Notes From Europe: Dream Big

Have you ever set your sites on a dream and worked to make it happen?  Perhaps you have your eye on one right now and with a few shifts it could become your reality. Here’s my story of a recent dream come true with the hope it will encourage you to take your own bold, brave steps.

Since moving my family stateside from Germany, ten summers ago, I dreamt of spending the full summer in Europe. Although we loved our life in Austin, some heartstrings were still firmly attached to Germany. We have inched our way toward this goal over the years and are so fortunate to have a second home with my mother-in-law whenever we choose to visit.

Last summer my dream took on an unexpected dimension with my discovery of the magic of the Pyrenees mountains. Despite frequent excursions in France, the Pyrenee region had never been on my radar.   That was true until I received an unexpected invitation from a new found Gemmotherapy colleague, Stephane Boistard.

While Stephane was the reason for our travel, it was the majestic mountains and deep ancient forests that left me awestruck. This was a place that made me yearn for more; more quiet, more solitude, more beauty. My heart ached from being filled to the brim each day. Before our time was even over I had created a vision of returning the next year for a full month of working from a small country gite. Of course it made it all the better that Joachim decided he would join me as well.

As we made our plans last summer sitting on the terrace overlooking the rolling hillsides below, it all seemed pretty straightforward. In reality however, there were a few more hurdles to cross than expected.

This dream summer plan was underway well before there was even a hint of selling our family home let alone constructing a new one. While the steps involved have been strenuous, they didn’t deter us. Never would we have planned to move all of our belongings into storage, our son into an apartment with our pets, and complete final negotiations on our home sale all days before our travels. But hey, we did it and I feel all the more empowered because those added steps moved us even closer to the life in two countries that I have longed for.

Feeling that our energy stores needed some fueling, we choose to begin our trip in Germany. A stopover in Oehringen is allowing us a perfect few days with Joachim’s mother Marianne. Here we will rest up and regroup before renting a car and heading southwest for a month. Three days of no papers to sign or decisions to make coupled with some walks in the forest and Oma’s amazing cooking is the cure we need.

So what big dream have you been mulling over? Is there a step you might take in that direction?

Keep up with my travels this summer with this weekly Notes from Europe series and follow LaurenHubele on Instagram for a daily dose of Europe.