I have a thought today as I recline here on the softest couch, my head perched on an Orso (Bear) embroidered cushion. The birds dart around me, each calling at different pitches and rhythms. The sun creeps through a gap in the awning of this delightful glass room, while the scent of roses drifts towards me from every direction.

There is one particularly magnificent peach rose directly in front of me. It is bursting at the seams, proudly displaying itself to the world. Blossoming. Full. Voluptuous. Entirely unapologetic in its beauty.

And all I can think is, how lucky am I?

To be so still.

To be so at peace.

To have just trekked 10 kilometres from one small Spanish mountain town to another, and for it to have felt less like a hike and more like a gentle forest bath. The light was soft, the temperature cool, and my mum’s company every bit as gentle and sweet as the landscape around us.

Gosh, today I feel so filled with tenderness and joy. Grateful for this unbelievable gift we have given ourselves and for how different this experience feels for me this year.

There is no stress pulling at me from the other side of a phone call. No tension sitting quietly in my body. No guilt. No blame. No unspoken expectations. No chorus of “you should have”.

Just bliss.

Just presence.

And perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts of all.