the week when everything was new // 1

i love preparing my little posts that give a glimpse of what my week has looked like. i get to process my thoughts, remember what’s happened, and share some of the photos that i took during the week. it’s also a great way to help me stay in the present moment + focus on gratitude. of course, the most important thing about these posts is that i am able to truly notice that it is the everyday little things that are the most important. for me, creating + living a slow, intentional, meaningful life is what i’m after.

and i hope to share with all of you, dear readers, the idea that all of life is spiritual and sacred. beauty, love, peace, and deep, magical connections are indeed what make up our life. it is simply up to us to notice it.

i also love creating fun posts that are lists., so, for twenty sixteen, i thought that i’d combine the two for my weekly post on the week that has just passed. here’s the list i will use each sunday when summarizing the week that has just passed:

• 4 photos
• 3 good things
• 2 previous posts
• 1 photo/music/blog/person/website/book that inspired me

i’ll be gathering all of the posts in a series called “the everyday sacred”, which you can find a direct link to in the right column here on my blog (under series) —>> .

you can see my previous weekly posts from 2015 here as well.

4 photos

// it started to really snow this week, which i love and i just happened to take a short walk one day and noticed that the sunshine + snow made for a magical little moment.

// we took down our christmas decorations (which was super emotionally sad). but, in clearing out the holiday energy, we made space for new, positive energy. and we created this cozy little corner with books, puzzles, and candles, which just spontaneously happened. so, while it started out to be a bit of a downer to take down the tree, it became a really good, clear sign of beginning again. of creating something new.

// oh the snow. i just love it. there is even more now. and, as i type this on sunday morning, it is really snowing hard outside. soooooo cozy. (oh, and it’s been ridiculous cold too!).

// friday night, after 2 days of work, my love and i decided to have a little quality time together. so, i grabbed pizza at our corner pizza bar (which we can see from our living room window – it’s so close) and we watched a movie under blankets together. it was just the perfect ending to a tough, good, crazy work week. and an even better beginning to the weekend.

3  good things

// this weekend’s new moon. oh my, how amazing it is to have this new moon at the beginning of a new year. if you’re like me + have felt that exciting energy that comes with beginning a new year and all of the new adventures that are in front of us, then you probably can’t wait to get started with it all. however, before  getting carried away with everything, caught up in the excitement and anticipation, this weekend, with this new moon, we have a chance to slow down just a bit.

starting this new year is a bit like planting a tree, i think. i can’t just plop myself down and begin growing upward. no, i must take root + have a strong foundation for this year. i must take the time to be aware of the balance of it all. to not only get busy sharing and teaching and doing all that i am bursting to share and teach and do. i must also remain grounded, rooted, and draw upon the mysteries that lie deep within me. there is much that i have learned and experienced in the past that i can draw upon now. so, all of those foundational things that i have built throughout the years, are to be put to use in my present life, so that i can create an even richer future.  what i do not mean is that i am going to go back to the ways that i did things before. but, i am going to draw upon all of the lessons that i have learned, the skills that i have gathered, and the inspiration that i have received from my own life + from the lives of my family, my ancestors, and other role models (mentors) who have gone before me. and, i am going to use all of those deep roots to begin to influence, inspire, and create my life today.

the new moon this weekend is the perfect time to look back, reflect + remember and to use all of that in looking forward + creating the intentions that will drive me forward on new, adventurous journeys of evolution.

because, isn’t that what evolving is all about anyway? using that which we have been as we continue to grow + transform our lives. this weekend’s new moon invites us to continue the journey, to embark on this new year, with new goals + intentions, based on + inspired by all that we have experienced. to simply continue our story…

// coffee. coffee. coffee. coffee. it’s no secret that i’m a coffee lover. and over the past years it’s grown even more + more. i suppose the biggest reason for the intense growth was due to my “fika” blog that i created when i lived in asheville, north carolina. fika is the swedish word for the act of slowing down for a moment, taking a break in the day, to enjoy coffee.

2 and a half years ago, i decided to start a project which led me to visit 40 different cafes in 40 days in asheville, to have fika every day + see how it inspired me. i blogged about it, and then after knocking on the doors of the local independent, artsy, cultural newspaper in town, i got my own column where i wrote about coffee, cafes, and fika – what i interpret as a very important spiritual discipline of living in the present moment, enjoying coffee, and sharing some time with others. i even created a fika group where people could just show up and have coffee together once a week.

when i moved from asheville, that group had met weekly of over a year and had over 200 members (not everyone met every week, but there were always around 20 people at each meeting). it was an inspiring group, welcoming of any and everybody, with no agenda except to drink coffee + chat with each other. the other day, i got a message from one of the women who has taken over as the leader since i moved. even though i’ve been gone for a year now, the group remains strong, and here is what the current leader wrote to me just this week:

“Dear Liz, Fika is going strong and I find myself mentioning you with humble gratitude every week. Thank you, my dear, for creating a group that has meant so much to so many.”

how grateful i am for this period of time in my life. for the joy that it brought me, for the people that i met, and for the fact that i left something behind that continues to make a difference. it is my hope + prayer that i do that sort of thing all throughout my life. if i can accomplish that, then i will leave this earth satisfied that my life has meant something.

// finding inspiration.  i want to give credit to the person/blog who inspired me to do these weekly posts in this format. it’s not anyone i know, but i have discovered her blog and have been absolutely taken in by her magical, slow, beautiful life. she is a swedish photographer, who lives in the northern part of sweden. and, from what i can tell, she seeks a slow, intentional, simply life. truly focusing on the little, beautiful things in life. and, on top of that, she is an incredible photographer. she does a weekly post update using this format, and last fall i decided that i’d adopt and adapt it for my own use. so, thanks to rania marie, for her inspiration!  you can find her blog —>> here.

2 previous posts

living intentionally // intentions are better than resolutions

4 tips for listening to a playlist  + a mixtape //

1 photo/music/blog/person/website/book that inspired me

before i started working, i spent one entire day (except for a short walk in the snow) in bed. i read elizabeth gilbert’s big magic from cover to cover and sipped coffee. for me, it was a great book to simply remind me to keep creating the life that i want to live. to always stay in conversation with the mysterious, magical inspiration that swirls around me and to never let fear stop me from trying anything. so, i can most definitely recommend it for anyone who is looking for a way to live a more inspiring and meaningful life. and speaking of recommending… i am working on a post where i share my top books for finding inspiration at the beginning of a new year. it’ll be posted later this week!

so, there you go. my fresh new take on my weekly updates. i hope you have enjoyed it. and i most definitely hope that your first full week of twenty sixteen was a good one! one down. 51 more to go! and who knows what this year will bring us?! ups + downs, good times + bad. but, hopefully, we will remain strong, empowered, inspired, and open to everything that life has to offer us.

sending you lots of love!

xoxo. liz.

earth • soul • spirit

 

 

all images and content are elizabeth reynolds mcguire originals unless otherwise stated. feel free to pin and share, but remember all content is copyright protected. always link back and credit when sharing. thanks!