As I reflect on this last year, I am filled with gratitude for the people in my life. My world looks completely differently than it did a few years ago. My family has grown and expanded. I have no more dependent children. My business is being done remotely or in a shared work space when I am home. I have learned to sail a hobie cat along with David and we have become quite proficient in the last 12 months. I tried down hill skiing for the first time in my life and liked it! According to Duolingo my Spanish is now at 53%. I still don’t speak it well, but I understand a lot more than ever before. We have put our condo up for sale and still live with the hope that the new year will bring in the perfect buyer! It’s been quite a year!
The year started in the air, flying somewhere over the equator around midnight as we flew home from Mauritius. This year has taken us to Thailand, Bali, Singapore, Laos, Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Australia, Fiji, Cuba, and back to Edmonton several times. It felt like we were always on the move!
I came into contact with latex while in Bali which sent my body in to a major setback for almost 4 months, my immune system struggled to find balance as I figured out what is most important in life, on both a physical and emotional level.
But the most noteworthy, life altering time this year was the trip to the UK with a quick stop in Ireland, a day in Wales and a few nights in Scotland. The time in England, connecting with my childhood roots and David’s history and family was really spectacular. What I have realized is that no matter how much fun it is to explore the world, meet new people, explore new cultures, learn new languages, it is the people who are closest to us and the time spent with them that means the most.
All of our immediate family are at a distance now with David’s children and grandchildren in Alberta, his sister and her family in the UK, my brother and his family are in Florida, my Mom is in Niagara on the Lake, Philip and his wife are in Kingston, Stephan has spent the last 4 years in Toronto and although he is back home, his life is also gearing up to take him great places. I’m so fortunate that Andrew and Kate and their kids are local but even my time with them is never enough. The same is true for my friends.
Until David came into my life almost 4 years ago, my time was my own. I created my own agenda with work and play and could allow myself to flow which ever direction my heart desired. Partnering with someone whom I found myself wanting to spend every moment of every day with changed that and although the shift from complete individual freedom to complete attachment 24 / 7 has not always been easy, I’ve watched as my friends and family have held the space for us to figure it out. How to create a balance? What does limited time now look like when we are together? What changes when time and distance change? Does anything change? How do you negotiate the needs and wants and desires of so many people that all matter dearly? What happens when our desires are in direct conflict with loved ones? What happens when two people are together every single day? What does life look like when one feels home is within, wherever we go and a stable physical foundation is non existent? So many questions, and with any luck, the entire year ahead to continue to figure it out. Figure it out, and let it go simultaneously because I’m not really sure how much any of that does matter when the present moment is all we have and the present moment is really really good. I think it’s important to bring consciousness to how we live and the decisions we make, the impact we have on others and be really clear as to what we value the most, so we can create more of that in our life. This year, I dedicate more time with friends and family, the people I love most, the people that treasure our time together as much as I do while David and I continue to live our hearts desire by travelling to places we’ve not yet been, returning to some that call us back and if the universe will have it, sell the condo and set up a home that continues to support all the things we value most, including a space for family and friends to visit.
May each of you go into the new year, knowing what you value the most and a clear intention to create more of it in your life. May your year be filled with much happiness, much joy, good health and relationships that make your heart explode!
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