Farewell, 2017: A look back over the magic + meaning I found this year

It’s time to say farewell + to prepare to turn the page. To soak up the bittersweetness that is the last day of the year. And to look back over all of the moments that have been. It’s important to me to do this because it gives me perspective. It helps me to see the magic + meaning that 2017 has brought me… not only in the crazy, wild, exciting, over-the-top moments; but also in those incredibly regular, simple, sometimes difficult, and slow, contemplative moments.

And it has been a very slow, intentional year of great balance. Of actively seeking the magic + meaning in my everyday life.

In the beginning of the year, last January, I was determined to focus on living an authentic life, to tap into + live all of my life from my soul. Aligned. Free. True. Intentional. And slow. And, I feel quite settled in my soul that I did just that. I chose how I wanted my moments to be. I slowed down + I focused on recognizing + embracing my desire for a contemplative life.

In fact, as I live these last hours of 2017,  I do believe that I feel rooted + grounded in a way that lets me simply bask in who I am + what I am, without the need for seeking + searching.

That doesn’t mean that I’ve peaked and risen to some enlightened status at all. Quite the opposite. It means that I am rooted so I can rise even more. But, for right now, and perhaps for always from now on, my mindset has nothing to do with what to do, what I want to do, what I feel like doing, what I am called to do. I have nothing but a sense of the present moment + who I am.

I ended this year with a month focused on being present. A very fitting way to close out a year of seeking to be authentic. A way to slowly let all of the energies, lessons, and moments of the past 12 months just swirl around + settle into my soul. And, this month did, in fact, teach me about presence. And how that’s what it’s all about. All of it. Everything. Life. Spirit. Nature. The journey.

But, a look back over a year that has been is just not complete without some photos + summaries, am I right?! Good thing I’m a obsessive about documenting my days with photos. And, I’ve also created my own hashtag on Instagram so I can easily access them: “monthbymonthwithliz.”

For the past 2 years now, I have created a grid/collage of 9 photos from the month + posted it on Instagram, so I have the perfect way to gaze back over my year and remember what I did, learned, felt, and experienced. Most importantly, I can see how I have grown + evolved, and how life has unfolded exactly as it should.

 

So, here we go! Here is my 2017 in photos + words!

My sweet season of September… how you have slowly guided me into this next season of deep inward reflection. • Summer has ended. Autumn has crept in. I have celebrated another year of living. And life has moved from an energy of grateful, slow stability to embracing changes of all kinds in my little family’s life… with intentional, meditative, soul-filled guidance. • I did not imagine ending September with such uncertainty, because, I didn’t imagine it at all. There is no need to imagine how it will be when we focus only on what is. • So as I transition into a deeper season of autumn in October, I do so not expecting anything + only living for today. Yes, I cast my visions + set my intentions, but I do so with an open trust in the unfolding of life. I move in rhythm with the seasons, instead of trying to force or control what happens. • September, you taught me to listen, feel, accept, celebrate, and trust with a depth that I had not yet discovered. And you reminded me that the thing that I can control is how I respond + react + move forward. • Here’s to your beauty, to being my soul-month, for filling me with an energy of fulfillment + completion, and to calling me further into my own journey of evolution.

A post shared by liz (@belovelivecoaching) on

Slow slow slow living, my dear mystical October. That’s what you gave me. Or, actually, that’s what I chose. • I dove deep this month, really soaking in the season like never before. I sat. I prayed. I meditated. I listened. I wrote. I walked. I embraced and lived and nested in the cozy moments. • I stayed home when I could – partly out of choice, partly out of necessity. I went to work, of course, and brought that balanced, slow energy with me even there. • And it all has been ever so perfect, just as it is. Not easy, not actually perfect, not exciting, and not active. And, yet, perfect. • Yes, I dropped deep into my soul. I traveled on my own personal vision quest. And I found magic + wisdom + heard messages of truth from both within and without. • The contemplative solitude and darkness and quiet and intentional living has put me on a quiet path forward. Towards what, I do not know. But, oh how I trust. • And oh, how I thank you, mysterious October. ? 

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November, you were busy. I admit that I didn’t feel any deep connection with you, but I loved you fully anyway. . You were filled with everyday life stuff. A mix of time at home + time away. Lots of work + intentional moments of slow reflection. . But, honestly, I don’t know where you’ve gone. Or what you’ve really been about. I’ve sensed no clear focus, but simply moved from moment to moment. . And while I love the months that feel magical; the months that simply are what they are, like you, November, are just as beautiful. No muss. No fuss. . Because this is where life happens. The daily stuff is what it’s all about. And, in looking back, I see that living from day to day, moving from one moment to the next, allows me to sink into the rhythm of living out the way of life I crave. . These are the days that I get to practice what I preach. . So, thank you, November, for being you. For helping me transition from autumn to winter. For giving me days in which to practice my work. And days in which to connect with my soul. . And, thank you for helping me to see even more clearly how these two things are really meant to be happening simultaneously. How life is not meant to be separated between work + soul, but that my soul is to lead + guide me in all of my work. 

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Oh, December. You have been a slow, intentional month of great balance. Of seeking the magic + meaning in my everyday life. . In the beginning of the month, I was determined to focus on being present, to soak up the darkness + simplicity of all of my December moments. To not get crazy in the midst of all of the hustle + bustle of the season. And, I feel quite settled in my soul that I did just that. I chose how I wanted my moments to be. I slowed down + I focused on embracing my desire for a contemplative life. . In fact, I do believe that I feel rooted + grounded in a way that lets me simply bask in who I am + what I am, without the need for seeking + searching. . That doesn’t mean that I’ve peaked and risen to some enlightened status at all. Quite the opposite. It means that I am rooted so I can rise even more. But, for right now, and perhaps for always, my mindset has nothing to do with what to do, what I want to do, what I feel like doing, what I am called to do. I have nothing but a sense of the present moment + who I am. ♀ . Dear December, you did, in fact, teach me about presence. And how that’s what it’s all about. All of it. Everything. Life. Spirit. Nature. The journey. . So, with that, as I ease into a new year and bid farewell to 2017, I do so simply by being present in this moment + setting the intention to be present in all my moments as they unfold. . Happy New Year, dear IG souls + friends. May the presence of spirit + magic + hope ever be your guide. ☽❍↟

A post shared by liz (@belovelivecoaching) on

 

And so, with that, as I ease into a new year and bid farewell to 2017, I do so simply by being present in this moment + setting the intention to be present in all my moments as they unfold. And I thank you all ever so much for being here, for reading, for sharing, and for journeying with me. Your presence is felt and greatly cherished.

Happy New Year, dear blog souls + friends. May the presence of spirit + magic + hope ever be your guide as we embark on a new 12 months around the sun.

☽❍↟ xoxo. liz.

2 thoughts on “Farewell, 2017: A look back over the magic + meaning I found this year

  1. Happy New Year Liz and Lina!!!!

    This was a great post. I enjoyed looking at your year in pictures with words. It’s such a nice way to recap and celebrate what 2017 has been to you. 🙂

    1. Happy New Year Tracy!! Wishing you all the best – peace and joy and authenticity – as the new year begins!

      Thank you so much for your beautiful, wonderful presence here on my blog. Your thoughts and comments mean so very much to me. xoxo

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