Welcome to the Mastering Midlife podcast where we talk about all the crazy fun things that happen when you are a midlife mama. I'm your host, Heather London. Let's dig in. hola chicas i know it's been a hot second but i've been on some adventures so it's a gorgeous sunday morning and i'm having this amazing latte oh that i got from Just a little corner shop, like a little hole in the wall. So good. And I don't usually drink coffee, but when in Spain. Cheers. Okay. Okay.
I don't drink coffee and that's so good. It's a little latte action. Anyway, I wanted to share why I haven't done a podcast for a hot second and where I'm at and what's going on and just... catch you up on my adventures now i was in as you know i was in valencia learning spanish it was hard it was hard and the last week i felt like i was just faking it
just to get through the class. It was so intense. But after that, the reward was I got to meet up with my youngest son, Santos, and we met up in... Lisbon Portugal so he was studying Spanish in Barcelona and I was doing it in Valencia and the reason we wanted to meet up there I was staying on longer and he was going home but a friend of mine jill shout out to jill she had traveled through portugal and i was asking her about spain portugal and she knows that i like to surf so she said oh
there's this amazing town that you have to go it's the coolest surf town ever and it's the national surf reserve the only one in the world and she just sold me on it so i said de santos because We have to go to Portugal. You can't be in Spain and not go to Portugal. So I said to Zandas, when we're done our stuff, let's meet in Portugal and have a little adventure before you go home. And bless his heart, he's like, sounds great. Just say less.
he says that all the time say less ma so he's in and we booked to meet in lisbon so we flew in get there in the evening catch up and then we had one full day of being in lisbon and then we were going on to this gorgeous little surf town called eric sierra oh wait and so we
So I left Santos up to planning because I want to do what he wants to do. I want to make it fun for him. So I said, whatever you want to do in Lisbon, let's do it. Because, you know, I felt like he was just... there to spend time with me like just such a awesome kid that I wanted to make sure we did what he did because I really didn't care what we did and so what a great person he went he made a whole bunch of plans he looked up all the
all the things that you should do, the sightseeing places. And he booked like a restaurant for us to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, it was raining that day. we went to a different place for dinner but it was amazing because as we were meandering through the streets we were chatting about how We're not much of sightseers. Like for me, I want to go see one castle and the number one most important thing in the city. And that's it. I'm not a big sightseer person.
i'm more about getting to know the locals the culture in the in the neighborhood the community that kind of thing and santos is the same so as we were wandering around the streets going through the list of places that he looked up we went to pink street and we turn the corner it's just literally a street painted pink with some umbrellas above and i'm like what the this is so weird but then i talked to him about a place that i really did want to go to
and it's called Sintra and I heard about it from one of the girls that I met at my language class and we have a lot of things in common so I'm like oh she's like this is the one place you have to go to And it's only a 40 minute ride away. So in the middle of our wandering through the street sightseeing, both of us going like, I don't think this is really what we want to do with our one day. We're like, let's go.
to cintra and we hopped in an uber and went to the most magical place it is like uh i don't know just like a Disney movie kind of place it felt like we were in a living version of a chess set it was so insane the castles there and instead of going in a castle because you know you've seen one castle you've seen them all that's just my thought um we wanted to explore the area there was this one thing that i did want to see and it was like this gorgeous well that just went down forever
And so we had to find this. So we went up to the top and we agreed we weren't going to go in because you pay separate prices for the tickets. We were just going to go around the outside because the view from the outside was insane.
and again it was kind of an overcast day so it gave it more of like an ominous feel but just like dungeons and dragons kind of stuff just amazing and trying to wrap your brain around The creation like who designed it who created it like what life was like and it's funny because when we were sitting on top of the castle looking around
santa said imagine like if you were one of those people that lived during the time of the castle and you just were watching like all of these people who have no clue about anything just come and walk through looking at where you lived and what you did like imagine if
fast forward into the future someone came to like our house and looked at our it was so cool like yeah that that is kind of strange but anyway at Sintra there's it's a whole mountain of castles it's not just one but there's the one on the top i think it's called penna it's like the creme de la creme it's just insanely visually delicious but we started at the top and then we had to find our way
because you can go through the gardens and it's just this huge maze of beautiful paths and stuff and little lakes and that and so we had to find our way down out of this area and into the next one because every time you go into one you got to pay an entrance fee and so we're trying to find our way down this labyrinth of just mazes and passes and as we're going down people are coming up and it was like
insane going down i could i'm like why did these people start at the bottom and and then go up because we started at the very top we took our uber to the very top and then walked our way down
And so as people were huffing and puffing up, we're just like, damn, we made a good choice. And we also were thinking we were going to go stop by here on our way to Eric Sierra because it's on the way. And then Sandra said, I don't know if we want to take our luggage with us. And thank God we didn't because.
we're going down all the paths and that would have been a fun gong show and so eventually we found our way out like we thought maybe we could be lost in there for days but we found our way out which was an amazing adventure just the two of us chatting and talking and connecting and having being in the moment and having an experience together and that's what made it magical and i would
stop and take a picture there's another castle there's another castle it was so so cool and then we made it to the one castle area where the well was and for one spot i went up to the top of a little tower And just behind me was this beautiful water with green. And it was just so amazing. And Santos didn't go on this. Every time I went up something and came back down, he's like, was it life changing?
like no but this one was it was just breathtaking and then we found our way to the well and it was amazing to think of the construction of it and why it was being built and so long ago that people are figuring out this crazy well where you start at the top and then literally you walk around the well on the inside all the way down to the bottom and it has like
windows it's just crazy insane and then then at the bottom you go through a whole bunch of caves and it spits you out at that beautiful green water thing i'm talking about it was
So cool. So for me, that's the kind of adventure that I like to have. Anyway, I just had to kind of... I don't even know why I told you that story because that's not what I wanted to tell you. What I did want to tell you is... how i had a magical moment with santos cheers hold on sip so i'm sure you know because you're a midlife mom that your kids get older and then they're like i've got this life i i
have things to do and we're just kind of like okay i'm here if you need me and then who am i let's discover rediscover myself but to have this moment with my son which Who knows if we'll ever get this opportunity again. But when we went to Eric Sierra, as soon as the Uber pulled in into the little town and it was like.
white buildings with blue trim and narrow cobbled streets oh my god we just looked at each other and said this is our kind like this is our place right here and we stayed in a a solo guest house which was just beautiful the family owned it forever and the the son was living it with his family center of town and The one thing, okay, there's two things that I love about Portugal. One are the pastel de nada. It's like, where have you been all my life? And the second one is the people.
The people are so amazing, whether you're in Lisbon or Eric Sierra. So friendly, so kind, smiling, happy to help, happy to have a conversation with you. Just like, oh, my heart.
wonderful people wonderful people and this little town was just what the doctor ordered it was right up both our alleys and of course we went there to surf now here's the thing about Eric Sierra is it has a ton of beaches like it's just beach and it's got the rugged coastline like you have to walk down the mountain like the hill it's like a like a you know a drop off to get to the beach so it's very rugged but most of the beaches
are rock bottom rock bottom and it's sounds as horrible as it is they're coral or rock bottom And there's one beach that we ended up walking to. It's half an hour walk. That's a sandy bottom. But because of the storm, the waves weren't good for us to surf on the sandy bottom. And the lovely lady at the lovely girl at the guest house.
was saying oh don't worry you can surf anywhere like everybody does it it's totally safe now i'm coming from surfing in costa rica and nicaragua where it's like sandy beach for as far as i can see and i'm not a good surfer i surf the white water so i'm like in shallow water this did not appeal to me and so we waited until the last day to surf because we ended up going with a surf
lesson because they just know the area and they know the best spot anyway these three days we spent three days in eric sierra and there was such a connection there was a there was a changing of the guard there was A transformation from mother and son to like, I don't even know how to explain it. Soulmates, best friends. like just that knowing that connection that I'm not like, I don't have to take care of you anymore. And, and I see you and I know you and I understand you like, because
I created you like just that connection of, of like heart to heart, love to love person to person, just seeing you and having a different relationship. We. oh my god we ate all the food we drank all the drinks we did all the things just laughing and talking like laughing till our faces hurt and talking about memories or big dreams and just listening and being seen and being heard and listening and hearing. We played tennis one day and
We've only played tennis when we were little, but Santa was like, yeah, I'll give it a try. And I love tennis. And it was his pretty much first time playing. And he was so good. i had no clue at first and within 15 minutes he'd figured it out and we had so much fun playing tennis and laughing and just you know like hitting the ball getting the points
And it was funny because I was like, do you want me to play full on? He's like, yeah, I want you to play full on because I've been playing for a long time. But he's younger and more athletic. So so he's just like, yeah, let's play full on. And we had.
such a lovely time and then just wandering through the streets like there was no sightseeing there was no agenda it was just in the moment what do you feel like doing and involved a lot of sitting at the beach, watching the water, sitting having a drink, trying the local treats. oh my god not only did they have the pastel de nada but they had this local specialty that they only make in this town and they call it sea urchin but it doesn't it's not made of sea urchin but um
One of the girls at the bakery said there used to be a ton of sea urchins there, and that's why they call it that. But it's like this cre... I can't even describe it. It's like a little cake, but it's all... moist and it's oh my gosh like don't even get me started but we would plan our day around eating and then doing an activity and then having our pastel de nada and discovering something else and eating all the seafood
And then having the tapas and of course the cingria. But it was just that changing of the guard from the one who looks after you to the one who just wants to... get to know you on a different level and just like my heart I can't even and if you are a midlife mom And you've had this experience. Tell me about it. Because you know, I know you know what I'm talking about. Words can't even describe how beautiful and powerful this moment was. We just...
I had so much fun. We sang, we laughed, we did all the things and it was just so easy. It was just so perfect. And my heart felt so full. And for the first time, I don't think I've, I didn't feel sad about them growing up and leaving. I felt like proud. My heart. I felt so proud and included and just invited to that next phase on a whole other level.
And it's so fun as a mother's point of view to just sit back and like look and just be like, damn, that kid's got it going on. Like what a beautiful human being. And now I get to just enjoy the show and be a part of it from a different experience. And it's just like my heart is just so full of love for this experience, for this.
kid this like new relationship that we've forged that we but that we just like created actually and it just was so amazing i wish this for each and every one of you and i want for you to really know when it's happening and make it a magical experience because i have another son as well phoenix my older son and I want this same experience with him. And it will be a totally different thing because they're different human beings. But this experience was just...
So magical. I can't even describe it. Words would not do it justice. And this is what's coming for you too. So in all the hardness of letting go of your kids, this just makes it so much easier. Because now it's a whole different ballgame of me just cheering you on. I'm here when I need you. Just tell me all the things and I'll tell you all the things and I see you.
And I'm always here for you. And that's what I always tell my kids. Like family is just so important. I have the best family in the world. And no matter what, no matter what, I know that they've always got my back. Even if I haven't talked to them for a little bit. or I haven't seen them in a little bit, I can always go to them. And for my kids too, they know that no matter where I am in the world or what I'm doing, I will always be home to them.
That is just so powerful. And knowing that they know that makes my heart full. No matter where you are or where I am or what's going on for any reason. Wherever I am will always be home for you. No questions asked. You'll always have my heart. Damn. And I just wanted to share this crazy experience. I wish I could do it justice. I wish I could express it in a way that you would feel the love and the happiness and the joy and the freedom that I felt during this experience with Santos. Oh my God.
And I can't wait. I can't wait to have the same experience with Phoenix. Like I'm so excited for this. So yet again, it's a transformation, a midlife transformation. And this time, it's a good one. We've been through so many transformations. Being a mom is about always transforming it. And it's always ebbing and flowing and creating into something new and amazing. But this one here, girls, this one is...
beautiful beautiful and I want you to watch for it or create it in a way that works for both of you and I promise you that whatever it is that you create for yourself and your child to have this moment this transformation no matter what it is it will be one of the most cherished memories you will ever have and you will carry it in your heart forever. I really hope that you're feeling me on this. Like, I really hope that I was able to convey even the slightest
The slightest amount of how powerful and how full my heart is and just how sheer joy and love and freedom. Oh, ladies. As always, thank you for listening. Cheers. Always, always, always love yourself first and have an amazing day.