It’s been a month since I returned from our long-awaited surf holiday to the Maldives. I had the privilege of spending 10 days under the guidance of 11 other women who supported me to achieve goals way beyond what I thought I was capable of. You see, I had already decided before I got on the plane that I would not be surfing. I had in my mind that I was going on a boat trip with friends but not necessarily to surf. I hadn’t had much practice, and I figured if anything, it would be an opportunity to have some downtime whilst the rest surfed. But those around me were not having a bar of it! Every day during every session, they were relentless with their guidance and their words of encouragement. And this extended to everyone in the group. It was an environment which absolutely supported you to be the best that you could be. So, in the end I was on the green wall (I think that is the term lol), and I caught waves that were bigger than I ever imagined I would be capable of catching. We all looked after each other and no one was left behind. My idea of a real community setting!

We had the opportunity to visit a few of the local islands. The connection of the people to their communities, and the land that they lived on was so heavily felt. The laugh of the children on the street, the women gathering to paint soccer posts so the kids could play, the simplicity of going home at 6pm for prayer and family time before returning to work at 8pm, the call of prayer in the morning… the list goes on. This made me think about commonalities between their culture and ours. We are all trying to achieve the same thing, an education for our children and for our families to be safe, happy and well. They seem to be able to achieve this at a much simpler pace with much less. This has made me evaluate what I am doing for myself and my family. I am choosing to find happiness in the simpler things in my life, letting go of wanting more, and making mindful decisions that allow me to detach from what does not serve me.

To add to the wonderful memories of this trip, was the amazing customer service that exceeded my expectations (and I must mention my expectations were high). Having worked on super yachts before, I knew that perhaps there would be a chance that I would be disappointed, and it was far from the case. The fresh and delicious cuisine, the attention to detail from the staff and their kindness…the list goes on. We were absolutely spoiled, and it was a pleasure to be living on board! I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to partake in this trip and to all those that made it possible. I have travelled a lot in my lifetime, but this will by far go down as one of the most spectacular trips of my life!

 – Carol