Life is moving fast these days. And I’m trying my best to stay slow. We are most definitely in transition mode over here. I am so excited about our future move. On the other hand, I so want to soak up life while we are still here. Plus, there’s just so much other stuff happening, Everyday feels like some weird back + forth between two different energies. But, I’m finding my way through it. And just to keep it real, some days I’ve felt like crap + other days I’ve felt amazing. Right now I’m in the middle of a 4 day long weekend, so I’m feeling extremely grateful for this little reset time to recenter myself + find my balance in the middle of it all.
Since there is so much happening all at once these days, I’ve decided to relaunch my weekly update series! It’s another way that I hope to try to stay grounded through it all. A few years ago I did a weekly update every single week all year long. It is an amazing way for me to process life as it happens, document all that I think + do + experience, and connect with you. I’ve taken a pause from it lately, but with everything going on in life, I believe it’s time to try to bring it back. So, with 7 weeks left before moving, I’m gonna do my best to have at least one post every week – a little summary, catch-up series on the weekends. I think it is exactly what I need to stay focused, present, and grounded. Yay! I’m super pumped now.
New moon in Taurus
Speaking of grounding, there was a new moon this past week. And, oh, how it has been perfect timing. As we move deeper into spring, I always tend to sink deeper + deeper into the earth. I mean, how can I not? Everything starts to become lush + green, the days grow so much longer + brighter. And it just feels like a whole new beginning is around the corner. Which, of course, in my case, is very true. But, for all of us, we are transitioning into the summer (or winter) months. So, right now is the perfect time to get centered, prepare, and focus on building a strong foundation/home/base. So we can thrive during the growing season ahead.
So, I spent a few mornings this past week doing just that. I retuned to some old, faithful practices that inspire me. I sat by my kitchen window, the place where I have watched the seasons change for 5 years now, knowing that my view will soon change. I also took some time to focus on how to find my way back to my soul every morning, in order to help me create an energy of calm in the midst of a bunch of chaos and craziness in everyday life + work.
The transition at work has begun
There are only a few more weeks left in the school year and then just about 2 weeks after that. So it’s wild at work these days. I bounce back and forth between feeling like I can’t imagine leaving to I can’t wait to do something new. But, I am doing my absolute best to stay present during a stressful, confusing transition time right now. I’ve begun the process of giving over my work to 2 new mentors. We met this past week + talked a little about the job. There is also a third mentor who I hope to meet. It all feels surreal. But also very, very right. I need to work in a different environment. I’ve outgrown where I am. And it’s amazing how, once I knew we were moving and had to quit, it’s become more + more clear that this is the right step.
As always, though, my students ground me at work. Conversations with them, watching them work with what they love + succeeding at it, and just having them come + hang in my room for a little bit… always give me a much wider perspective and remind me of the deep honor it is (and has been) to be able to walk with so many individuals as they navigate this most confusing, inspiring, and difficult time in their life.
The chaos at home
Of course, in the middle of everything, one of the biggest reasons things are so hectic right now are because we our move to Norrköping, Sweden in the beginning of July. In just 7 weeks!! At home, we’ve renovated our kitchen and hired a realtor. We’ve also spent every weekend since Easter going through, packing, and organizing our entire apartment and storage units in the cellar. It feels good to be clearing out things so far in advance + a little at a time, but damn. It’s never ending.
At the same time, we are also planning things for our new home. And we are so excited about bringing our cozy, funky, simple vibe to our urban loft. The mood in our new apartment will be so different. Instead of close to the ground, with a green backyard in a suburban-ish area, we will be on the top floor of a newly built high rise right in the middle of a funky, artsy, industrial urban district. We are really so excited for the change of energy that we can hardly wait.
But, time is flying + things are happening. Tomorrow morning we have our first showing – and our apartment isn’t even officially on the market yet! Fingers crossed, you guys, It’s a good sign that someone wants to come already.
Going through it all with her
As for life with us… well, we’re trying to help each other stay calm, stable, and balanced as everything swirls around us. Lina’s work is just as wild as mine. We’re both still dealing with our grief, separately + together. Working hard to get our home ready to the move. And remembering to steal away some slow moments together. Plus, looking toward the future and trying to exhaust all measures to make our dreams come true.
My last day of work this week was Wednesday, so after that we made plans for this long weekend we are in. We stopped by the store to buy yummy local beer on the way home, and then we immediately found ourselves headed to meet some friends that we haven’t see in a year. We met up at the tiki bar that they’ve built on the balcony where they work (where Lina used to work before the pandemic). Of course we kept distance and stayed outside. It was absolutely exactly what we needed. – and the most normal thing we have done in a year, I think. We drank alot and stayed late and it was bliss.
The rest of this weekend, we’ve rested a little. But, we also had some pretty major appointments, giving us even even more important plans to add to these next few weeks of transition. And, then, we suddenly found out about our apartment showing. So, I’m typing this now, knowing that I need to hurry up because we have a lot of shit to do before the showing.
But, really. Even in the middle of all of this craziness, we have each other. Through it all. And there is nothing in the whole world that I would want more.
How spring is keeping me grounded
And now I’ve come full circle it feels like. I started with the new moon that has initiated this very active moon cycle, but with energies of grounded, centered preparation. Of course, it is the earth that grounds me more than anything else. Just this past week, spring has really begun to pop. The trees are filling with leaves, the air has been warm, and the sunset so much later than when May began. I am finding comfort, consistency, and centeredness in simply observing + paying attention as Mother Nature does her thing.
I have wandered outside, touched the leaves, put my bare feet on the ground, soaked in the sun, and let spring rain wash over me. And, with every moment that I turn my focus to the earth + the sky, I find myself more + more able to trust the process of this crazy transition period. As I see how nature transitions from winter to spring + spring to early summer, I know that I, too, need to just sit back and move patiently through my own transition in life right now.
I must say that writing about my week, my thoughts, my experiences still gives me that sense of groundedness in the middle of all of this chaos, excitement, and transition. It is a chance to get perspective + look at my week as a whole. To find the moments that meant the most, to process the moments that felt like too much, and to prepare my soul to be open to whatever moments that are to come.
My plan is to try to do this at least every week until we move. Mostly to help me stay centered + to document this most special and unique transition time in our life. I hope you enjoy following along in this way. Let me know if you have any questions, thoughts, or wishes on what you want me to share outside of my everyday life.
Wishing you a great week ahead and sending you all the love I can. xoxo. liz.
In case you’re wondering what the number is at the beginning of the title, it’s the number of the week in 2021. In Sweden (maybe other places too, but not the States), we use week numbers in our calendars. It’s something I absolutely love!
