09/19/2026
Right now, a Grit & Grace journey is unfolding in Bali.
And I’m watching it from my couch in Guelph.
That was definitely not the plan.
My bags were packed. My visa was ready. I was checked into my flight and quite literally walking out the door when my doctor called and told me I absolutely could not get on that plane until I had seen a neurologist.
I stood beside my suitcases and cried.
The good news, because I know some of you will worry: I have since been cleared. I’m healing well. I’m okay. 💜
But watching Bali unfold without me has been… a lot.
Beautiful. Painful. Proud. Sad. Grateful.
And, some days, grumpy as hell.
Cat and Cass stepped in. My beautiful partners in Bali stepped up. The women are being cared for. They’re laughing, connecting, experiencing all the magic I hoped they would.
And from thousands of kilometres away, I kept hearing the same message:
𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.
Those three little words have hit me harder than I expected.
Because usually, I’m the one saying them.
I’m the one who knows where we’re going, what time we’re leaving, where your room is, what you need tomorrow and the answer to the question you haven’t even thought to ask yet.
I’ve got the list.
And I think that’s one of the reasons I created Grit & Grace in the first place.
So many of the women who travel with me are incredibly capable women. They’ve spent decades running businesses, building careers, raising families, caring for people, remembering appointments, finding the missing thing and carrying an invisible list that never seems to end.
Of course you can travel alone.
But there is something very different about arriving alone and joining a group of women where, for once, somebody else says:
Give me the list. I’ve got it. You just get to be here.
And apparently, I’m discovering that I’m much better at offering that than receiving it. 😂
Years ago, trekking to Everest Base Camp taught me something I didn’t really understand at the time.
I loved the way up. There was a summit ahead of me. Every difficult step was taking me somewhere.
Then I reached Base Camp, turned around…
…and became grumpy as hell.
My guide reminded me that the descent was part of the trek too.
I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.
Maybe this is one of my descents.
Maybe there are seasons for climbing and doing and building and being the person everybody needs.
And maybe there are seasons when someone else gets to walk beside you.
I’m still figuring out what this one is trying to teach me.
But I know this much:
I can be grateful and angry. Relieved and disappointed. Proud that Grit & Grace can function without me and a little unsettled that Grit & Grace can function without me.
More than one thing can be true at once.
I wrote more about this on the blog, The Way Down, and about what this experience has made me understand even more deeply about women travelling alone, joining a group, and the enormous relief of hearing someone else say, “I’ve got you.”
And if you want the really personal version of these stories, the things I’m still working through, the behind-the-scenes of Grit & Grace and often the news before I share it publicly, that’s my newsletter.
My subscribers get the inside scoop. I like it that way. 💜
Blog: https://www.gritandgraceadventures.com/blog/womens-group-travel-you-dont-have-to-travel-alone
Newsletter: https://www.gritandgraceadventures.com
👇🏼 Proof that being needed isn’t the same as being valuable. And letting others carry what you built doesn’t make it any less yours.
Beyond Grateful
Penny Light
