it has taken me 4 or 5 off and on hours to write this. and i’m all over the place. i apologize now for what follows… sorry.
the sun is shining outside and it’s relatively warm. but, i’m still recovering from some crappy stomach sickness that knocked me out while my love & i were gone, so i am inside. listening to a new playlist i made that is made up of all the old songs i listened to during the year that i died and came back to life. i need to be in touch with that girl again. that liz. so sure. so confident. so dreamy and freaking crazy. just closing her eyes and jumping. and knowing in her soul that the leap of faith was always the right decision. i miss that girl.
oh yes, i jumped when i moved to sweden. and it has been amazing. i’ve acclimated and adjusted. and now, i’m ready to jump again. but, right now, i’m not exactly sure who i am. who have i become? how has this journey, this time of living in sweden, affected me? how has it changed my dreams? i know what i want, but i don’t know how to make it happen. one huge thing that sweden has given me is time. time to explore the writer that is within me. and that writer wants to be let loose! but, how? sweden has also given me a chance to travel and a chance to be cozy at home (thanks to the cozy, dark falls and winters). in some ways, it feels as if i have been hibernating while i’ve been in sweden. and i don’t mean that in a bad way… i mean it in the best possible way.
though, now i’m nearing the end of my self-proclaimed hibernation, or cocoon-ing, and it’s time for me to look back on these almost three years and reacquaint myself with my dreams and hopes, now that i know that i will be moving to asheville. it’s time to tap into my gyspy soul, and to make sure not to stay stuck in the roles that are most comfortable simply because they are comfortable. or because it’s too scary to try anything different. it’s time to to feel the desire to fly, and ignore those who would try to keep me grounded by circumstances in life.
i’ve been saying that moving back to the states feels like an adventure in itself. i suppose that moving back can be seen as this: “oh, how boring. she lived in europe for three years and is now going back to little ole north carolina.” but, i don’t feel that way at all. if i’m honest, the thought has crossed my mind, but it moves right on as fast as as it came. no, from deep within, i know that this is another adventure. a new one. just as big as moving to sweden almost 3 years ago.
so, speaking of that gypsy soul. and thinking about how i feel today. i realize that a journey of self discovery is what was exactly what was in the cards for me right now.
i do not, capital N O T, want to be that person who dreams and wishes, and just sits there. i do, capital D.O., want to be that person who thinks crazy things are possible and makes the seemingly impossible happen. hell, i’ve done it once, twice, three, or more times before… why should i stop now?
the other day, i mentioned that i had learned to feel my emotions again in life after a long period of stuffing them down. well, today, the lesson i’ve learned in how to feel how i feel has gotten me feeling every sort of emotion possible (did you follow that?). perhaps it’s because i have been sick for the past few days. like really sick. and now i’m weak and run down. but it’s also everything else. spring, which is depressing instead of energizing me. my love and her fight for life. finishing up and staying on track at work. preparing for the move. feeling physically sick has made me realize that i don’t feel ok mentally, emotionally, or physically right now.
i want to be the carefree spirit i committed myself to being in the beginning of 2013. i want to be the gyspy soul that i feel that i am. but, i don’t feel capable of it right now. i don’t have the energy. and even as i say all of this, i am still working to live in the present moment. to breathe in the beauty of right now. and i am. i truly am. i notice and bask in the warm sun’s rays spilling into my kitchen. i feel the joy of having my love sleep beside me at night. i adore the snuggles with my cat. i sip slowly on a glass of red. i smile brightly as i notice the green popping out on the trees. i close my eyes and breathe. i am in the present moment. and yet, somehow, right now, that’s not enough to feed my free-spirited soul.
i know what is waiting for me. i know what i am longing for, what my love is longing for. i know the freedom, the soul-touching feelings we have in the states. and i want them now.
everything that i am writing about today is based on this one thing: i am in a holding period. stuck in between adventures. trying to live a present moment that isn’t the present moment i’d dreamed of, and yet still finding beauty and some peace. but, knowing what lies ahead… all the craziness and the promise of a new chapter in life. i’m nearing the end of my hibernation.
the bottom line is this:
i need to slow down and find a way to accept and enjoy and use these next 3 months here in sweden. i need to let myself wake up slowly. if i use this time to the best of my ability, then i will really search my soul, and give myself a chance to know what i want my next step to be. is it just to move back to asheville and enjoy the life there? or is it to crazily seek out a job that fills my soul, and not just pays the bills? or is it a balance of the two? and if so, where & what is that job? of course it’s not just about jobs either, but our whole life. where we will live, how we will live, how we will spend our time. it’s all so exciting and promising!
as i type these words, john lennon’s song “starting over” is playing through my speakers. and the words, the lyrics. oh my gosh. it was as if the little spark in my chest has just been set on fire. everything is so clear to me…
our life is so precious. together. we have grown. our love is so special. let’s take a chance. and fly away. together. it’ll be just like starting over. it’s time to spread our wings and fly. don’t let another day go by, my love. it’ll be just like starting over.yes! exactly what john lennon (one of my heroes) says… this move brings with it new life. a new, amazing life that my love & i will share. we will fly. and we will live from our souls.
but, for now, i will allow myself to slowly awake from my hibernation. i will use my time to uncover the deeper places in my self that i found while living in sweden. yes, for now, i will use the present moment to discover more about who i am because of this hibernation… and who i dream of being in the next chapter of life.
how’s that for taking some time for myself? day 2. check!
hope you are feeling well today, my friends. peace & love.
I’m sorry you haven’t been feeling well, Liz 🙁
I’m just gonna throw this out there – Based on your previous posts it seems to me that what you really want to do in this next chapter is work on making a career of writing/photography. You keep bringing it up so I can tell from my end that it’s very important to you. Creating balance is good, too, though, because you don’t want to be working too much to enjoy life and soak it all in like you are so good at doing and have taught your readers to do 🙂
Lots of love and hope for you to feel yourself again soon xx
You are so right with everything you say. I must simply trust the process. All will work out. And, most importantly, I must never forget my dreams. Thank you for your thoughtful comment! Ti means so much!
And, finally today, I am feeling better again. 🙂
p.s. love the mason jar 🙂 lol
You have what it takes. The journey of becoming is always a little bit rocky from time to time. But you are still growing, the green shoots curling up to the sky, the roots seeking the best soil to settle in. All necessary before the flowers bloom. Xox
What a beautiful comment. Thank you so very much. I will hold your words in my heart. xo
Hi Liz,
“who I dream of being in the next chapter of life.”
I like that a lot. I am glad that you are working on that. It is important work. It may not feel like it, but these steps are leading you to your new place and space as well as the actual physical moving will take you to your new place and space.
Good and healing thoughts to you.
Kate
my new place and space…
i love that, kate. thank you so much. xo
No need to appologize in the beginning for what you have written- what wonderful thoughts on becoming and bumps along the way! I can relate to this as many probably can.
Hope you feel better soon, both in body and spirit! And thank you for sharing this, it has sparked some deep thought about my own journey and adventures (or lack thereof…).
thank you, lexie, for saying that. i appreciate the support and the feeling that i am not alone so very much. may your thoughts & your journey be beautiful as well.
Exciting times can also be stressful times. Your new life is going to kick ass.
when i read this, vic, i thought, “yes. my life will kick ass.” i felt such empowerment when i read your words. thank you!! xo
dear be well soon, i’m sending some london spring sun to you! kram <3
that you, gesine. the sun is shining here today as well. xo