2010 has been a challenging year for me in many ways, probably the most challenging year in at least decade. I've been ground down a bit, hopefully polished up too. Below are some of the lessons I'm most grateful for that came out of this year. Click on the highlighted text to read the linked post.
What do Seals want from me really? I may actually be a Selkie and not even know it.
What a car accident taught me about my body. If you'd told me I would total our car this year and suffer from whiplash I'd have been terrified. Looking back I have to say it all went pretty well. Of course it helps if you are able to show up and realize your spine is really a snake and you are actually mostly water.
I can still Dance.
Things I learned about writing. Writing goes to the core of who we are and who we can become. Writing can even put us back together, after life has torn us to pieces. Writing can also help us bring our voice into new terrains.
What I learned about the spirit of our land. The land we're transforming into a thriving homestead has its own lessons to teach me. For starters, participating in the harvest means participating more deeply in the process of death. This actually makes the sacredness of the harvest much more tangible.
What I learned about living, dying and family. This is the year my Dad died. Every day is a meditation on his life and our loss. Funny how surprised I felt at discovering that I couldn't save the people I love from dying, yet they are never far from us. Nature is still a refuge for me when I'm grieving, and its not. When you lose someone you experience a whole new level of separation, which sucks and it doesn't suck. Really though it sucks.
Of course its the sorrow as well as the joy that makes the journey worthwhile, my Dad understood that well. Here's wishing us all a blessed and bountiful 2011!
