Jenny Block Photo by Terri Glanger, Glanger Photography, https://www.glanger.com/
My new book, Be That Unicorn. Find your Magic. Live your Truth. Share your Shine hit the shelves this week! I am so excited to have it out in the world and really excited to share a little taste, no pun intended, here. The book is all about making your way in the world in a way that’s unique to you and kind to the world. Here’s a sneak peek of Chapter Seven, which is all about how to be That Unicorn when you travel!
From Chapter Seven of Be That Unicorn. Find your Magic. Live your Truth. Share your Shine.
Traveling can be a bear. Schedules go off schedule, equipment breaks, people can be rude. But traveling can be one of life’s greatest joys. The key? Why, to be That Unicorn, of course.
But you already know that by now. The traveling unicorn accepts the fact that there will be bumps—they are part of the ride. There will be tears…but there’s always a tissue. The journey will be worth the turbulence. Let That Unicorn take you on your trips and your trips will always be magical—even the rocky ones.
I used to need everything to go smoothly in order to enjoy a trip. One delay, cancellation, or unplanned detour, and I was flummoxed and ready to bail. Then I started to notice a funny pattern. A delayed flight would lead to a drink at the restaurant, where I’d meet a guy who told me about a restaurant where I could get the best whole fried red snapper in Costa Rica. A wrong turn would lead to a food stall where I had the most delicious falafel you could imagine. A canceled train would lead to an extra day in a city with the most fantastic zoo. You get the idea.
I’m learning to breathe. I realized that the only one I ruin it for is myself, although I’m quite certain I have also made it at the very least unpleasant for those around me. Sometimes that’s all it takes to remind me that I am not being very unicorn-y. It’s one thing to mess up my own experience; it’s quite another to mess up everyone else’s. Listen—none of this makes hassles less of a hassle. None of this means you have to be all zippity-doo-dah about debacles. All it means is that, after you’ve stomped and grumped and sighed, you can either make the most of the mess or let the chaos swallow you. For myself, I don’t want to get swallowed up by what ultimately are just #FirstWorldProblems.
I’m learning to enjoy the ride. Yes—I’m learning. Every unicorn is learning. Every unicorn makes a misstep and, yes, even has a moment of regret…but keeps it at another moment. That Unicorn is real. That Unicorn really gets mad, and That Unicorn really gets sad. Sometimes she is even less than pleasant with the ticket-counter guy who is not being his best unicorn self. But she also remembers how lucky she is to travel and how this blip is just that—a blip. Give yourself a break. Losing it is just fine, as long as you don’t take too long to find it again.
That Unicorn loves to travel; it doesn’t matter whether it’s near or far. Unicorns just like the chance to discover what’s on the other side of that fence, over the mountain, or across the lake. Things don’t always go swimmingly, but when they do go awry, I now let my inner unicorn be my tour guide.
Herbert [my inner unicorn] always knows how to turn things around, even when it’s pouring rain in a tropical place where the most popular activities require clear skies. (In case you’re wondering what the takeaway was from that adventure…bingo can indeed be a drinking game…)
Excerpted from Jenny Block’s Be That Unicorn. Find your Magic. Live your Truth. Share your Shine from Mango Publishing, 2020.
Order from Amazon or order a signed copy here.
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