i felt as though my twenty fourth year was one filled with more growth than i've ever experienced.
i know i felt similarly about twenty three, though not necessarily so in regards to my earlier twenties.
in comparison, having reached the first mark of the "mid twenties", i feel like I can truly say that this past year has been even more so immensely stretching and challenging in ways i wasn't aware were possible. i wrote about a lot of those things on here which, in past years, i would never even have come close to sharing or being vulnerable about.
however, i've learned the opposite of pride is vulnerability.
essentially saying: t h i s i s w h o i a m
which, in it's essence, is a lesson that ties together all of the others i've learned.
it's one i've become braver and louder about proclaiming.
in contemplating the things i'm bringing into twenty five, the list was very very long... but most of what came to mind was actually referenced in past blog posts.
so, i decided to essentially sum up the majority of the biggest and most important posts from my thoughts category here on the blog and summarize my year's growth that way.
if you care to read more on the below thoughts, just click the links to read the original posts.
a t t w e n t y f i v e
the importance of small just-right things.
the importance of shopping small --- a topic that has taken root in my heart so deeply, especially this past year. please read this post if you read any. another related thought is to grow in what it looks like to not stand above reaching down to those less fortunate, but stand beside them hand in hand.
that voice will call you home when you realize no other will truly lead you there.
the art of slow living --- which has been such a huge aspect and shift in not only my business but my lifestyle day-to-day. i'm very excited for the related topics that i will be sharing more in line with this in the upcoming year. (also read my article that was published in this issue of somerset life magazine to learn more)
creativity is often in the presence of fear. and sometimes constraints bring about creativity.
to never forget who you are and where you came from.
really and truly in the most real way imaginable for the first time ever, how valuable home is. and that sometimes there's more than one. and how even in their familiarity, there are constantly new revelations about them.
there will always be hurt. but you were born with a light in you that no darkness can extinguish.
small resolves speak volumes.
what to do when you're overwhelmed and spreading yourself too thin.
books will always be one of the most important things to me. making time for reading should always remain a priority.
the extreme importance of solitude. another post i strongly encourage you to read if you read any at all....
you don't tell the ocean to behave. #dontbehave
how to just be.
identify who they are and why it is that the opinion of one is masked as that of many in our minds.
what perfectionism truly is and the lies it tells us when we choose to listen to it. and that imperfections are not inadequacies
to practice courage.
a conscious practicing of awareness and appreciation is in order to not take that which is comfortable and familiar for granted. it's a kind of latitude. where you orient yourself in relation to your experiences and how you choose to let them affect you.
how to make it.
how to begin getting past a block.
some unfinished thoughts can often help complete others.
what acceptance looks like. and how i feel most beautiful in the morning.
i am uncomfortable with other women degrading their beauty in the wake of my own.
how valuable it is to find and hold onto the people who feel like us. and recognizing it. a kind of recognition.
oh, and also how to do a headstand.