Enchanted April

One of my favorite movies of all time is Enchanted April. It centers on four women in post WW1 England who rent a gorgeous seaside villa in Italy for a month. All are experiencing challenges of loneliness and disappointment. During their time together in that beautiful magical place, each has an epiphany about her life which clears the way for new friendships and love.

Earlier today I sat in a small bakery here on Crete, enjoying my Amarena and strawberry gelato. As I listened to my girl Jessica’s The Purple Door podcast titled The Universe Insists that You Manifest Your Dreams, I laughed out loud at myself. Here I am in GREECE, for Pete’s sake, after two great weeks in ITALY, the two countries I’ve wanted to visit for the past few decades! I made it happen! My friend told me “JuJu, you manifested THE SHIT out of your dreams!” THIS has been my enchanted April, visiting friends in Lazio and Abruzzo for two weeks, and then the past two sunsplashed weeks here in Exopoli. I’ve visited amazing gardens and medieval towns, shared meals and laughter, had time for writing and studying what interests me, and adopted additional habits that support my well-being. In the three months since I left home, I’ve lost 15 pounds, gained clarity about the future of my marriage and recommitted to my work as a post-partum doula.

I’ll be traveling for another 8 months— to other Greek islands, Albania, Turkey and back to Italy. I don’t know what will transpire during that time, but I have no doubt that each month will hold its own brand of enchantment nonetheless.