Following the Call to Adventure Instead of the To-Do List
Dear Kindred Spirit,
This week’s Sunday dispatch is coming to you on Monday, because I felt the call to do something extra joyful this weekend!
I gave myself a big treat that I called A Very Bookish Day.
If you’re like me, then sometimes you need to stop everything and have a whole day entirely devoted to something you love. And for me, that something is reading.
Here’s what my Very Bookish Day looked like.
First, I decided to go on a pilgrimage to my favorite bookstore in Portugal, Indie in Cascais. It was a pilgrimage because Cascais is a couple of hours from where I live. It takes two trains and a ferry to get there.
Second, because I love reading a book I can start and finish in a day, I picked a novella to read on the train and ferry rides—Binti by Nnedi Okorafor.
Third, I packed my little backpack with snacks and water, because low blood sugar and dehydration are not joyful!
Fourth, I preplanned stops at my favorite restaurants, and got to enjoy the delight of knowing delicious meals were ahead of me.
With my plan in place, I settled into the train with my book and snacks, felt the pull as it left the station, and started reading.
Lisbon Time Out Market
The midpoint between Cascais and Setúbal is Lisbon—specifically the Cais do Sodré district, home to Time Out Market and my favorite taco stand, Duro de Matar, where I stopped for a pork taco. It was a chef’s kiss of a midday meal.
After that little pause, I went onto another train, which runs alongside the water until arriving in Cascais.
By the time I arrived, it was the perfect day. The sun was out but not too warm. There was lively energy, but it wasn’t too crowded. And I knew exactly where I was headed—my favorite room in Portugal.
Indie bookstore in Cascais
This is the English-language section of the Indie bookshop. Portugal has so many great bookstores, but this is the one that fits me best right now, because I’m still learning the language and can’t yet enjoy a novel in Portuguese (although that’s the goal!)
The room is full of shelves and stacks of English-language books, mostly in the genres and by the authors I like to read. It’s also set inside an old fort, so the walk there is part of the magic as you pass the ocean and go through a tunnel to enter the fort.
This was the end point of my pilgrimage, so I gave myself the sacred time to slowly meander the stacks and decide which treasures would come home with me. I chose The Librarians of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson and How to Tell a Story from The Moth.
After the bookshop, it was time to return the way I came—but first, I stopped at my favorite Indian restaurant, Ghandi’s Palace. The food is so good that I gave myself an extra treat—ordering two meals, one to enjoy there and one to take home.
Then I began the journey back. Admittedly, the train and ferry ride felt longer, but I finished Binti, stared out the windows, and enjoyed the cooler evening air as the ferry crossed the water.
This was the best day.
But here’s my little life coach tip—and the thing that almost made the day not happen. Before I went, I had so many thoughts about why I shouldn’t. These thoughts all fell under the “I need to” category. I need to do the dishes, clean the apartment, get some work done, exercise…and on and on.
In order to leave the house, I had to allow a lot of tasks to go unfinished so I could have my Very Bookish Day, and it was so worth it. By the end of the day, my life force energy was full. I felt replenished, alive, and happy.
Sometimes, you need to be like the Mole in The Wind in the Willows, who dropped his broom, said “Hang spring-cleaning,” and ran toward adventure.
—Emma
Hi, I’m Emma Basu. I’m a writer, tarot card reader, and book lover. My soul’s work is to help you find clarity amongst the chaos, meaning in the mundane, and purpose in your life’s winding journey.
Disclaimer: This blog is a resource guide for educational and informational purposes only and should not take the place of hiring a life coach, a therapist, or of seeking medical attention. No information on this blog creates a coach-client relationship between us. You are fully responsible for the decisions and actions you take in regard to your life and affairs.