the untangling

hi. remember me?

i know it’s been a long long while since i sent out my studio notes. and a lot has happened, to each of us, in the meantime. i promise i’ll fill you in about my last 11 months in an upcoming blog post (i have a new year’s resolution to stay more consistent).

but today i just really need to talk about what i’ve chosen for my 2022 WORD OF THE YEAR. especially since i’m still sorting through this past year in the states, trying to u-n-t-a-n-g-l-e my still-being-renovated life.
 
 
U N T A N G L E

that’s my word.
 
 
it’s kind of a loaded word. not super upbeat, not overly inspirational. but very necessary and realistic for me right now. things got a bit tangled up in a few areas of my life in the last three years. in fact, my dad’s death and the pandemic seemed to coalesce into one tight ball of chaotic grief for a time. as a result, i found myself entering into a heavy unfamiliar space of indecision and angst. i couldn’t plan, i didn’t recognize any obvious path moving forward.
 
 

 
 
i’ve made some progress in the past six months (starting with a major catalyst in july 2021 that helped set things in motion). i’ve taken appropriate action to seize the day and wrestle my life back. but there are still unknown equations i’m needing to solve.
 
 
U N T A N G L E
 
 
it’s so fitting. in my little world, life suddenly seemed inexplicably complicated. although i do recognize that the messiness is part of who i am, and i’d never try to ignore or erase it, i’d like to better understand it. to unravel it a bit. i need to untangle the pieces of my divided existence, untangle my true priorities, untangle my threatened essence once again.

i’ll be focusing on several areas: my physical environment, my health and well-being, specific relationships, my business and personal development goals, and mental and emotional self-care.

the more i live my story, the more i share my story, the more the thread unravels. but there are always the inevitable knots that we all encounter along the way, forcing us to stop and reevaluate. sometimes the knots can be extremely stubborn, but eventually i work my way through them.

i also like to figure out how the knot got there in the first place. why it got bigger and bigger, tighter and tighter, until it felt so restrictive i couldn’t move.

i guess what i’m seeking is a release. the mandatory untangling of certain events in the current chapter of my continuing story. it will feel like an arduous task at times. it will take patience, it will take courage. it will take grit and hard work. characteristics i don’t always have the energy for.
 
 
and yet, i do believe i’m up for the challenge. i am ready to . . .

U N T A N G L E