see so many familiar faces. the warm welcome we received has made us feel so special. and returning with the hollydaze on the horizon has made it even more delightful.

10. slow is good: although we were constantly on the move, it was slow compared to modern day cross-country travel via plane. sitting around the campfire, watching the rolling hills shift from tiny to large as approached, toodling down the pacific coast highway, biking along grand canyon’s rim, and peering out the window for hours is good for the soul.

more wrap-ups:
tranquility tour trivia
tranquility tour pics + stories

my overarching takeaway is i loved, loved, loved meeting many of you. i love miss lillie our vintage camper. i loved being with le beau and le pug constantly for 9.5 weeks. i loved having a vehicle where i could use the loo and/or take a nap while le beau was driving down the highway.

and, i look forward to many more adventures like this. bisous. x