It’s decided. I’m bringing back “The week that was…” series in 2022! Partly because I love to document a year week by week, not only to have my memories saved in words + photos; but also because it gives me a chance to process life as it happens. And also partly because I have heard from many of you who enjoy reading + following along as I share my life. It is a way for you to get a glimpse of how my life unfolds, how I live rhythmically + spiritually, and what slow living means to me.
So, let’s start with this past week. Week #3 of 2022. Also now known as “The week that was our post-holiday quarantine” since it was our first week home after celebrating Christmas + New Years in the States with my family.
We arrived home on Friday the 14th. Went straight to get a PCR test and then came home to wash the 25 hours of airplane travel germs off of us and go straight to bed. We slept a fairly normal 8 hours and started settling in over the weekend. Washing clothes, ordering groceries to be delivered, and re-aligning ourselves with our home. Whenever I go away, I always feel like I have to clear out the space with fresh air and reset the energy – both mine and my home’s.
We also had a package waiting for us when we got home. – which was super exciting. While we were in the States, we ordered a little Christmas gift for ourselves… a new camera! 2022 is going to be the return to a more creative life! Lina’s got plans. I’ve got plans. We’ve got plans together. It’s going to be so much fun to learn a totally new camera, shoot videos + photos, get out and explore, and just dive into that creative way we love.
Here’s how the rest of the week went…
Quarantine mornings
Quarantine afternoons
Don’t worry. We didn’t see anyone. We just went out a couple of times to walk and get fresh air.
Quarantine nights
After getting back negative PCR tests and then, a few days later, getting negative at home antigen tests, we ended our quarantine with appointments to get our boosters! Feels so good to have that extra protection now. Honestly, I was super worried in the States because I knew we were at the lower end of our Pfizer shots. But, we made it – and now we’re filled up again. But, with Moderna this time.
I have to admit, I feel like as we come out of quarantine and last week came to an end, that a whole little inner season also came to an end. The energy shifted. No more holiday winter vibes. So more hibernation weeks. I’ve been in this deeply slow, relaxed energy since mid-December, I’d say. There have been the weeks of preparation for the holidays, the weeks of our holiday trip, and the return home – but in quarantine. All in all, it’s be a little more than a month of rest and retreat.
Now, I find myself still in the depths of a Nordic winter, but also with the season of returning to the responsibilities + action of everyday life – pandemic life, that is. The energy that I am feeling for the week ahead is one that is challenging. Now is the time that, for me, society says… “OK. Back to the grind:” Only, the grind is not anything I allow in my life. So, it is back to the challenge of living slowly, mindfully, and intentionally right in the middle of it all. It’s back to me remembering that my body + soul are in tune with the rhythms of the earth, and that means that I am still wintering.
So, my holiday retreat + weeks of quarantining are over. It is time to begin to stretch + wiggle a little, like those moments when you are coming out of a meditation. A slow, quiet awakening. A magical moment of becoming aware again, but not yet moving out of my winter hibernation.
Here’s to the end of a long, slow holiday season. My soul has been filled and my heart is grateful. Now, I turn toward a new phase of winter and I welcome you to join me as we continue to slowly make our way through the seasons of the year. Next week, there we will big shifts in the earth’s energy + a festival to celebrate. Sending you tons of warm, cozy, wintry vibes.
xoxo. liz.
