A Gelato Store in Bali Taught Me That I'm Good Enough

I arrived in Bali three days early to prepare for hosting our Bali Grief Trip. That day I was utterly exhausted, jet lagged, and low on energy. Self-criticism crept in: how could I possibly lead a grief retreat when I wasn't my best self?

Wandering through a quiet Ubud street, something caught my eye: the sign of a gelato shop that was closed. It read, "Open when I'm not tired." Those words hit me deeply. Here I was, arriving to guide others through their grief, yet still burdened by my own self-judgment for not giving 100 percent.

Looking closer, I noticed other signs on the shop's front:

• "I'm not perfect to you but I'm perfectly me."
• "Self-care is not selfish."
• "Confidence is the best outfit."
• "I can be different."

The shop was closed at 2pm on a weekend, quietly reminding me that rest is essential, even, and especially, when the world expects us to be "on."

These signs felt like gentle messages from the universe, reminding me that I didn't need to be perfect to hold space for others. And isn't that what grief trips are truly about? They honor where we are in our journey: imperfect, vulnerable, exhausted, and all. Whether participant or host.

With that in mind, I returned to my hotel and let myself rest deeply. I slept at 5pm. This small act of self-care, the permission to simply be, is part of what we make room for on a small group grief retreat in Bali. It's a space where something can soften — not by pushing harder, but by honoring exactly where we are.