Forget "What's Your Why?"
I've got another question you should be asking...
The other day I was catching up with my friend Sally when she casually said something to the effect of, “When we were in Ireland a few weeks ago…”
Ireland? A few weeks ago?
I wasn’t sure if I heard her correctly.
“Wait. You were in Ireland? Like, recently?”
I was surprised, because it seemed like Sally had “just” told me about that trip a couple of months earlier. Was this a second trip?
Well, as it turns out, Sally informed me that the trip I was thinking of was a year ago, last September. (Time sure does fly.)
The trip she was referring to in our convo had come up out of the blue.
Here’s the story. Sally and her husband love Ireland. And Irishfest in Milwaukee - they go there every year. In fact, Sally’s husband has been going since 1981! Well, this August, Sally and her husband were at Irish Fest listening to the Irish singers Donal Clancy and Liam Makem singing all the traditional Irish songs they love.
After the concert, Sally followed the singers online and learned they were going to perform in an Irish town called Dungarven in mid-September.
AND here’s where the plot thickens…
Dungarven happens to be the place she and her husband had visited 10 years ago on a tour. They absolutely loved the town, especially The Tannery - a restaurant they visited that had a cooking school. It was the place they discovered their favorite dish, Crab Creme Brûlée. (Sally now makes this all the time.)
All of these factors seemed to indicate that Sally and her husband needed to go to that village for the concert. So, of course she started looking up flights, hotel, and concert tickets.
Then, this happened:
Soon Sally had found flights, a hotel room at The Tannery, and of course, the concert tickets. She even managed to find a dog sitter for two 12 year old dogs and a 6 month old puppy.
She asked her husband, “Do you want to go?”
Her husband replied with two words.
“Why not?”
And what followed was the trip of a lifetime. Her husband’s cousins drove down from Northern Ireland to join them for the concert and breakfast the next day. The head chef at The Tannery said hello to them and saw them off on Saturday, calling them crazy Americans.
At the concert, Liam and Donal were surprised that they’d traveled so far for the concert. They took pictures with Sally and her husband for their website.
Everything about the trip seemed to be designed just for Sally and her husband. They visited Eamonn Terry, a crystal cutter who has made 2 crystal bowls for the past 2 US Presidents. Sally’s husband was able to observe the cutter’s work with a lathe - something her husband had used as a dentist.
They bought some glasses, walked the beach, and went to an Irish pub for a few pints. In a whirlwind, they were back in the USA, having had the most amazing adventure with memories to last a lifetime.
Their five-day spontaneous and life-changing getaway
happened because of two words:
WHY NOT?
And wouldn’t you know… Sally’s story happens to be What I’d Rather Be Talking About this week:
If there’s one takeaway from Sally’s story,
it’s to stop focusing on all the reasons why we shouldn’t do something
and instead ask ourselves
WHY NOT?
Why not book the trip this year vs. when we retire, when our kids graduate, when….
Why not schedule the girls weekend this month, instead of in five years
Why not surprise our partner with a getaway or experience today?
Why not change careers?
Why not take a chance on X, Y, or Z?
I think you get the point.
And with that, why not keep reading because I’ve gathered a lot of links for you that focus on making life-changing decisions and enhancing your day to day. Living your best life sort of stuff.
Plus, I’ve got some recipes, travel tips, and sales you probably shouldn’t miss.
And be sure to come back next week when I’ll have a special Who I’d Rather Be Talking About guest who travels the world in search of delicious food, has a fabulous podcast and blog, and most importantly has some words of wisdom to inspire and help women everywhere. Don’t miss it!
Until then… why not go do that thing?
Abbey
your best life
How to live life without major regrets is the theme of this YouTube that focuses on one question, What if you knew the exact moment you die? Would you live your life differently? It’s definitely food for thought and makes this video worth a watch. Along the same lines, here’s a quick video that reminds us to Live Life to the Fullest.
travel
Living with no regrets might look like travel to you. Here are 24 places that Travel & Leisure thinks you should have on your bucket list. Speaking of travel, if you’re a woman and want to travel alone, here’s a great way to do it.
If you read the past couple of issues, you heard me talk about my recent trip to Mallorca. One of my new travel pals from that trip recently posted her own summary… I think you’ll like this piece on Mallorca by Kristin Henning of Travel Past 50.
