December’s Muse

December’s Muse: A Gentle Way to Close the Year and Begin Dreaming Again

This year was full of emotional swings for us. As I look back on 2025, I’m reminded that I’m the one who makes the meaning out of all of it. I believe things do work out, even when life feels out of our control, and some experiences that weren’t positive still ended up being constructive. This year held joy, struggle, fun, hardship, big success, and ongoing challenges. A few weeks ago in Durango, we were leaving the grocery store when Paul stopped to give a woman and her baby his last six or seven dollars. He didn’t even think twice. That moment reminded me how much heart he has and how much good we still have in our own lives. It shifted something in me. With that reminder to stay grateful, I can see 2025 through new eyes. And with those new eyes comes the sense that December can be a soft landing, a space to allow joy despite everything going on around us, and a place to choose happiness.

The best of all ways to see the world is through a child's eyes. —WH Auden

This renewed faith and hope remind me to let December shape a positive end-of-the-year mindset. Allow yourself to acknowledge the year as it happened. Let the moments that felt good and brought joy, as well as the ones that brought challenge and struggle come to the surface. As you reflect, do it without pressure and without judgment. What patterns do you notice from the past year? What surprises did you encounter? Where might your view of things shift? Giving yourself time in this space creates a gentle awareness that opens the door to new dreaming. Dreams often come with no effort at all. They rise from our heartfelt desires and point us toward where we want to go next.

Colorful decorative wind chimes hanging from a large tree against a backdrop of buildings and a cloudy sky.

One Proud Moment to Carry Forward

Let Your Imagination Lead

Opening yourself up to inspiration through dreaming is a wonderful place to begin. It is gentle and allowing, in nature. From this mindset, think about how you remember the past year. What felt meaningful? What changed you? Let’s tie this into a travel mindset. Travel can be anything you have a desire for, and it’s a great way to let your imagination fly. Think about how you plan, how you move through life, and how you respond to the unexpected. Can you remain curious even when things feel unsettled? This mindset will serve you well in any travel experience. As you look back, you don’t need to review the entire year. Simply allow whatever needs to rise to the surface. Give your intuition some space as you move through this reflection.

As you cultivate a positive end-of-year mindset, and you allow your intuition space to bring up different aspects of your year, is there one thing you are especially proud of that you accomplished this year? It can be anything. Just choose one accomplishment.Was it personal? Travel related? Career-oriented? Did it result in emotional growth? Allow this one proud moment to anchor your next dream. By allowing yourself to feel good about this accomplishment, you give yourself permission to gain confidence and this gives you the momentum you need to head into 2026.

Close-up of a water droplet hitting the surface of a calm body of water, creating ripples.

Illustration of a joyful woman in a flowing white dress, raising one hand and holding a scroll, with Greek-inspired blue border design at the top and bottom.

Colorful graffiti street art featuring overlapping cartoonish faces in various bright colors with pink blush spots.

LX Factory, Alcântara, Lisboa, Portugal Photo by Paul Lampe

Sunset with vibrant orange and yellow colors near the horizon, with dark silhouettes of trees and a mountain range against a cloudy sky.

Cortez, CO Sunrise. Photo by Wendy Stieg

Looking ahead through gentle dreaming, acceptance of what is, and feeling proud of an accomplishment are all a part of setting yourself up for success. This sense of new eyes, of a different way to think about past events, allows you to shift your attention toward the new year. We will be exploring how to really tap into your intuition as a part of dreaming and setting yourself up for planning. This ensures you will create the best travel plans because it is out of true acceptance of what really matters to you. By dreaming without pressure, and by knowing that ideas for your next adventure begins in quiet, reflective moments give you a sense of ease and flow while you set yourself up for success to start dreaming up your next travel experience.

A decorative blue and white mosaic tile border sitting on a beige textured surface.

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A cartoon girl with blonde hair, sunglasses, a teal and purple long-sleeve shirt, red shorts, and sandals is reaching for a black smartphone on a table.

Put. The phone. Down.

Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people are drawn to you. — Mary Lou Retton

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Staying positive amidst the negativity.

A woman with long orange hair wearing a white dress, holding a scroll, and dancing with a joyful expression, decorated with a blue Greek key border.

November’s Muse

I’ve noticed a trend over the past 18 months. Because I listen to so many podcasts about moving to or traveling through Europe — especially the Iberian Peninsula — the algorithm follows me everywhere. Even my search results are filled with articles warning how “bad” things supposedly are for Americans in Europe.

Headlines like:
“Europe Doesn’t Want American Tourists,”
“Visas Are Changing,”
“Everything Is Getting Worse,”
…and on and on.

Part of me knows it’s just clickbait. And part of me also knows that my occasional knee-jerk reactions (clicking links I shouldn’t be clicking!) come from emotional responses to waves of negativity.

But here’s the truth: negativity is everywhere — if you let it be.

During training for my new job as a Travel Sales Specialist, my trainer reminded me of something so simple and so central to the Law of Attraction that it’s easy to forget:

What you think about, you bring about.
Whatever you focus on, you tend to get more of — in your mindset, your mood, and your life.

Working in travel and sales means you must check negativity at the door, and I’m finding that starting each shift with a positive mindset is already paying off.

When you think about it, that applies to life, too.

Instead of engaging with clickbait, I’ve learned to put. the phone. down. Or close the laptop. Or turn off the TV. When I do, I naturally return to the things that ground me: writing, reading for pleasure, taking a walk, or spending time with my husband.

Put. It. Down.
And watch how quickly your energy shifts.

Something else I’ve learned: negativity is sneaky. If you’re not paying attention, it can color everything — your work, your planning, even your day-to-day thoughts. Recognizing when it’s creeping in and stopping it immediately has become a regular practice for me. Then I breathe, reset, and remind myself of how much is going right in my life.

From that place, I’m able to start dreaming again.

Stone archway with columns and a plaque, opening to cobblestone street with white and red cars and white buildings.

Carmona, Spain

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. — Eleanor Roosevelt

A moment of inspiration to spark your next adventure, because every journey begins with a dream.

A cartoon woman with long orange hair wearing a white dress, smiling and dancing, holding a scroll in her right hand, with blue Greek key pattern borders at the top and bottom.

October’s Muse

Fall is definitely in the air in southwestern Colorado! The Halloween decorations are going up, the leaves are colorful and falling, and the nights are getting cooler. Some of Colorado’s peaks have even seen snow! Now is the time to let yourself dream. If money were no object and you had as much time as you wanted, where would you go? Why would you go there? What would you do? Who would you meet?

I’m a big believer in writing fantasy journals. I look at Google Flights, check airfares, and then pretend-journal about the trip. Try it yourself. Write about where you’d stay, what you’d eat, and how it would feel to be there. Create a Pinterest board or save locations on Google Maps. Explore travel blogs or watch videos of your dream destination. The more you let your imagination wander, the clearer your dream becomes. Often, that clarity is all it takes to set real plans in motion.