I’ve never really been one to stick to a New Year’s resolution or the “New Year, new me” kind of thing. Don’t get me wrong, I have definitely tried, but for some reason, they never stick. At the beginning of 2016, I decided to finally switch things up a bit and did a tarot card reading for the year of 2016 and after taking in all of those insights, I wrote down a list of goals. I didn’t set up a timeline for those goals to be completed but I knew they were things that I wanted to make happen. When 2017 came around I was hit with some major health issues that took over 10 months to finally figure out. So for 2017, instead of setting goals or a resolution I set the intention to listen to my body more. Those first few days of being sick felt like a cry from my body. I felt as if my body was finally fed up with me second guessing and ignoring it so it forced changes on me.
Reflecting on this past year I’ve come to realize that I wasn’t just setting the intention to listen to what was healthy and right for my body but I was also setting the intention to listen to my intuition more. It has taken years for me to realize that not only have I been quieting that inner knowledge, but I’ve been questioning it as well. I found a stronger trust in my intuition during 2017 from all of the life lessons that were thrown my way. There were also a lot of changes that happened to me during 2017 that created a busier and more hectic schedule for my everyday life. So on top of not knowing what was going on health-wise, I was feeling as if I never had enough time to do anything. I was constantly feeling stressed unless I was on vacation. I can’t even tell you how many times I told someone I was “too busy,” that I “didn’t have the time,” or that there was so much going on I felt “scattered.” I had so many amazing things happen in 2017 that made the bad not feel… well, not feel so shitty. There is some quote out there that talks about the highs and lows of life… but what I’m trying to get to is that for every major low I felt there was a major high. And damn were those highs just as life-changing as the lows.
Before embracing 2018, I got to spend 9 much needed days in the Amazon Jungle in Brazil with Tropical Tree Climbing whose motto, in my opinion, is “no rush.” I had left the states for the jungle as an emotional wreck with some health issues that were once again being labeled as “there is something wrong with you, but we don’t know what it is.” After hearing a similar story throughout all of 2017 you can bet I was a little stressed out an emotional. I did not want to start off 2018 in a similar manner to 2017 and was in major need of a step back from my current reality so that I could ground down and heal, and that is exactly what the family at Tropical Tree Climbing provided for me. Their way of life has truly inspired me to slow down and appreciate everything. I preach this to my students, but after truly experiencing what it feels like to slow down and appreciate the life around you. To appreciate that mid-day nap, or harvesting your own food from the garden. To play and feel like a child again. That has inspired me to remind myself that there is no rush. That if I slow down I will give myself the time to really appreciate each and everything I am choosing to do. When I rush myself everything turns into a burden, but if I work in a way where I am able to remind myself that there is “no rush” and that I have time, I’m able to truly enjoy and be present for what I am dedicating my time to.
|Photography: Love, Anneliese Photography|Shoes|Skirt|Hat|
