I've decided to write a column every month, sharing my lessons from the past month with you. As you've come to expect from me; honest, vulnerable, and with a touch of humor.

All flights to South Africa canceled Two weeks exactly before departure for our first digital nomad adventure as a family. And I noticed what it did to me:

Namely, very little.

And that's quite special for this former control freak. It immediately reminded me of what Susan Smit recently said in her Eveningtalk in Deventer: “I think that over the past year we've learned from all the measures to go with the unknown. We are increasingly learning that we have no influence over circumstances and how we can adapt to them.”

And that's exactly what the news article asked me to do. The funny thing is, it got even more exciting. First, our toddler turned out to have chickenpox, and you can't fly with chickenpox. So, after the doctor had to nod three times to confirm it was completely safe, I again believed that it could go ahead. Until the evening before. We decided to go to bed early on New Year's Eve, and out of habit, I checked my phone one last time: Flight canceled.

January was a month of going with the flow. And I realized how much better I've gotten at acceptance over the past few years. Acceptance of everything that is. In the past, I could really get worked up about things I had absolutely no control over. Rain. Delays. How other people react. And I smiled, because all these years of meditation and personal development have led me to get better and better at it.

January was a month where nothing seemed to be under control. The toddler (barely) slept in Cape Town, so my romantic image of opening the laptop in the evening with a delicious South African wine and getting inspired work done vanished on the very first night. It was a constant dance of going with the flow.

And that caused me to lean back a bit more. We have so little under control. Of course, there are periods of taking action. Fortunately! That brings an enormous amount of pleasure and satisfaction. But I've stopped the rat race of wanting to control everything and influence everything.

And the beautiful thing is: the time I normally used to check, work hard, and focus on what is happening in my surroundings, I now convert into extra moments of silence.

The inspiration you seek is already within you. Be silent and listen, "So I stop forcing it, lean back, and pour myself a glass of wine," said Rumi, and I am completely convinced of that.