Don't judge a book by its cover. You never know, it could be a national treasure.

Alright I'm really hoping I'm not the only one that judges a book by its cover.

Oooohhhh, what a beautiful green you are. I
t has a swear word in the title...did we just become besties? ;)
I like pretty things.
I want to learn how to be a better human, tell me everything.

Same goes for wine labels.

And, sometimes humans.

I like to think that I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to the human race.

One of the reasons I love travel is because I want to learn more about other cultures and see what people do in other parts of the world. How do they spend their time, how much do they walk, do they love to indulge in a siesta or very long dinner surrounded by friends. And I absolutely LOVE being reminded that not everyone, everywhere is in a hurry all the time.

But even though I love getting to know people and very much enjoy when they tell me their story or stories, I still make snap judgments. I'm usually sizing them up and making some assumptions. I've been trying to get in a habit of just observing when and why I do this and then challenging myself to think broader or not at all.

On my most recent trip to Italy, I made some pretty inaccurate assumptions about someone that I would, pre-trip, consider more of an acquaintance than a friend. I had been to a couple of events and nights out with this person because we share a mutual friend, and I've always enjoyed her company. I thought she was funny and definitely the life of the party and I would not hesitate to spend time with her in that capacity.

But I was definitely apprehensive of traveling with her and sharing a room with her at the retreat that I attended as a guest. I thought she would never want to sleep, that maybe her seemingly endless energy and zest for life could exhaust me, and I definitely thought I could not keep up (nor did I want to) as far as drinking and partying goes.

While I was not wrong about her energy, I never considered how kind and compassionate she could also be. I'm currently going through what I've dubbed "a season of grief" and burst into tears twice during the retreat and she wrapped me in the biggest bear hug both times. She made sure everyone had a drink (even if it was water) all the time, she made everyone laugh constantly, and she made friends with everyone even the humans that were initially put-off by her.

She's a stylist by profession and in my opinion also by heart. She loves making people feel seen and she's so freaking good at it. She loved helping all of us shop and every single store owner asked her if she wanted a job. Several times I came out of the dressing room to see her helping strangers in the stalls next to me, too.

My favorite story of her from the trip and the one that I think perfectly captures her essence is when there was a professional photographer onsite during our wine tasting excursion, she asked him to take our picture and then walked over to him and grabbed his arm and asked to see the pictures he took. He did not like this at all, like even a little bit and his face couldn't have more appropriately communicated it. Without skipping a beat, she started laughing, turned to me and said "I only need 10 minutes and he'll love me" and then proceeded to wear him down with a knack that only she has. I cried laughed and made a mental note to keep working toward that type of confidence.

One of our hosts dubbed her "a national treasure" and I couldn't agree more. She had to leave a day early and everyone kept telling us how much they missed her and I really did, too.

So Michelle, if you're reading this, thank you. Thank you for being you.

For reminding me that there are so many incredible humans out there.
For helping me spend my money ;)
For making me laugh so freaking hard.
For the hugs.
For the drinks.
For making me and everyone else feel seen.
And, for being my newest bestie ;)

My name is Anna VanAgtmael, and I am retreat host, travel designer, and a certified yoga instructor with a passion for yoga, travel, and connecting with others.

I believe in trying everything once. My values lie in collecting memories over things.

My ambition is to inspire and encourage you to unmask your fears and jump into the unknown.

Anna VanAgtmael | Retreat Host | Travel Designer