There are people, places and events you encounter in life, that change your life.  You know the ones – these are the things that on some level, you know there was “my life before x” and “my life after x”.

This weekend just gone, I went on a course that was one of those. I won’t bore you with the details, but to say I learned a lot is a super big #understatement (in caps with many exclamation marks after it).

Today’s post is short because there’s still a part of me up there in beautiful Northland and I haven’t quite landed back into my practical world, just yet.

But, here’s just a handful of things I learned from my weekend:

Follow your intuition. Even though going on this course meant giving up going to the Rolling Stones concert with my bros (a BIG BIG deal BTW), I felt quite strongly it was important. I didn’t know at the time why and on the surface it seemed illogical, but now I know it was the right choice. Sometimes when that gut feel or intuition whispers to us, it seems counterintuitive, and it does take a lot to trust it. But my experience is trusting it never lets us down, even if we see the reason years afterwards.

Simple things matter. Noticing the beauty in the everyday, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, especially in the natural world, can offer so much - if we are open to seeing it. One example of feeling gratitude in simplicity this weekend was the incredible fresh food offered on the course. Such a simple aspect, but this exquisite fresh fare, lovingly prepared by the local caterer, shared with good people, great conversation and lots of laughter, was a small highlight of my weekend - but one that gave me so much pleasure.

Nature is a PHENOMENAL teacher.  As Albert Einstein said, “look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.”

So.

Friggin.

True.

My final insight in this blog post from this weekend past? We never stop learning…

The more I learn, the more I realise I have to learn.

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So, I guess what I'm saying is - take note when you come across these people, places, events and what seem like inconsequential coincidences that touch you.

Perk up and lean in.

Steve Jobs took a calligraphy course at University he was drawn to inexplicably, which later was the foundation of the multiple typefaces we know so well in Apple Macs. At the time, he nor anyone else could have foreseen the significance of enrolling in that random uni course.

The rest, as they say, is history.