There She Goes: Goodbye Switzerland, Hello Country Hopping
Lucerne exploring, gelato eating, and Corpendant. Life doesn’t get much better!
Summer energy feels like it’s finally here! It’s bringing warm, enlivening weather, which is giving me fresh motivation to explore and try new things. This Friday was a particularly a fun day because it was both the Summer Solstice and International Day of Yoga. I took the opportunity to go off on my own and attend a yoga class in Zurich that was taught in Swiss German! I have zero experience practicing the language, so it definitely put a new spin on things. This week I wave goodbye to Switzerland and take a few days to travel neighboring countries. More on that in There She Goes section — First, some snippets to glide you through the week!
Songs To Stitch To, Sing To, Get You Through The Week
A view from Weggis, Switzerland where we took a boat to hike Mount Rigi.
Green & Gold — Lianne La Havas
Maria Maria (feat. The Product G&B) Radio Mix — Santana
Fais Rien (Petite Biscuit Remix) — Moi Je
Set Aside Some Time This Week For Some Self-Care
Power Pose Like a Bada$$: Have you tried power posing? Evidence suggests that standing in a position of power, even in moments of perceived weakness, can impact your feelings of confidence and power. Amy Cuddy gave a TED Talk on this and, though findings are mixed, I’ll leave it to you to test if it works on you as an individual. That’s all that matters!
Mantra-it-out: I always include “Salutations” in this newsletter, in the hopes some of them resonate with you. Do you know that mantras can actually be a very powerful tool in calming anxiety and offering powerful energy? This week, choose a mantra and repeat it to yourself for a day, or for the week and see how you feel!
Sing…Loudly!: This week I was reminded of the amount of old and sometimes silly songs we have stored in our brains. When is the last time you played a song from your middle school/high school years and shouted it out? This week take a trip down memory lane and blast a song that will leave you breathless and hopefully laughing too.
Uplifting Things Happening Around The World
Schools are making mindfulness a priority: Oh how I wish this was a thing when I was in school! Teachers world wide are initiating mindfulness and meditation in their classrooms. This is instilling valuable effects of calmness and wellness for young students.
A book on the Sharing Economy has been released: The book, titled Generation Share, documents 200 change-makers worldwide through photography, interviews, and social commentary. It looks spectacular and you should see if the book tour is coming to a place near you!
Ghana girls win at International Robotics competition: Incase you missed it, back in May a group of awesome high school females from Ghana won the 2019 World Robofest World Championship!
Sunday Salutations
Exploring a forest in close to the flat we stayed in in Lucerne, Switzerland
“Come back to who you are,
just as the sun has come back.
And shine out, and fearlessly so”
Waylon Lewis
“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”
Rumi
“Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”
Tony Robbins
There She Goes
Our time in Switzerland has come to a close. It was a filled with remarkable views, gracious hosts, and an abundance of outdoor adventures. Though it’s a bit sad to say goodbye, I’m eager to continue on our adventure to a few new destinations…which will likely be less strenuous on the wallet 😜 What’s on deck? Some time in Italy, then a short trip through France, en route to Spain!
The view was like for most of the Rigi Hike!
Sights That Have Made Me Say “WOW”
Mount Rigi: If you are lucky enough to get to Switzerland, you must try and make it to Mount Rigi! I am convinced this was one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever been on, starting with the view from the base of Weggis. You can choose to travel to the summit by train, by cable car, or by foot My partner, James, and I chose the Mark Twain walking route, which offered both awe-inspiring views and Mark Twain history as we hiked.
Biking around town is one of our top choices ways to get around a new place and see the sites.
On Sustainability
Before starting this trip, I made a promise to myself that I would do my best to “tread lightly” as we traveled. Tourism is a contributing factor to global warming. The major players are transportation, accommodation, and cultural activities. This doesn’t mean we all need to cut out travel cold turkey, but instead bring awareness to the way in which we travel and educate ourselves on how to improve. There is still much to learn about how to travel sustainably, and I don’t think science has yet caught up with tourism impacts and best practices. I intend to continue monitoring my daily footprint and questioning how I can personally spread awareness and (as our She&Jim hashtag pronounces) travel light, experience heavy.
Here are a few ideas for traveling a little “lighter”
Carry your own bag: Single-use grocery bags are virtually non-existent where we’ve been traveling in Europe. Instead, shoppers carry their own bag or have to purchase one at the stores. Now a days, there are smartly made bags that scrunch up and fit in your purse or pocket. Before we left for our trip, Brooke was kind enough to gift us with two and we’ve gotten so much use out of them!
Opt-out of daily fossil fuel travel: Throughout your time at a destination, challenge yourself (and your travel buddies) to walk or bike your way around. Not only does this lessen your daily CO2 footprint, it also can offer better opportunities to see the sights!
Shop local: While your traveling, check out the offerings at local markets. Nix the idea of grabbing a souvenir T-shirt and instead peruse the local crafts, art, and produce. In this way, you will collect something memorable (or delicious), will support the local economy, and will purchase products with a smaller carbon footprint.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and listen with us today!
We hope you have an excellent week filled with lots of happy stitching.
Be well,
Brooke & Sheila