the week that was like a mini summer break // 18 (week #5 of becoming a life coach)

you guys, mother nature brought summer to sweden this past week. it was pure perfection. and i may even be a little sun-tired right now. but, oh how glorious it has been. good thing that the weather was great, because i had a ton to do this past week, so, that extra burst of vitamin d energy was just what the doctor ordered!

let me see… where to begin…

the week was a pretty amazing balance of everything, actually. work was super intense, but then again, we packed in a week’s worth of work into three days. that’s right. we had two days off, and the students have today off, so it’s been  like a 4.5 day weekend! gotta love those Swedish Christian holidays that nobody celebrates, but that all of us get off from work for. hehe.

and even though it was intense at work, it was so good too. i even had a whole day in stockholm with some students. can’t beat work days like that. oh, and of course the weather was fabbo.

wednesday afternoon, as i biked home, the feeling of freedom took hold. it truly was like having a mini-summer vacation in front of me.

so, thursday, my love and i took it slow in the morning. but, then we got busy and made a little video (coming soon!) for a secret, but insanely awesome, project that we are a part of. weather for outside filming? gorgeous!

then, i put my girl on a train to go visit her parents for the weekend. and i headed off to grab a beer with my brother-in-law and his wife in the long, spring evening, ahhhh….

friday, alone in our apartment, which was a weird feeling, i scurried about preparing for my weekend. i was headed out into the swedish countryside for my last life coach training weekend! i totally could pack summer-ish clothes. i hopped a bus and was out in the middle of nowhere by mid-afternoon.

friends, it was an epic weekend. remember how i said that this was the perfect time (during this new moon phase) to pause + reflect. well, i had time for 2.5 days to do just that. that was the energy that all 20 of us had all weekend long. we were literally only inside to sleep at night. we all walked around smiling, hugging, talking, laughing, just being. if it sounds like a hippie commune to you, then you’re right. that’s exactly what it was!

i felt deep, deep, deep peace and a calm that soothed every single bit of my soul throughout the entire weekend. my pace was slow and intentional, and i balanced time alone and time with others.

i will have a whole other lost dedicated to this past weekend’s pondering + lessons (and photos!!) later on this week, so stay tuned for that. wink. wink.

i arrived home again sunday night, reunited with my love, and crashed on the couch, practically gazing at each other continually. so filled with love. so grateful for all we are and all we have.

now, it’s back to work today. but, those feelings of calm, relaxed, groundedness remain. so, I am totally just breezing through my day. still riding high from my entire little vacation.

yesterday, before we left the camp, we had one last challenging conversation with a fellow life coaching colleague. one of us was to ask one question over and over, while the other one answered deeper and deeper each time. after five minutes or so, then we’d switch. it’s quite intense.

the question was: who do you want to be? 

as i answered that question over and over in different ways, i suddenly realized that i want to be exactly who i am right now. 

not that i don’t want to grow and evolve. of course i do. but, to simply be who i am. live as i am. that is all i want. and, finally, i have found that place within me that is me. i know who i am. accept who i am. and want to be exactly me.

i revealed a sort of calm freedom within me, that i know will keep me grounded and at peace. no matter what may come my way. and, to live fully in this moment… there is nothing better than that. nothing more that i seek.

so, i’m all recharged and inspired… just as it should be after a mini-summer break!

happy new week to you, lovely friends + family. wishing you one that is filled with light and love!

xoxo. liz.

*the last two photos are by two of my fellow life coaching friends.