Out With The Old, In With The New!
Early days of 2022, at Ol Pejeta Conservancy
I’ll start off with an emphatic 'Happy New Year' to you all! I hope it began on a good note and you are fired up for all that 2022 has to offer.
Every new year, we’re flooded with narratives of people turning their lives around: new gym memberships; promises of getting into healthier eating habits; and plans to focus on overall wellness and self-care. Phrases like “New year, new me!” float around social media generating pressure to join in and make massive shifts to our lifestyles.
Yet outside of the demands to evolve each new calendar year, there is something of a clean slate, a new beginning that January brings. It's a great time to reflect on what has been, what is going well and what needs to change. That way we strive for happier, more wholesome and fulfilling lives in our own unique ways.
I found myself in a very reflective mood in the last quarte of 2021. It dawned on me that I was lifting off a hungover from the pandemic, and all the ways it altered our lives. So many shifts had occurred in such a short time that I was left a little out of sorts, somewhat groping in the dark.
There was and continues to be a polarity in the last 2 years for many of us, we had to adapt to new, unchartered territory and still keep our heads above water. This period has led a lot of people to their true authentic path whilst leaving others lost and searching for meaning in their lives. There were numerous conversations around wellness: mental, physical and even spiritual. We were seeking balance in a world that seemed a little off kilter. And after months of adjusting many of us have found a new normal, a middle ground in which to stabilise, restructure and even thrive!
The last weeks of 2021 were spent in an ideal way for me. Out of the city and its fast pace to a much slower, more mindful space. My husband and I sought refuge at our friend’s house on a hill, overlooking the hauntingly beautiful Lake Naivasha. It was a lucky break and a good time to go within, to reflect on the year that had been. We later took a road trip that involved visiting my parents at their farm and meeting my adorable nieces; to exploring parts of this magnificent country that I hadn’t seen before. By the time we were crossing over to 2022, I felt rejuvenated, clear and ready for a new start!
We’re inching towards the last week of January now and I can say that my enthusiasm for this year remains. I have made practical changes that I hope to maintain throughout the year and one of my priorities is to do what truly matters. Keep it simple and be open to changing my mind when things don’t serve me but are pegged on external influences. To focus on that which adds value to me and those around me. Be it family and friends, you the reader or anyone I meet in the humdrum of life!
I wish you all a fantastic 2022 and hope you can continue to be a part of my year as we explore, learn and grow together. May you start with yourself so you have enough in your cup to pour into others ♥.
