A Grown Up’s Gap Year – ISSUE #8 – Embracing Middle Youth * Dream. Dare. Do

Hello, happy, happy Sunday!

So this week, I’m dreaming.

Because here’s what I keep learning: life rarely unfolds the way we planned. Different seasons bring different realities.

But dreaming? Sometimes it’s the thing that nudges us back to life.

Life delivers; looming elections, the news cycle that rarely brings GOOD news, cost of living (seen a food bill for young adult sons recently)…

Yet ideas are free and plans can be made.

With this in mind a sense of, ‘let’s really look living in the eye and give it a good shake…’

Onwards and embracing ‘middle youth’ – a phrase I have nabbed from this weeks Chic Local – Hydra resident and acclaimed artist – Desiree Prinsloo.

WELLBEING

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list,” said Susan Sontag.

I wish I’d written that line.

Many of us long for a taste of ‘elsewhere’ – even just for a moment. A chance to try on a different life mantle and see how it fits. We are drawn to books like Eat, Pray, Love and Wild or films like Under the Tuscan Sun; there’s something alluring about venturing into the unknown.

Generally it’s not simply the destination, but the change in routine that makes us feel alive

So, what did I do on my Grown Up’s Gap Year?
Well, you might be surprised to learn it wasn’t all about taking the trip. But it was an excellent place to start.

I became the person I was 25 years ago – before husband, before children – when I was more spontaneous, daring, fun, and unwavering. Granted, with responsibility, there’s less ‘your’ terms and more compromise – that’s adulting – yet something vital had been lost.

Before leaving, during a morning walk, I passed older women laughing deeply, joyously. I wanted whatever they had: a sense of wellbeing.

Next morning, I headed to the beach early, hesitated briefly, then dived into the cold sea. It was horrific but exhilarating.

It hit me: real change starts when we make space. Not through grand gestures, but small, daily bravery.

Then of course, later, I took a bigger plunge…

The older I get, the more I believe: if you’ve got the urge, just go, do. Travel. Study. Relocate. Say ‘yes’ to the thing that’s been calling. You’re allowed.

Start tomorrow. Monday, The perfect day to begin,

ADVENTURE WITH A CHIC LOCAL | HYDRA, GREECE

Artist Desiree Prinsloo embodies redefining life on her terms.

(Excerpt from A Grown Up’s Gap Year)

As Desiree puts it…

‘Life, had given her a hard shove off course – and it was in the aftermath that she decided to start over on a small Greek island. Now calling a renovated farmhouse ‘home’ for European summers.

‘After my husband passed, the unravelling was … well, monumental. I had nothing left to lose by the end of it, so one night, scrolling through property listings in Greece and Italy, I thought, Why not?

And that was it. Within a week, I packed my things and left.’

Hydra wasn’t a random choice; she’d been coming to the island for years. But buying her own home – one in dire need of repair – was something else entirely. ‘I stayed on through a freezing winter to restore it,’ she says, describing endless days of work with two local tradesmen, neither of whom spoke much English. ‘Somehow, we understood each other perfectly. We kept everything simple – raw wood, whitewashed walls. To let the light in and leave space for life to unfold.’

‘It’s freeing,’ she adds. ‘No-one here cares who you are or what you left behind. Everyone’s got a story – mine’s just one of many.’

DESIREE’S HYDRA ‘secret spots’

SWIM:

Spilia, off the rocks. Deep clear swimming
Mandraki beach with serviced sunbeds (pictured)
Bisti by local boat

COFFEE:

Pirate Bar – where locals hang out
Hydra Corner – near the donkey and water taxi rank, great people watching

WATCH SUNSET:

Hydranetta – sublime!
Windmill Bar – equally sublime!

DINNER:

Omilos – right on the water

Sunset Restaurant – voted best sunset restaurant in the world

With a 40-year award-winning art career, Desiree has founded art societies, tutored artists, and written for art magazines – her work exhibited globally. Now, Desiree runs intimate artist and writers retreats from her studio. Her house is privately available for rent at times (contact details below).

‘I love watching others transform, find clarity, or simply reconnect with their creativity – it reminds me that reinvention can happen at any stage in life. Look at me; I moved here in my sixties.’

When I ask what advice she’d give to anyone longing for a similar change, she doesn’t hesitate:

‘Don’t wait for the perfect moment. It won’t come. You’ll never have every answer.’

As a parting thought, Desiree adds, ‘I tell everyone to swim, every day, in the ocean – that’s where the real restoration happens.’

Find Desiree:

@desiree.opiat

desireeprinsloo.com

LIFESTYLE

With Autumn in full swing in the Southern hemisphere, soups begin to make an appearance on my stove.

Any form of vegetable soup is so humble a meal as not to require a recipe.

But just in case…here is mine for Minestrone, adapted from favourite cookbook author, Claudia Roden. My long-lived Grandma kept a version of this on the stovetop each winter. It is delicious and healthful.

Use your imagination to dress it up: torn rocket and a dollop of hummus, cubes of day-old sourdough bread, shaved parmesan, a little fresh chilli for a bite, sea salt flakes if it lacks something, a squeeze of fresh lemon, chopped fresh herbs.

Bon Appetit!

CHIC

Inspired by our Chic Local, Desiree, how could I go past a fabulous Greek brand?! I recently discovered Greek Archaic Kori at my go-to boutique, LoveDuck, in Paddington. The ‘Lefkada Kaftan’ is glorious and effortlessly chic.

ASK MONIQUE

Reader Question

“Try as I might, I cannot rid myself of the need to always include ‘just incase items in my suitcase. Resulting in ALWAYS taking more than I use. Help!”

I still struggle with this myself, but here’s what helps:

Pack. Then close the suitcase for a day or two.

Come back. Take out half.

You’ll still have more than enough.

Trust me – feeling fleet of foot is better than over-packed. A bulging suitcase is NOT chic.

TIP: Packing Cubes – (travel) life changing. I recently required an upgrade, ten years of constant use a very good innings. These are my replacement, and a few trips in, I love them.

If you missed the free Travel Packing Tips eBook in A Grown Up’s Gap Year, you can still grab it.

Have a question? Just hit reply – I always love hearing from you.

Love & hugs,

PS: If this newsletter no longer feels like your thing, you can unsubscribe below—no hard feelings. But if you loved the book, a short, honest review would mean the world.

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And if you haven’t yet, you can buy A Grown Up’s Gap Year here:
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LISTENING | READING | WATCHING | EAT

🎧Podcast: A Life Changing Move to Italy ‘Women Who Travel Podcast’– Conde Naste Traveler (US edition) for (solo) women travellers. Latest episode perfectly fits our theme this week.

📖 Read: ‘A House Somewhere’ a much dog eared book in my favourite travel collection, ‘tales of life abroad’ an exposure of the pleasures (and pains) that come with uprooting and taking up residence elsewhere. Forever, or in the case of Desiree an adjunct to family life (and/or adult kids, grandchildren, husbands and pets).

📺 Watch: La Dolce Villa – smaltzy, yes of course. However I cannot deny heading straight to the computer to google ‘one Euro villas’ before the final credits finished rolling. Feel good ‘food for thought’ – what fun!