I’ve been involved in wine for approximately the last 10 years, all of it ending in a culmination of a great job, titles and some serious certifications. The carrot was always dangling in front of me, and after completion of the Italian Wine Expert designation I worked very hard and tirelessly for, I gave that carrot a satisfying crunch! All those times of making my way across that bridge of learning, only to stop in the middle, while the rest of my family stared hopefully from the other side, urging me forward, waiting for me to finish the walk and finally join them.

For the past 5 years, I’ve spent so much time studying, I’ve forgotten how to do anything else – anything what I consider to be meaningful anyway. I’ve been reading a lot of books strictly for pleasure, watching new movies or tv series on Netflix, listening to audio books, cleaning my house, and yes, drinking wine.

Through all of this, I find myself wanting more. My husband knows my pattern, and he has supported me and waited patiently for me to succeed in my latest endeavour. It’s his turn now. My turn to step up and see him do some traveling of his own, find a new career path, and new projects. Additionally, I have adult children. Young ladies who no longer need me to brush their hair or pick out their clothes. They still need us for food and shelter (and maybe some advice here or there :)) but for all intents and purposes, they are independant. And isn’t that what we raise them to do?

We recently got back from a family vacation, where we did various “touristy” things, and really, did a whole lot of relaxing. Playing games, eating, laughing and generally just enjoying each other’s company; company that included my parents, my siblings and their families. There was very little talk of wine, no winery visits, with only the purchase of a bottle or two at the grocery store or Costco. I found I actually enjoyed that, so much so to wonder what I might do next – study more, do something entirely different, stop traveling…or rather, travel for reasons other than wine? You just never know!

Since I first composed this post, a series of emails, events and people have been a great influence for me deciding what is next for me. Nothing is set in stone, and certainly I can make plans, but there needs to be a level of fluidity to them. All this to say I think I have a path marked of where I want to go: my next major trip is to Australia, assisting in another southern hemisphere harvest, but this time with a close friend who is a winemaker in McLaren Vale. Seriously, I can’t wait! I think it will be another incredible learning experience! And when that trip is complete, I’ll dive into the books again with some self study, continuing my journey into the world of Italian grapes!

I’m joining a choir, which will perform both classical and contemporary music, and I’m learning Italian from a beautiful Italian couple who want nothing more than to see me succeed and do well. What more could I ask for? And finally, I plan to do more of this: writing and blogging. It’s easy to blame not writing on not having any subject matter, but that can turn into weeks or months of…nothing. This blog is case in point! If you’ve taken time to read though, thank you. It warms my heart to know that there are folks out there who read my blog!

My best to you all. Here’s to the next leg of the journey, and getting to the other side of the bridge! Salute!