A Grown Up’s Gap Year – ISSUE #10 – Finding the Fun – When It All Might Seem Same/Same

Hello, happy Sunday!

It’s easy to fantasise about faraway places to jolt us awake. We imagine new cities, unfamiliar accents, and the kind of freedom that seems to live in boarding passes and out-of-office replies.

But what if you can’t flee right now?

I’ve always believed there’s treasure to be discovered in your own backyard – if you take a moment to look. Playing hooky from your life might be as easy as turning left instead of right, visiting the next suburb, or packing a thermos for a dawn adventure.

Do you already live your life as if on a perpetual adventure?

I do now and it is fabulous – however for many years it was not the case.

A late-night conversation with my ‘middle sister’ reminded me:
Back in the day, I used to live hard and joyfully. I was resourceful, brave, adventurous. My world was expansive. I’d move to new places alone. Took on jobs that stretched me. I loved being outside. I’d bungee-jump, run marathons, swim in deep oceans, complete triathlons, ski black runs, drive deserted highways, apply for roles that felt wildly out of reach.

Then life got busier. I softened. I began to live passively, not actively.

What a waste of the gift of life.

Granted, with responsibility comes compromise. That’s adulting – and gladly so. Now? I don’t need to move mountains. Just be sure to actually live. To stretch into possibilities, rather than dwell in lack.

When you step into a smaller world, it can be easy to forget what came before – your creativity, your capability, your momentum. 

Remind yourself of the joy of life and the thrill of a little novelty. From there, expanded horizons can follow.

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WELLBEING  | The Case for Micro Escapes

The Research Backs What You Already Know

• Small, regular breaks have more lasting impact than one big annual holiday
• Novelty improves creativity, memory, and motivation
• Shaking up your routine activates your parasympathetic nervous system (the ‘rest and restore’ mode)

Translation? Tiny resets help you feel like you again.

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ADVENTURE | A Grown Up’s Guide to Escaping Nearby

1. Take a Local Foodie Tour

Food tours aren’t just for faraway trips. 

One contributor to A Grown Up’s Gap Year is Anna Manlulo, founder of the Filipino Food Movement Australia, and a passionate cook and writer. She promotes Filipino culinary culture through her platform, Adobo Down Under – and she’s coming to the podcast soon. Her instagram a riot of fab foodie finds – I’m taking Mum to meet her for a twirl through her fav. spots – a foodie holiday at home 

3. Mystery Flight, Old-School Style 

So if the airport really is calling – make it spur of the moment, easy to organise. Go to Webjet. Filter by “cheapest return.” Let the destination choose you.✨ Remember mystery flights? Let’s bring them back.

6. Log On and Be Surprised

An online course might not seem revelatory… until it is. I recently logged in and found myself reconnecting with someone I hadn’t seen in 48 years – a primary school friend from when we lived overseas. You never know who (or what) will re-enter your life when you try something new.

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ASK MONIQUE

Q: “What can I do to feel a bit more alive – today? Even if I can’t actually GO anywhere?”

A: Honestly? Even thinking about shaking things up is thrilling…then go do.
Somewhere you’ve never been – even if it’s just a café one suburb over.
Wear the outfit you’ve been ‘saving’. Order the dish you usually don’t. Strike up a conversation. Seeing myself reflected back in the eyes of strangers is INVIGORATING – I am fun, happy, an interesting person – not just the Wife & Mum yelling ‘clean up the kitchen’!

This isn’t about geography – it’s about energy.
Walk like a tourist in your own postcode.

Ask yourself: If I were already living like I wanted to… what would I do today?

A shift in scene is a shift in self. Try it. Tell me later.

REAL-LIFE RESET IDEAS

• 15 minutes of no-logistics silence to ponder a change of direction
• Say “no” without giving a reason
• Leave the house solo. Don’t explain where
• Take a Monday off. Feels deliciously rebellious
• Create a ritual. Protect it.

Escape isn’t always a destination. It’s a decision.

This week, make one small change. Go somewhere new. Swim somewhere wild. Let your routine get rearranged.

There’s treasure waiting – possibly right around the corner.

Let me know where it finds you.

Love & hugs,

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PS – A ‘Whitsundays Wellbeing’ Untethering?

The Whitsundays Writers Festival returns in September 2025 – and I’m thinking of hosting a pre-festival untethering…Here or Here

2–3 nights of wellbeing, retreating, nature based fun – and yes, a little ‘adventure lite’ – so if you decide to attend the festival as well, you can glide in full of fresh energy.

Come alone and meet new friends.

Hit reply and I’ll send early details – and let me know what you’d prefer:

A: To show up with everything sorted?

B: Or book your own accom and travel, and have just the days planned?

And if you missed last magazine: 72 Hours Of Untethering In The Whitsundays

CHIC LOCAL | Style Teaser

Next issue: Style Mojo Refresh 

Because nothing lifts your energy like restyling what you already own, swapping/gifting pieces, or saying yes to a new cut (or coat).

Your homework:
Choose a style muse. Kelly Rutherford? Trinny? Whoever makes you sit up straighter.  If you feel invisible, your confidence has gone missing – borrow it; from your future self, your best-dressed friend, or someone who’s doing life just a little differently

Start a moodboard – Pinterest still my go-to.

LISTENING | READING | WATCHING | EAT

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