MERAKI

Travel, Yoga, and the Search for a Soulful Life.

My yoga journey has taken me to unexpected places, both in the world and within myself. When I first started practicing in Costa Rica, there weren't many teachers or studios around, but it was here that I was introduced to the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga system. My passion for the practice was so strong that I began traveling and living abroad just to study with different teachers.

In 2004, after years of practice, my soul was thirsty for more. This led me to a remote village on the South Coast of Crete, Greece, called Agios Pavlos, where I spent a summer living and working at a yoga retreat named “Yoga Plus.” This experience became a true inflection point in my life —one that profoundly marked my heart and gave me a newfound clarity about my purpose.

I worked in every area of the retreat, from cleaning and cooking to hosting guests. In doing so, I learned how to do everything well. I'll never forget working with a New Zealander who had the most outstanding standards for cleaning. While his perfectionism was not for everyone, I considered him a great teacher. To this day, I still try to live up to the level of excellence he taught me.

It was during this time that I discovered what I've since told my daughters: while a university education is important, the real school is traveling the world. College gives you the technical skills for a career, but travel provides you with unique experiences and new perspectives that can change your life.

My time in Crete was filled with magic. One particular evening, I was sitting with friends at a taverna overlooking the ocean, enjoying the sunset and a feast of Greek salad, dolmades, tzatziki, and artisanal wine. In the midst of our conversation, one of my friends introduced a word that changed everything: MERAKI.

He explained that meraki means to do something with soul, creativity, and love. I fell in love with the word instantly. At the time, one of my dreams was to open a cozy, healthy food restaurant. I'm not a chef, but cooking —and food in general— is in my blood and brings me immense joy, especially how it brings people together in a positive, loving environment. Back then, I also hoped to one day open a simple hostel or B&B where people could travel and connect with nature, with others, and with themselves. Little did I know that this dream would eventually come true in a way I couldn't have imagined.

That night, my restaurant had a name: Meraki. I was so taken with the word that I kept it to myself for years, like a precious secret. Over time, I forgot about it, but the word found its way back into my life years later, this time through Pinterest. A few months ago, while driving with my oldest daughter, I finally shared it. We were talking about food —as we often do— and I told her I was trusting her with my favorite word and its powerful meaning.

Even though I may never open that restaurant, the word's meaning still touches me deeply. We all come with a unique toolkit of talents and abilities meant to be shared with the world. Sometimes our own insecurities —or the voices of others— can block us from seeing our potential, but that doesn't mean it's not there.

Life comes with no guarantees. Not everyone will find their "dream job," and even if we do, it may change. The beautiful thing is that our toolkit is filled with more than one talent. As long as we're alive, we can explore each and every tool. We don't have to limit this exploration to our work; we can find ways to share our gifts at home, in our community, or through our support for nature.

It's wonderful to see that the sum of all our gifts creates a perfect and well-balanced diversity. Some might have healing hands, others the ability to use their voices to stand for others or inspire reflection. Some will have the capacity to fix and engineer, while others will create beauty and delight us with their art. There's no need to follow another’s path; there's plenty of space for all of us to express our true uniqueness.

It's a privilege to have these talents, and it's our responsibility to find a way to explore them. We might not even know what our true talents are, but I believe that training ourselves to do things with love, creativity, and intention will help us discover our path. Life works in mysterious ways. We may feel we are in the wrong place, but looking back, we often realize we were exactly where we needed to be to develop our most amazing skills.

And perhaps finding our purpose isn't about the job we do; it’s about being intentional with how we do it.

Ultimately, meraki isn't just a word; it's a way of living, an attitude, and a state of mind. It's the silent promise you make to yourself and to the world: to infuse everything you touch with a piece of your soul. It's the quiet joy of a job well done. It's the deep satisfaction of connecting with others. And it’s the courage to find beauty and purpose in the everyday, even when it’s not what you expected.

My journey to Crete taught me that our true purpose isn't always found in grand plans or perfect jobs, but in the small, intentional moments we choose to live with love. And that, I've come to believe, is the most magical lesson of all.

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I'll probably never open the Meraki Restaurant; it's a beautiful idea, but the reality is just too much work. Instead, I'll keep holding on to the hope of returning to Greece —this time with my family— to be able to show them the place where the second, and most magical part of my life began.