Welcome Winter Solstice

Happy Winter Solstice! As I embrace the shortest day and darkest night of the year, I find myself reflecting on the past year

A year ago, I was completely uprooted: almost every aspect of my life was transformed through our move to CO

I wanted the change, the experience, the fresh perspective

I didn’t know that it would present as many challenges as it did:

Winter can be colder than cold

I really struggled to find a work life balance, I missed my home, my yoga community

My home was disorganized & all my plants kept dying on me

I didn’t really spend time grieving or looking back at the stress following me around

I just kept chugging along, ultimately grateful that I was able to be surrounded by mountains

Spring rolled in and we drove back to GA to tie up loose ends that really couldn’t be tied up

I enjoyed the warmth, fresh blooms & our new truck that was equipped for summer ahead

Summer snuck up and I found myself again in this horrible work/life balance

Just go go go go go go go, 7 days a week

And then finally in Fall I recognized, my energy output was far greater than my time & body could balance.

I placed some firm boundaries & felt myself giving myself the LOVE I know I need & deserve

Now as winter returns full swing

I see the beauty in the blankets of snow that replenish the land with water

I feel myself surrendering deeper into the process of transformation

Truly trusting in the present moment & taking those deep breaths through it all

My story… My narrative… its all changing

Who I *thought* I was

Is not who I really am

And that’s OK

I don’t need validation or approval

I don’t want to fit neatly into a little box of semantics & politics

I am trusting my senses, my body, spirit, & relationship to the land

I am leaning into love, balance, & authenticity

The path of transformation is not easy & yet it is so rewarding

After a messy, stressful, & downward spiral into the underworld

It is so satisfying to feel at home, settled in my energy, embodied in my BEING

The beauty of shadow work is seeing the blessings in the chaos

To all the the fear, the uncertainty, the duality and polarization

I say BRING IT ON

I am strong, only growing stronger, more confident that my expression is REAL - not perfect

I feel myself more embodied, more connected, more peaceful even within the chaos, the endurance, & the new edges

Everything is changing constantly & simultaneously I know what keeps me grounded:

Love for and from my family & community

Long walks in nature

Warm, flavorful, intentional meals

Breathwork, stillness, centering

I see us all as humans: flesh covered, fluid filled, electromagnetic meat sacks

There are endless differences we can focus on

And there are core needs we all share

I resolve to embrace that common ground we share so that the we can hope and believe in a better tomorrow, for many generations to come

I am humbled and in awe to this process of unlearning, unbecoming, & finding in all the layers stripped away my Self, my Truth, my Peace.