It’s a gorgeous morning on our farm, the wild winds and pelting rains of yesterday forgotten in a wash of sunlight and stillness. The world looks clean and bright and all is peaceful.

Recently a retired friend of mine told me that she’d spent the 50 best years of her life working non-stop, trying to build something good to pass on to her descendants. She doesn’t regret the investment, but wonders now why she thought she had to only work, work, work and rarely, if ever, take time to play. She urged me not to spend my life working, but to make time for the inspiring, the beautiful, the things that delight.

I love friends like that. Friends who remind me of what’s important. And that it’s never too late to start fresh.

She’s part of my “in cahoots” tribe, and with her and others we’re redeeming the lost moments, making time for the things that make our souls sing.

Like finding a café in Toowoomba that looks like it was plucked out of Greece or Italy or France – or some splendid hodgepodge of the three.

Café Valetta has become a favourite spot to meet with dear friends when we’re adventuring in Toowoomba. Such a wonderful escape from the ordinary, a charming oasis that begs for leisurely visits and solitary reveries.

Recently I met my friend Bernie there, and we had the best talks and laughs over mammoth pieces of cake – carrot for her, red velvet for me – basking in dappled sunshine and fragrant breezes and beautiful views of the park across the road.

I enjoyed a solitary cuppa there when I arrived early for a meeting, letting the cool morning air whisk my imagination back to beloved trips overseas and finding hidden cafes in Paris, Malta, and atop a cliff in Greece. You know you’ve found a good spot when it reminds you of places that hold beautiful memories.

I’ve thought a lot about what my friend told me. Since that chat we’ve saved up money to go to an Andre Rieu concert and to see the Russian Ballet perform “The Nutcracker” over the holidays. Things that may not delight others but fill our souls up to overflowing.

We will always have work to do, always, and work is a good and necessary thing, but our souls need nourishing every bit as much as our bank accounts need filling. Sometimes I’m really good at remembering that, other days I need a nudge.

What good thing will you make time for this week? xo