I took a trip to L.A. and I didn’t post about it on social media


What did I do instead? Enjoyed every moment of it.  What?!  Don’t worry It’s OK, I’m OK, I had a wonderful time, I promise. Even if I didn’t Instagram it. I was present. Mindful. Inspired. Connected. Here’s how: 

 

I met new friends who originally inspired me on the internet and we got together in real life without documenting it. The conversations were so much more powerful because I was fully invested in talking to them and not sharing and saying what we were talking about as it was happening. I wrote about each conversation and what they meant to me. In my journal. Words that they made me feel. So I could remember the feelings long after my time with them ended.

Intentional connection is beautiful and there is something almost sacred about keeping it between the people involved in that special moment. I’m cherishing those talks now and taking the wisdom from them and sharing them in my life when inspired to. There are three separate women specifically who I feel have already changed my life just by being in it and the conversations we shared. I won’t be tagging them in an Instagram post because they know who they are and I’m so thankful to say they’re my friends now in addition to being the very talented, inspiring people I follow on Instagram.

 

I saw an old friend from another coast and another part of my life that seems like both a lifetime ago and yesterday all at the same time. We celebrated where we both are on the journey currently while I kept my phone in my purse. We ate amazing vegan food in the candlelight at a popular new restaurant that was so good you wouldn’t believe there wasn’t cheese in it and we laughed and talked about deep things and our hopes and goals. In that other life when we knew each other I would have needed to document that vegan Mac and cheese. But guess what? It didn’t make it any less delicious not to this time. It made it more special. We then walked down the street to a tree full of chandeliers and there was such a magic in the air I knew a photo wouldn’t do it justice so I closed  my eyes really tight, holding onto his arm, pressing pause and also holding onto the way the air felt on my skin and how full and happy I felt from way more than just the food and drink.

 

I attended a writing workshop and sat in a room full of strangers that didn’t know me by my Instagram handle. They listened to my story and got to know me as Sarah. I sat there soaking it all in and taped the two hour workshop on my phone while I listened deeply to every word she spoke, sometimes even with my eyes closed. If I was intently  focused on my insta stories and typing out what was being said in the moment it was being said I know I would have missed what was being said in the moment. I scribbled notes along the way. A souvenir I’ll cherish.

 

I wrote every day. Messy and scribbled in my journal and most pages and thoughts left unfinished. I’m not worried that I didn’t finish what I started writing but celebrating that I wrote every day. Most of the words I wrote while there still haven’t seen the light of day yet and maybe they won’t, but to make time for writing daily, no matter what the outcome was liberating and has become something I’ve been really focusing on. The joy of the process of it all and I’ve been scribbling messy thoughts and notes down every day since. 

 

These are just a few of the mindful moments I felt while on the West Coast. In the moment I kept them to myself which at the time felt so needed. I always love to bring you along in what matters to me but I honored the deep feeling this time that I needed to fill up my cup so that I can continue to share with you in other ways. There will be a lot of other ways. Old and new ones. Through my writing exercises I practiced, new experiences and new perspectives gained and the inspiration I found while there in all the things and people that impacted me. Especially in the lessons I learned and the encouragement I received. It all lives on after the stories fade from our timeline after 24 hours and the trip comes to an end. It feels like this trip is the beginning... 

 

To experience life without showing it constantly is really hard in today’s social media society but it’s possible. And beautiful to do. I’m learning to navigate life both online and offline. Currently it seems I’m spending more time offline and that has been an important lesson in living in the present. It’s been soul shaking to pause and reflect and pursue that. What really matters. How to connect deeply with others without the screen between us even if the screen brought us together in the first place, especially if the screen brought us together in the first place. It’s worth pursuing and I want to give both myself and you permission to do that when we need it.

 

Here’s to living fully without always showing we are but when we do show it to show it with heart, truth and intention. ❤️

IMG_9517.JPG
Sarah Polite