Two weeks in Portugal with my 84-year-old mom. Just the two of us.
No family distractions. No roles to play. No routines to maintain. No expectations of who we had always been to each other. Just two women exploring a new country together.
And somewhere between the colorful streets of Lisbon, the tiled walls that seemed to tell stories of their own, the history, the food, the art, the fears, the laughter, and the countless moments of getting lost and finding our way again, something unexpected happened.
We got to see each other on a clean slate.
I watched my mom, at 84 years old, step outside of her comfort zone with courage, curiosity, and wonder. She embraced every moment of the experience, and more than once she told me it was the most amazing trip she had ever taken.
Truthfully, it was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life as well.
Travel has a way of becoming a mirror.
As I watched her, I found myself reflecting on how far I have come. The identities I have shed. The old patterns I no longer carry. The family dynamics that once felt so deeply ingrained in me no longer define how I see myself or how I show up in the world.
For perhaps the first time, we weren’t relating to each other through the lens of the past. We were simply present. Two people experiencing life together.
The integration since returning home has been interesting. Sometimes the deepest transformations don’t happen while we’re away—they happen when we come back and realize what we’ve left behind.
This trip reminded me of one of the core lessons of the ReSoul Revolution:
Sometimes we need to step outside of our familiar environment to see ourselves clearly.
A new place gives us a new lens.
A new lens creates new possibilities.
When we loosen our grip on expectations, surrender to the experience, and allow ourselves to be surprised by life, something shifts. We stop trying to control the journey and begin participating in it. Every day in Portugal felt like an invitation to do just that.
Show up.
Be present.
Stay open.
Release attachment.
Trust what unfolds.
One of my favorite moments was standing in front of a beautiful Portuguese tile mural of a butterfly. It felt like a perfect reflection of what this trip represented for me.
Transformation.
Not becoming someone new. Remembering who you are beneath the layers you’ve outgrown.
ReSouling. And then ReSurging. A metaphor not just for travel, but for life itself.
This experience will stay with me forever. Not because of where we went, but because of who we became while we were there.
And for that, I am deeply grateful. 🦋🇵🇹❤️
