Did you know that a couple days ago was World Book Day? I got up early to do a live Instagram and Facebook chat with Marijeta – a dear friend in Croatia who helped me publish (un)Broken in Croatian. (Apparently, World Book Day is big in Croatia, with bookstores running special deals and events, and it was great to be a part of it!)

We talked about favorite authors and novels, and how nice it is to unplug from technology and read a good book (preferably sitting on a porch overlooking the Adriatic Sea – as my co-host, who lives in a small coastal town in Istria, described. )

When she mentioned that, I remembered how a few years back I asked another friend (also an author) to read an article I was writing and provide me with feedback. She replied with “I’m on my way to the coast. I won’t have internet access or a computer. It’s just me, a beach towel and a few good books. I’ll get back to you in two weeks.”

I almost cried when I read her reply, sitting in my home office in front of my computer screen with an overwhelming number of open tabs, emails and social media messages coming in every minute… There are notifications about bills and work inquiries. There are messages from my kids’ school teachers, the swim team, the band, the theatre, the parent club of juniors, the parent club of freshmen, the parent club of parents who like to plan things just to plan things (LOL). The phone beeps with texts from kids and their friends’ parents trying to coordinate get-togethers. I sighed.

Sitting on the beach in Croatia – under the shade of a fragrant and thick pine tree, with a gentle breeze keeping you cool, reading a book – sounded like a dream.

But… when you want something that you know will benefit you and those around you, you make necessary changes to get it.

You put effort into adjusting the little things in life to make room for what you want to be spending time on.

Did you know that a couple days ago was World Book Day? I got up early to do a live Instagram and Facebook chat with Marijeta – a dear friend in Croatia who helped me publish (un)Broken in Croatian. (Apparently, World Book Day is big in Croatia, with bookstores running special deals and events, and it was great to be a part of it!)

We talked about favorite authors and novels, and how nice it is to unplug from technology and read a good book (preferably sitting on a porch overlooking the Adriatic Sea – as my co-host, who lives in a small coastal town in Istria, described. )

When she mentioned that, I remembered how a few years back I asked another friend (also an author) to read an article I was writing and provide me with feedback. She replied with “I’m on my way to the coast. I won’t have internet access or a computer. It’s just me, a beach towel and a few good books. I’ll get back to you in two weeks.”

I almost cried when I read her reply, sitting in my home office in front of my computer screen with an overwhelming number of open tabs, emails and social media messages coming in every minute… There are notifications about bills and work inquiries. There are messages from my kids’ school teachers, the swim team, the band, the theatre, the parent club of juniors, the parent club of freshmen, the parent club of parents who like to plan things just to plan things (LOL). The phone beeps with texts from kids and their friends’ parents trying to coordinate get-togethers. I sighed.

Sitting on the beach in Croatia – under the shade of a fragrant and thick pine tree, with a gentle breeze keeping you cool, reading a book – sounded like a dream.

But… when you want something that you know will benefit you and those around you, you make necessary changes to get it.

You put effort into adjusting the little things in life to make room for what you want to be spending time on.

You learn new tools. You open up your mind to see solutions in places where before you only saw challenges and obstacles.

You loosen up the rigidity of your expectations and you find yourself… well, maybe not on a two-week-long tech-free retreat on a beach in Croatia, but sitting on a blanket under a pine tree in your own backyard, reading a favorite book.

A few hours later, while in a book club I’m in, I reminded myself how awesome it is to be on the ‘other side’ of that ‘wish come true.’

And here is the best part: creating a life that ‘feels good’ is good for health too.

It doesn’t mean leaving your job and selling your house so you wouldn’t have all the bills that need to be paid. It doesn’t mean moving to another country or canceling your cell phone plan.

It means becoming more aware of all you do and then creating pockets of time that will have the same qualities as that ‘dream’ life.

In my certification training this week I’m ‘practice’ teaching about the Five Senses. Everything we experience, we take in through our five senses.

Everything affects us accordingly – it either brings us nourishment, or it stresses us out. It helps us to be happy, peaceful and fulfilled, or it makes us agitated, scared and overwhelmed.

Reading an inspiring book, listening to some soothing music, gazing at nature, enjoying the fragrances of spring (or a small pouch of lavender from Croatia ), tasting the sweetness of a piece of fresh fruit, holding someone’s hand or running our fingertips over the smooth pages of the book we hold….

Now THAT can create a beautiful and rich experience, and consequently, life. And it doesn’t require you to restructure your life.

So, I challenge you to pick up a new book this week. If you aren’t a reader, there is always the Audible app and audiobooks.

Or, recall a favorite book you’ve read and talk to someone about it – what you liked about it, how it made you feel, what you learned from it, and how it may have affected your life.