8 Lessons I Brought Back from Australia: Taking Stock and a Step Back
Returning to my birthplace of South Australia is always an emotional journey.
For nearly 13 years I have called San Francisco home, yet every time I buckle into the airline seat and the familiar Australian accent comes over the speaker system, my whole being seems to exhale.
It’s not like I even KNOW Australia anymore. The soap stars seem more youthful, and I no longer recognize the rising Australian bands on Spotify or the latest lingo the teens are using to describe their daily lives. But it’s a cup in life that I can only fill by making the journey Down Under.
Seeing all the important people in my life is always on the agenda, and there’s never enough time to do everything I’d like to do there. But this trip I made a few new discoveries:
Packing with self-care in mind
I was determined to maintain my daily meditation and yoga practice while juggling jetlag and a carousel of sleeping arrangements and locations. Which meant that my reading materials, journals, sleep masks and travel drops were the first things in my overnight bag. Anything to keep things grounded.
Making time for important people
We can’t do it all. So I prioritized seeing people who had made an impact on my life. And I told them so, and why. For me it was a wine writer I long admired who had not been well. We both admitted when we finally sat down that the last time we saw each other, we both thought it would be the last time, period. It allowed our conversation to be that much more honest, and that much more vulnerable and fulfilling.
Bringing a new wellness discipline to old places
The only upside of jetlag is that it gets you out of bed before sunrise and motivated to plan for a yoga practice. (Having my gear by the bed and ready to go helped too.) What mum and dad know as a lawn backyard actually served as my meditation spot, accompanied by the choral warbling of sunrise magpie calls.
Finding old faces in new places
Maintaining a physical yoga practice can be a pain when you are out of your routine. Unknown teachers, new studios or tempting sleep-ins can test your commitment, but they can also be a boon for health. This trip I discovered that an old acquaintance, Claire Winther, is an inspiring yoga teacher who also was a treasure trove of good ideas on where to find healthy eating options in the city.
Things are different. And that’s okay
“Geez you’ve changed,” exclaimed a friend I hadn’t seen for years. And I actually felt good about it. I’ve spent my career as a chameleon adapting to work environments, jobs and networks but this trip I went back unadulteratedly as me. Pale no-sun skin, limited yoga practice from a long-standing shoulder injury, and a little too soft around the midriff for my summer-liking, but happy. And it felt good to own my “stuff.”
Finding the small bits of sanity
Hopping from guest bed to bed and driving hundreds of kilometers to see dear friends can take its toll on stress levels, so finding ways to ground my energy was important. For me it was meditation playlists, the soothing smell of my favorite herbal tea at night, and updates back to close friends in the US.
Traveling with a friend makes things easier
Traveling alone is great but looking at your homeland through a friend’s eyes is a helpful reminder of the beauty you may miss. As I translated the “shops are shut” into “stores are closed” and “catch a cab” to “take a taxi,” the idiosyncrasies of the local dialect can only be appreciated through a non-native speaker. Thanks Kim for being such a relaxed travel buddy.
Revisiting old haunts
The mind is a funny thing. So are the stories we create around memories from old places and faces. What was once the gigantic towering gum tree across the road from my parents that tore fear into me is now a majestic gnarled climbing gym. The basketball court where I spent hours, days and years under grueling training regimes, now awaits the gym shoes of another young hopeful. I bring back a fresh perspective.
As I wing back to the rocket-paced reality of a wine communicator’s life, with its relentless work deadlines and no doubt challenging sleep cycles, I can honestly say this was the most fulfilling trip I’ve had home in 13 years. Seeing so many wonderful ABG Community members for hugs and hellos, I am proud of sticking with my asana practice, making time for meditation, sharing great wine and food with beloved family and friends, and looking at life with a fresh lens.
Now I come back to the US with a renewed vigor and energy to take on 2020. Let’s see how long it lasts ;)
Namaste,
Beck
What We're Reading:
There's no shortage of wine stories and media inundating our IN Boxes. Here's what has piqued our interest this week.
Healthy Cocktails: Myth or an Evolution in the Way We Drink? – Kat Odell for Liquor.com
Writer Kat Odell explores the rapid growth of bartenders and their creative exploration of incorporating health shop favorites and medicinal offerings into their bar programs.
Can't Squeeze in a Workout? Try Harder. Your Business May Depend on It – Cathy Huyghe for Inc.com
Cathy shares three ways that she sees the benefits of exercise in her personal life and work as an entrepreneur.
Meet the Community!
Our community is only as strong as the company we keep, and here we meet some of the folks who make our profession so dynamic.
Photo Credit: Victoria Wright
Ashley Trout, Founder, Vital Wines and Owner/Winemaker Brook and Bull Cellars (Washington USA)
Years in the Industry:
I’ve been in the wine industry since 1999 and started doing night-time ferment punchdowns in the cellar in college and fell in love with the concept that I could carve out a profession as an adult where I was creative and physical. I’ve always been all of those things, but I grew up in Washington DC where professions tend to skew more towards desk jobs. I currently run/own two wineries, a non-profit for better access to healthcare for vineyard and cellar workers in Walla Walla called Vital Wines, and Brook and Bull Cellars, a boutique winery producing 2000 cases per year.
My biggest challenge to wellness:
Patience, planning and distraction - arguably three sides of the same coin. I come up with ideas about a wine or events or how we take better care of wine club members, but I won’t slow down for long enough to come up with a detailed plan, and I most certainly won’t slow down enough to properly onboard the people helping me with the latest new idea. I simply hope for their clairvoyance. They then, rightfully, get frustrated. I subsequently take the task back into my own hands and then wonder why I’m so exhausted, or why a huge chunk of something was missing during the roll out of that idea.
My last General Manager appropriately learned to ignore everything I ever said if I called her while walking the dogs. She left to do an MBA program, but not before teaching me a ton, and now I don’t do that with the new GM (as much).
How I keep It Together to Stay Well:
I think I’m an extrovert, but my days certain skew more extrovert than I am. With winemaker dinners, two sets of staff, two young “spirited” kids, wonderful neighbors (also all with kids), a tasting room filled with people, an extremely extrovert husband and a small town with no anonymity, I’m out-peopled and need alone time.
From 8.15 to 9.30 in the morning I usually drop the kids off at school and then work out or run a silly errand, and I’ll make sure someone makes me a damn good cappuccino. If I sneak that in, I can tackle 30% more during the day.
My Bullet Journal: Those guys should start paying me I’ve recommended it to so many people!. It has changed my life. For each month I write a page each for scheduled events, the daily priority, what I’m grateful for, a brain dump page, a staff brain dump page, a page for groceries, and then two pages for a grid for tracking smaller tasks. Finally, I have two pages per week for filling up each day’s to do’s. I don’t see technology like I do paper, so the very small spaces that I leave myself to fill in force me to prioritize. Also, personal and work have to go together because I can’t be in two places at once, so I have to check that I’m not double booking.
Owning my time: I stopped putting other people’s incoming emails as a priority first thing in the morning and I make sure that I start the day proactive, not reactive. I also don’t have my phone with me often and while it annoys others, I think it is silly that we should be expected to be available at all times to all people. That isn’t healthy.
Climbing: I rock climb. Nothing clears the mind like “don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall.” It’s just one hand hold at a time and a puzzle and you’re alone up there with some simple choices that affect you and you alone. I love that.
You can connect with Ashley on Instagram @troutashley on Facebook Brook & Bull and online at BrookandBull.com
Let’s Meet Up!
The wine world is truly global and we hope to see you at these industry events and gatherings.
ABG Events and Presenter Activities:
Wonder Women of Wine , Mar 28 - 29, Austin TX
Panelist “Choose Wine - and Wellness" (Beck)
Women for WineSense 2020 Grand Event, May 14 - 16, 2020, Sonoma CA
Panelist "Wine and Wellness" (Beck)
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Industry Event Travel:
B.E.V. NY Conference Feb 26, Rochester NY (Cathy)
James Suckling Great Wines of Italy Feb 29, San francisco CA (Beck)
Charleston Wine and Food Festival March 5 - 7, Charleston, SC (Beck)
Wine Marketing & Tourism Conference March 3-5, Eugene, Oregon (Cathy)
ProWein March 15 – 17, Düsseldorf GE (Cathy)
Women in Wine: Women Empowering Women, March 18, Paris FR (Cathy)
Bologna Business School April 7 – 9, Bologna IT (Cathy)
Vinitaly April 19 -22, Verona IT (Beck)
Future Wine Expo May 12 - 13, Santa Rosa CA (Cathy)
Drop a line to rebecca@abalancedglass.com or cathy@enolytics.com if you are interested in getting together for practice, a chat or a great glass together.
