“No Service”

I had a magical weekend. And for much of it, the screen of my phone looked like this:

Saturday I hiked in Pisgah National Forest about an hour from home for nearly 4 hours.  It was an incredibly beautiful hike with waterfalls, a river, wide open spaces, and very few people.

Sunday I drove out to an abandoned town a little over an hour from here called Henry River Mill Village. It was actually the filming location for the part of The Hunger Games where they are in District 12.

It’s quite odd – you drive off the highway about 2 miles then approach this entire abandoned town lying right on the road. It’s eerie and beautiful and you can feel history in the air.

On the way home, I hit a 3 mile hike up to one of my favorite waterfall spots nearby.

All in all, I had an amazing weekend.  

I truly believe that going into the “No Service” zone is crucial for giving ourselves space to connect in today’s world.  We are ​always​ available to everyone…except ourselves.​

I’ve written about carving out the time to connect with yourself on a deeper level many times, but very few people take the time to do so. Often women feel guilty because they feel as if they’re shirking their responsibilities to their family or other obligations, but the truth is, every single person needs to enjoy time and space with themselves. Without this precious time, we begin losing ourselves bit by bit.

So I’d love for you to share 2 things with me today:

1. What activity makes you feel most connected to yourself?
2. How can you carve out just one opportunity this week to enter that space so you can be better for those around you and for yourself?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Make it a great week!

xoxo,

Nicole

PS: Shout out to the 26 ladies I’ve got entering their 2nd week of a 4 week challenge! Reports of weight loss between 2-7 + pounds from the first week, and I couldn’t be happier! Keep at it, ladies! 🙂