I Went On A Solo Trip And It Changed My Life
Back in April, I went on a solo trip to Barcelona and Marrakech and it literally changed the trajectory of my life. Before my trip if you would have asked me if I would be back here - blogging and launching a new shop - I would have told you "absolutely not". Not because I didn't want to - but because I just couldn't imagine finding the time to do so. But then something happened...
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us”
Let's go back a little bit. For those of you that have been with me from the beginning -you know that back in 2008 I started a blog before blogging was really a thing. I went back to the old site the other day and realized that I wrote 1,062 posts. 1,062 posts! I can't believe I had that much to say - and more importantly I can't believe you actually wanted to hear what I had to say. I look back at some of those posts now, and literally cringe - they were so bad guys. Like really bad - but you stuck in there with me and I so love you for it.
SIX EIGHTY EIGHT has been around in so many different capacity's for a little over 10 years now. That is really so hard to believe. It started out with a blog (which at the time was called Flourish - remember that?), then it morphed into a jewelry shop, which then turned into a packaging and happy mail shop, which turned into monthly themed curated boxes, which turned into a 2-year burnout hiatus. While I wasn't physically creating or writing anymore, the passion for it never left - I just didn't realize it until I was across the world.
You see, there's something about travel that really allows you the time to put things - especially your life - into perspective. Last October, while on my birthday trip with my family to Mexico, I was sitting on my hotel balcony looking out to the ocean watching the sun rise and I said to myself "I am no longer waiting - I am going to start living again". What I meant by that was I was no longer going to limit my life by time, money, being single, my job, etc. You know how we do - "I just don't have the time" or, "I can't buy that/go there because I don't have enough money" or, "I'm waiting to go on that dream trip for my honeymoon" - all these self-limiting thoughts that oftentimes hold us back. But on that balcony that morning, I decided I was going to start limitless living.
When I got back from Mexico, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw a post from someone that I have followed for years. She was coordinating a trip to Morocco and was looking for women who would be interested in going with her. My first honest thought was "that would be kinda cool, but I don't know about traveling by myself to another country, and I won't know anyone - what if they don't like me - what if I don't like them, then I'm stuck in another country with a bunch of girls I don't like. And plus I was planning on buying a pair of Gucci shoes. If I go on this trip, then I can't buy the Gucci shoes too". Legit - I said all of those things to myself, and continued to scroll past her post - just 3 days after being back from Mexico where I told myself I wasn't going to limit my life any longer.
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
While I limited myself and allowed fear to creep in - I had already put my desire out into the Universe and unbeknownst to me at the time - it was already starting to pull strings to help me achieve it. The seed had already been planted. Even though I scrolled past the post, there was "something" within me that wouldn't allow me to stop thinking about the invitation. Over the next several days, I started to ask people what they thought about me going on a trip by myself to a foreign country with a bunch of girls that I didn't know. Most people thought I was crazy for even entertaining it - "there's no way I would travel by myself - especially to another country", "I would be scared that it wouldn't be safe", and "what if you hate the girls and then you're stuck" is what I heard. I could have allowed their comments to stop me from pursing the possibility of going, but instead I found myself getting defensive and replying (to myself) - "I do most things by myself, why wouldn't I travel alone", "Scared? I used to live in New York City - if I can make it there, I can pretty much make it anywhere", and "what if we all really get along and we end up being life-long friends that travel the world together?". The more that people said that they wouldn't do it - the more it made me want to do it - if nothing more than to prove to myself that I could do it. A couple of days later, I reached out to the organizer of the trip to see if she had any spots left, and it just so happened that she had 1 last spot available. Just like that - the money I was going to buy my Gucci shoes with was the money that I used to secure the last spot for what turned out to be a trip of a life time.
As soon as I booked my trip to Marrakech - I had a thought. "If I'm already going to be over there, I should extend my trip a little and visit Barcelona" - a place that has been at the top of my travel bucket list for years. I started to do some research and realized for just a few hundred more dollars I could add Barcelona to my itinerary. I booked the flight and then it hit me - "I am going to Morocco AND Barcelona by myself - and I could give a damn about some Gucci shoes!" My mind had shifted in just that instance.
Now I'm going to fast-forward just a bit because my intent of today's post is not to give you a day-by-day recap of my trip (don't worry though, that's coming later next month) but instead to give you a little insight for how my trip inspired me to start up my blog and shop again. And this time in a bigger and more intentional way.
“one day, i had an idea... at first, i didn’t think much of it. it seemed kind of strange and fragile. i didn’t know what to do with it. so i just walked away from it. i acted like it didn’t belong to me. but it followed me. ”
The moment I touched down in Barcelona I quickly let go of the hustle and bustle of my regular life, and embraced the very relaxed way of European living. It didn't take long for me to get into the "live like a local" mindset. As I walked the streets of Barcelona and took in all of it's beauty - I often wished that I still had my blog so that I could write about my experiences. Real authentic experiences though (the things that blew my breath away and the things that I could have lived without during the trip) - not the overly trendy/sponsored/glossy posts that we often see from bloggers. But since I no longer had a blog, and "certainly no time to create one" I decided to share my pictures and thoughts on Instagram. The more I posted, the more followers I gained. And with those new followers came more likes and those likes turned into comments that showed that people were loving the content I was sharing and that they wanted to hear even more about my experience. To be honest when I first starting posting my trip, I actually thought my posts were too wordy, and didn't think anyone would actually take the time and read them in full - but surprisingly, the opposite happened and people (YOU!) wanted more. I continued to share my trip on Instagram, but then started to also capture (and held on to) content that I would eventually share here on my blog with you. Next month you will see it all unfold!
The picture I posted above is of a cooking class that I went to while in Barcelona. (I documented the entire foodie experience on my Instagram Stories which is saved in my 'Barcelona' highlights if you would like to check it out). By the end of the class I had everyone trained not to touch anything until I was able to take a picture of it. "Now everyone remember to wait for Jessica to take a picture before going in" my favorite new-found friend from Colorado, Eric (the one in the blue and white checked shirt) would jokingly say - and everyone would laugh and wait. They really waited, lol!!! This is something that my friends and family have had to put up with me for years on - I guess once a blogger - always a blogger. After the class was over and we were saying our good-byes, Eric hugged me and said "I don't know why, but I feel like something amazing is right around the corner for you. Keep being your authentic self". I teared up then - and I teared up just now re-living that moment. I will never forget those words, and I will never forget the beautiful people that made my trip so memorable.
After a few days in Barcelona, I hopped on a plane that landed in Marrakech, Morocco. As I was walking through customs and about to meet my driver, I got a little nervous because I was about to meet a few of the women that I would spend the next 5 days with. Once we arrived to our riad, and said our hellos, I could immediately tell that we were all going to get along just fine. We all had so much in common. We all were solo travelers, we all loved home interiors and design, we were all foodies, and we all LOVED to shop. During this trip I assumed that we would do a few group things together, and then have time to do some things on our own - but we all got along so well that we wanted to spend the entire trip together as a group.
The one thing that I loved the most about this trip was our fireside chats each night at our riad. Even after spending the entire day together - when we got back to the riad and could have spent some alone time in our rooms - we all would gather around the fireplace and talk for hours about everything. It was during one of those chats that it became so crystal clear that I needed to get back to creating. The girls were so supportive in coaching me through some of the fears and self-limiting beliefs I put upon myself. They helped me realize the authentic influence I could have on the world just by sharing the things that I love and am passionate about.
“in order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to be seen - really seen”
We often mentioned that we knew that it was by design, by God, that we were all on this trip together. There's just no other way to describe the magic that happened over those 5 days. To this day I am still in touch with each of the girls in the picture above, and I really do love them dearly. How does that happen in just a few days. All I can say is - God.
If you haven't picked up on it yet, this trip was very emotional and transformative for me. There were many times that I would put my hand over my heart, look around and tear up because I couldn't believe I was there. I was really doing it. All by myself. My mom said when I was little and she would try to help me do anything, I would say "iiiiiii do it" - and honestly nothing has changed other than this time I said "iiiiiii did it" - I'm doing it!
“show your work”
So very long story short, the reason why I'm here today - why this blog is here today - why this shop is here today - is because of YOU and because of the people I met on my trip. You guys have had faith in me, when I didn't have faith in myself. You have encouraged me and supported me throughout the years - so how could I tell you no, when you were asking for more?
What can you expect from SIX EIGHTY EIGHT, you ask? Well here is what I am committing to:
(At least) 1 blog post per week that will cover all the things I love - food, travel, home decor, DIY, and my favorite finds
A weekly newsletter that will be sent out every Friday morning ONLY to those that sign-up for it. The content shared in the newsletter will not be shared anywhere else (not on Instagram, not on Facebook, not here on the blog) so click here to get on my weekly newsletter email list. OH and by signing up you'll get a fun freebie sent directly to your MAILBOX
New items will be posted in the shop weekly. But don't forget - if you want me to create a custom gift for you just click right here to let me know your idea
Finally, I will be hosting creative classes and workshops in the very near future - so again, sign up for my email list so that you are the first to know
Tired of reading yet? If you've made it all the way down here - well then you are the real MVP. I'm so excited to be back - I have so much content to share with you. You wanted more? Well you're about to get it. If you have any questions, comments, or requests - leave me a note below. In the interim - buckle up!
