Unexpected Places

A few years ago, if you'd told me I'd be spending a Saturday evening at the Botanic Gardens telling my story to a group of strangers, I would've laughed.

That version of me couldn't have pictured it.

So when Hazel, founder of A Good Rest, invited me to be their guest storyteller, I said yes before I could overthink it.

If you haven't heard of A Good Rest, it's exactly what it sounds like. A community that gathers in nature to slow down. Some people bring books. Some just come to sit. Some come because the week was long and the trees are free.

Every week, someone shares a story.

This time, it was mine.

I remember looking out at the small group gathered under the trees and thinking, how did I get here?

Not in a lost way, but more like a surprise.

Because standing in front of people? That part I've done a hundred times.

But not like this.

No slides. No targets. No roadmaps or QBR.

Just me, talking about a camera, and what it taught me about people, and how leaving one life eventually made room for another.

The funny thing is, I don't remember everything I said.

But I remember how I felt walking away.

Grateful.

Not because I'd said anything profound, but because I was in a room I didn't even know existed a few years ago.

A room full of people who spent their weekends reading under trees. Who were curious about living intentionally. Who actually believed rest was worth prioritising.

When I left corporate, I spent a long time wondering what I was walking towards.

I had reasons to leave.

But I couldn't picture the destination.

Turns out, you can't always see it from where you're standing.

A few years ago, I didn't know rooms like this existed.

Now I find myself sitting in them.