Moving Forward on Isla Mujeres

Once upon a time, I was looking for an adventure that would help me improve my Spanish language skills, expose me to a different culture and teach me about international travel. So I went to Cancun on spring break. This may not have been the best choice for cultural immersion, but I was 19 and this was my first trip out of the country.

To my credit, I spent very little time at Señor Frogs and instead opted to chat with the locals, visit areas outside of the hotel zone and take the long bus ride to Chichén Itzá. My desire for authenticity ran so deep that I fell in love with a local, lost my virginity and spent the next year and a half in a long distance love affair … and this was way before Facebook and Skype. Because that experience was so powerful, I made the decision that I could never return to the area unless my love affair could pick up where it left off.

Exactly 23 years later, I landed in Cancun in route to Isla Mujeres for the We Move Forward conference – a celebration of women that coincided with International Women’s Day. Despite the female themed itinerary, my (second) husband was along for the ride. As we rode the shuttle from the airport to catch the ferry, I was saddened by how Cancun had changed until I saw Dos Playas – the tiny hotel I stayed in all those years ago. While much of life – and love — had certainly changed in those years, I realized one thing remained constant – my desire for adventure.

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I wasn’t entirely sure why I was attending this conference. I knew no one on the island. I knew no one affiliated with the conference. I knew no one that had ever even heard of We Move Forward. In September, before I had defined The Adventure Project concept let alone launched it, I found We Move Forward online. I don’t remember the path that led me there. However, once found, it remained in my head and I was drawn to it for no other reason than to inspire me to develop this adventure idea I had swirling around in my head. Plus, the best way to start a business about adventure is to actually have one. What better way to do it than to return to an area that I swore I’d never visit again to meet up with a group of strangers?

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We opted to stay “mid island” in a small apartment that quenched my thirst for an authentic living experience. It was nestled among the locals and walking distance to the grocery story and the neighborhood cafe. It seemed a great idea until the skies opened up on our first full day and there wasn’t a taxi to be had. I took this to be a bad sign. Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea. Maybe my husband and I should have just taken a vacation – elsewhere. Eventually the rain let up and it was time for the pre-registration welcome event. Then another thought hit me … I was nuts going off to a foreign country to spend three days with a bunch of strange women who could end up being lunatics. Even my husband asked how I could possibly spend all those days with “just women” because when women get together they’re “catty.” However, when I arrived at the welcome event, someone said “hello” and then someone else said “hello” and so it went. I finally turned around thinking these women were talking to someone behind me, as no one knew me. And then I realized … this was a welcome event and they were in fact welcoming me. At that moment, I knew I had made the right decision.

Even so, it was still a little tough to go to the official conference opening the next morning as no one wants to be “that person no one knows.” However, by mid morning we had broken into small circles to get to know each other and I discovered the woman sitting beside me, Jennifer, lives eight blocks away from me in Denver! The world is small – we just need to talk with each other to find out how we’re all connected. By engaging in one on one conversations, I found more fantastic women who share some of my passions:

·      Katherine – a fellow improviser from Toronto.

·      Bonnie – a local “crazy cat lady” who runs the trap-neuter-return efforts.

·      Julia – a Canadian travel blogger and social media guru.

There were also writers and yogis as well as other women connected to the Denver area. And there were speakers who also had common interests:

·      Claire – author of Must Love Dogs that became one of my favorite films.

·      Lisa – a smart, witty comedian from Seattle.

·      Alison – founder of Isla Animals and fellow spay/neuter advocate.

It was hard to believe there was an event on a tiny five mile island filled with women that were also animal welfare advocates, writers, improvisers, comedians, travelers, Spanish speakers … and adventurers.

But then the biggest realization hit me while Mary was presenting her Soaring Above Turbulence talk. That’s the one thing that connected everyone at the conference. Each of us has a story. We many not have had the opportunity to share all of our stories with each other. But, we have all overcome obstacles, faced challenges and reinvented ourselves at one point in time. For me, it was very recent and perhaps that’s the real reason that I was drawn to We Move Forward. When I turned 40, I started making major life changes both personally and professionally. I began to come out on the other end of those changes about the time I found We Move Forward online. Perhaps it was the universe’s way of having me celebrate my own life adventure. Whatever the case, I’m certainly glad to have met other travelers, improvisers, comedians, writers, animal welfare advocates and yogis. However, I’m even more thrilled about meeting other women who came out on the other side of change stronger, wiser and ultimately happier. That has to be the ultimate adventure.

So I invite you to attend We Move Forward 2015. You don’t need to know anyone on the island. You don’t need to know anyone attending the conference. All you need is to say “yes” to this adventure. If I’m lucky enough to attend again, I’ll be sure to say “hello” to you at the welcome event.

P.S. Don’t forget to spay and neuter your pets! For more information about the benefits of spaying and neutering, visit Nurse Nancy on Facebook. Remember, the only way to control pet overpopulation is by spaying and neutering. Cat condoms don’t work. Doggie birth control pills don’t work. Just ask Nurse Nancy.