“Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts. ” ~ Wendell Berry Bom dia!
I’ve missed you these past couple of weeks, and it’s good to be back. 🥰 There’s so much to share about my time in Portugal. We practiced yoga in some incredible spaces. First, nestled in amongst the 14th century granite walls at our hotel in Porto. Next, on the deck featured in the photo on top. And trust me, this photo does NOTHING for the 360 degrees of beautythat surrounded us. This vineyard where we stayed is a working farm, and it is owned by a woman. She specifically created this deck for yoga and meditation. There’s something so powerful about practicing in sacred spaces. Of course, this tour was also all about food and wine, and we indulged! I love that we were there during harvest time, This meant we had the opportunity to:
And, I knew nothing about Port before this tour. I didn’t even know that there’s such a thing as White Port, let alone Pink Port?! Turns out, the Portônico (or, Porto Tonico) is my favorite! It’s a super simple cocktail: white port and tonic over ice, garnished by mint leaves and orange, or citrus of your choosing. It’s light, refreshing, and lovely! As a long-standing vegetarian, I did miss out on the cod served 366 different ways (one preparation for each day of the year + a bonus dish for leap year), and you know what? I’m okay with that! 😉 I especially loved getting out on the water during our trip. We took two different boat tours along the Duoro River, and the scenery is over-the-top incredible. Of course, with any travel opportunity, there can also be challenges. And we had some of those as well. We were supposed to transfer to Lisbon via bus for the completion of our trip. An historic walking tour, our finalé dinner, etc. were all waiting for us in the capital city. Deadly wildfires kept that from happening. Thankfully, we all remained safe and had all of our things with us. But the smell, and the falling ash, and the evacuations of villages, and the devastation of land? Tragic. So, our tour got cut short. Our group unceremoniously splintered apart. Four of us traveled on together via plane to Lisbon. (Highways were closed. Trains weren’t moving) The air was clearer, and I’m thankful I got to spend a day exploring the hilly, coastal city. We took an historical tour via tuk-tuk and put together our own finalé dinner at Time Out Market. It’s true. Things don’t always go according to plan. And that’s part of it. I certainly did not plan on coming home and testing positive for Covid. But, that happened, too. Ugh. Sigh. I’m still resting up and recovering. Turns out, Covid likes to make me super tired and terribly congested, especially in my ears, just like last time. I hope to emerge from feeling like I’m both underwater, and in a tin can, sometime SOON! Take great care of yourself, Love, m
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“World-peace can be achieved when the power of love replaces the love of power.” ~ Sri Chinmoy Hello beautiful beings!
Thanks for being here; I hope your September is off to a great start. I have to say, I am LOVING it. Our humidity has dissipated, the sunsets have been spectacular, and the chilly nights have made for great sleeping. This week, I simply want to give thanks for all the nice people and acts of kindness that are happening all around us. If we watch the news, we might believe that human beings are constantly at battle, fighting against one another, at every possible turn. Yes, these are divisive times. And yes. There’s a lot that’s ugly in the world. However, there’s also SO MUCH GOODNESS . . . and BEAUTY! Two specific examples. When Mike and I moved back into Douglas, we loved the idea of biking downtown to go out for dinner. In truth? We don’t do it very often, but on Sunday we got dressed up and biked the few blocks to EPC for our anniversary celebration dinner. The owner, Matt, came over right away to say hello. We told him that we ate at EPC 24 years ago on the night of our wedding, and we were intentionally returning to celebrate the occasion. When our server came to the table, he said, “Matt would like to buy you your first drink, May I bring you some champagne or a cocktail?” The restaurant was packed, his staff has been working their tails off for months, and yet here they were, taking extra care of us.. What a treat! Then, on Monday, we were sitting on our front porch and a neighbor texted to ask if we were home. Not five minutes later she arrived carrying a pot full of homemade, vegetarian, summer corn soup. And let me tell you, Heather (who owned a Saugatuck restaurant for years) knows how to COOK! She also gave us some beautiful garden tomatoes . . . the kind that are perfect for my favorite sandwich: grilled cheese, basil, and tomato. We packed up all that goodness and made a delicious dinner on the boat. So, in these pre-election days, I just want to remind all of us to be kind to our fellow humans. Let’s give some energy to what unites us. Let’s be discerning about the information we ingest. Let’s find the people, and the activities, that open our hearts and expand our energy. Let’s offer another human a compliment. Let’s set a goal to do one simple act of kindness every day. Let’s extend ourselves a little extra grace. There are good humans all around us doing incredible things; Let’s amplify that! I am SO excited that the Yoga, Food, and Wine tour is about to begin! I’m off to Portugal and can’t wait to experience it all. If I don’t make it into your inbox next week, that’s why! But, I’ll see you again soon. 😍 All of my regularly scheduled classes will continue while I am away. 🥰 It’s STILL summer, so keep soaking it all in! ♥️ m P.S. For those of you interested in my coffee travel adventures, here’s my latest guest blog for One Bigg Island in Space. This once comes from Nicaragua and it’s full of goodness. ☕️ |
AuthorMichelle Shaw: Archives
May 2025
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