“Choosing to be curious is choosing to be vulnerable because it requires us to surrender to uncertainty. It wasn’t always a choice; we were born curious. But over time, we learn that curiosity, like vulnerability, can lead to hurt. As a result, we turn to self-protecting—choosing certainty over curiosity, armor over vulnerability, and knowing over learning.” Brene Brown

Our family vacation was filled with new discoveries and curiosity. With so much going on in the world around us, we could cling to fear, control, and self-protecting. When we stay curious and open to anything that may happen we discover new possibilities. It is easy to be curious when the moments are perfect and contrived. What happens when things don’t go as planned?

As many of you know, I strive to see the spiritual, the hidden, and the message in the mess. I’m always amazed at how God connects us and forms a story that blows our minds. I’m Gigi now, and I can look back on my younger years and see how things line up and memories of loved ones and happenings matter. I would talk to the family about memories from years ago when we would come to Oak Island, NC with Aunt Polly, Grandma, Papa, and when they were young toddlers running around.

We usually order out and hit the bed early on the travel day home. After hours of unpacking, driving, and laundry we settle in. This quote was in my fortune cookie. Young hopes describes my love for curiosity best. As you age, making sense of the world can become overwhelming. Young hopes keeps us grounded in optimism and curiosity.

We stayed in a home closer to Caswell Beach this time and could walk to the beach access. We discovered so many new places to love like KoKo Cabana and Ruby’s Coffee House. The July 4th festival fireworks were within walking distance to our home.

On the beach, Valentina discovered a sand crab in her sand bucket. She took the time to watch and play with the crab and encouraged the children to hold the crab as they giggled. We saw a community gather on the beach to help a man real in his large fish! We all cheered! Random activities like a person parachuting onto the beach, paddle boarding, and surfing caught our attention. One of our favorites was the Italian Ice from the cart that happened by our tent.

Little Spencer waved and talked to people along the beach. He would run to them and give them a big hug and tell them all about his day.

Oh the beauty of a rainbow and fireworks our last night together. God’s promises and the practice of adventure and seeking beauty. Everyone on the beach there to be amazed and celebrate freedom. A friend of mine at the same time had the same rainbow on her beach in Topsail, NC, which is about another hour or so south of Oak Island. I see you Heather! God connects us.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

― Albert Einstein

I’ll close with this quote. To stay curious, joyful, and engage with young hopes, we practice moving forward. We can nurture our fears and uncertainty with over talk and analysis. Speculation and judgment can kill a moment and rob it of all its possibilities.

Stay curious.

Live in the moments.