The last few days of the year…a time for pausing, looking back, and taking stock. I love these days, and not just for all the Christmas treats I'm still working my way through!
2024 was a year unlike any other for me! It was a year of letting go (literally and metaphorically), of asking big questions, of embracing a new and different path. It's so funny to think about myself at this time last year, as we were bidding farewell to 2023 and how I wasn't planning for the big leaps I would take in 2024, at least not consciously (more on that in another post…soon…).
When I look back, I see how I was taking little steps over the past few years. These steps were leading me toward a different life, one that I thought only existed in my daydreams. To leaf back through my journals, the themes were clear. I longed for more balance and space, for better mental and physical health, to feel connected, and to prioritise creativity. Year after year, I would write at this time of year and in the opening days of the new year as it arrived, voicing the same desires and yet never finding the formula. And 2024 has shown me that there is no formula. In the letting go, I am learning to worry less, to embrace stillness and solitude, and am finding so much joy.
None of that is to say that it has all been easy - quite the opposite. I also know that in shaking up the material and physical aspects of my life, my home, my job, etc I have also been shaking up the deeper, under the surface things. I am confronting fears, mindsets, and patterns that I have carried with me all my life. This is sacred work and it can be exhausting. If you find yourself in this kind of space, I offer you my respect and encouragement to carry on. I don't see it as work to be completed, but rather the acceptance of a lifelong mindset of learning and growth.
As I have shared bits and pieces of my journey, I have received a great deal of support and encouragement (a little negativity too, but I don't mind. Really, the only person that all of this needs to make sense to is me!). Leaving a stable job, getting rid of a ton of stuff, and living in a way that is significantly different from most…it has been quite the ride. And it's a ride I'm happy to continue! I am also intending (not resolving - I don't really do resolutions) to share a little bit more. I have been so busy figuring it all out that I haven't shown my little internet and social media communities as much as I thought I would at the outset. But the more I meet people and tell bits and pieces of my experience, the more I remember the value of sharing our stories. I have learned to do that in my music, but have realized I have plenty to share in other ways, too.
For now…I'm heading to a different Air Bnb in the new year and plan to be there for a little while, riding out the rest of the winter until I can return to my beloved spot. I have lots of projects keeping me busy - art, writing, and I'm itching to get back to the music I was working on before leaving the farm. I haven't really been able to work on it for the last couple months (living in a shared house). In fact, the only time I've touched a piano since the end of October was for a rowdy impromptu ‘12 Days of Christmas’ with my family at my Mom's house on Christmas Day (it started with the Bob and Doug McKenzie version, then the addition of family member's names, then a full descent into chaos 😂). I would love to record and release something in 2025 if I can find a way to make that work…stay tuned.
I tried to make a photo collage of some of my favourites but there are just so many. So here are a few randomly selected pictures to commemorate my crazy, wonderful year;
Thanks for being here, friends.
Wishing you health and happiness in 2025.