Making It Happen
Gordes, Provence, France
I’ve wanted to join the grape harvest since I arrived in Geneva and found it surrounded by vineyards.
Last weekend, we explored the Luberon region of Provence in southeastern France, celebrated for its incredible food and wine, picturesque hilltop villages, vibrant markets, and pleasant climate. After a brief visit to the Pope’s Palace in Avignon on Saturday (who knew he lived in France for a while?), we went to the Coustellet market on Sunday.
Meeting Claire
We learned a bit about the olive oil, melons, and vegetables we bought from multigenerational families through sign language and their tolerance of our poor French.
Then we met Claire from Domaine la Tuilière.
Her wines, like her English, were outstanding. We purchased three bottles, and she invited us to visit her tasting room for lunch the following day.
Colorado Provençal
While biking later, I thought, “I bet I could help Claire with the harvest, or she knows someone else I could assist.” The next day, we visited Colorado Provençal, an area of red and ochre-colored cliffs that were mined until 1990.
Most of the park was closed due to a storm threat, and sure enough, we were chased back to the car by darkening skies and booming thunder. With our plans for a morning hike and an afternoon bike ride cut short by the weather, we headed to the winery. Just as we arrived, the skies finally unleashed their fury, so we started helping Claire and her cousin bring the cushions in from the patio.
The Power of Taking Action
Her father bought the land in 1930 and planted the vineyards in 1960 so machines could someday harvest them. Initially, he harvested in mid-October, but now they start in late August due to the increasingly hot and dry summers.
Domaine la Tuilière
As we paid for lunch and six more bottles to take home, I asked Claire about helping during the harvest. Although they now harvest by machine, there was still plenty to do, so she invited me to join and told me to keep an eye on
Instagram, where she’d announce the date. My dream may be more mechanized and “Instagrammed” than I imagined, but I’m looking forward to making it happen.
Driving home, I realized how easily I forget that deciding I want something isn’t enough—I have to take action to make it happen. I do many things as a coach and a ski instructor, but my specialty lies in creating experiences that help clients clarify what they want and follow through with the necessary steps to achieve it.
To learn more, schedule a time to talk on my online calendar to explore if and how I can help you create and experience life as you want to live it.
Steve Hindman has spent decades guiding people through adventure and personal transformation. With a background in adventure coaching and experience providing retirement coaching for individuals and organizations, including the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, to navigate retirement and life transitions with clarity and purpose.
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