It’s been two weeks since the return from my six-week sabbatical on the kindness tour. I’ve had some time to reflect and digest what it all meant. And of course, contemplate what’s next!

It was the first time ever that I left my business for an extended period of time, and let me just say, every store ran like I was still doing a daily check-in! My team rocked it, and I am so grateful that they treat the business like it’s their own.

Here’s a few things I learned along the way, not necessarily in the order of importance!

• I can get by living in a very small space! It was actually refreshing not to have so much to take care of. I certainly enjoy my swanky loft, but I can go with less, and I like it.

• I show my love through cooking. In six weeks, I think we got takeout three times. I really enjoyed preparing meals for my tiny group. It reminded me that I still love the hospitality industry.

• I can empty the waste from an RV without gagging, which is saying a lot!

• People were genuinely surprised, almost taken aback by genuine kindness. My favorite times were when people were confused about why we might be doing something so generous. “Because we can,” I said. I want more of that in my life. It’s fun.

• It’s ok to be afraid. Do it anyway.

I realized more than ever that we are all truly the same. We just want to belong. We want to be seen and heard. I met such a wide variety people from all over the country, the world and of every ethnicity.

Now, more than ever, I live by my favorite, Maya Angelou quote.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

I hope, even in this strange time in our history, that all of us are going into the holidays with hope and love. It’s all weird and we don’t quite know the best way to navigate, but I truly believe it will get better.

Happy December
—Jenny