Along the Path: Equinox Epiphanies and Reflecting on Noticing

A Year of Noticing - Day 179

At 4:01 am (Central Time), where I live, was the offical Spring Equinox today. A day where there is balance - equal time from sunrise to sunset; a shift in season; and…

I started writing A Year of Noticing on the Fall Equinox, and wanted to take a moment today to pause and reflect on the past half year.

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A Year of Noticing - Day 1

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On any journey, it is helpful to have trail markers that we follow, if we are on a marked path that has been created…

But what about for those paths and trails that we create for ourselves? This journey into A Year of Noticing was a bit of an impulse, a bit of a vision, and at this halfway point I am pausing to consider…

First, what were my original goals when I starting writing every day, with an intention to write and share my words every day for a year?

1. Feel safe speaking my truth.

2. Hone my voice.

3. Feel less fear, Feel more trust.

4. Be raw and real (my posts are virtually uneditted).

5. Be fully present, mindful, and simply - Notice.

6. Get out of my head, and be engaged with the world.

These were my original hopes, goals and desires… and I’m smiling as I re-read these, and my heart is full. I feel as those these hopes for writing continue to inspire me and guide me each and every day, and I can feel the growth that I’ve cultivated in each of these areas over the past six months.

sunrise - spring equinox

After reading some of my posts, one person asked with curiousity, “Do you think about what your’e going to write all day long, or have a bank of ideas?”, another suggested I write ahead… just in case I don’t have capacity some days.

I was grateful for those questions and ideas, and it supported me to clarify what coming here to write each day is about. What I have noticed, is that part of this practice of daily writing is about:

1. Thinking about what I’m going to write all day long, and noticing the world around me. Noticing things I might have glanced over. Getting out of my head and back to my body, back to the present, back to what is real and true in this very present moment.

2. There have been days I’ve pondered not showing up. Where I would rather doom scroll or binge-watch a show… and I don’t. Because I have made a commitment to show up, and get out of wallowing.

3. Trust. Trusting in my intuition. Trusting that there will always be more ideas. Trusting myself. And this has been a practice of building my abundance mindset and getting out of generations of scarcity mindset! When winter started early, I had a few moments of wondering if I would truly have an idea of something to write about each day… but I just kept showing up, everyday, and writing!

4. I do have a bank of ideas, but the truth is… I don’t use it. Sometimes I will add an idea that I wrote down a few weeks, or even months ago, but most days, I truly keep it real and raw, and write about something that has risen for me during that day!

sunrise & sunset - spring equinox

What’s my process? In the practice of showing up real, raw, authentically and vulnerable…

Through the day, I take pictures… I’m never sure of the theme, but when something catches my attention I often snap a picture and get curious… why this? What about this captivated me? Why did I notice this? Which of my senses what activated? What did I feel in my body? And I notice what else comes to mind.

I have a very active mind, and it might be dizzying if anyone were ever able to record the stream of consciousness of thoughts, but somewhere in that river of ideas comes clarity!

Near the end of the day I look through the pictures I’ve taken, I email a few to myself (since my phone and my laptop aren’t synced… I’m not THAT tech saavy! LOL)

I download the pictures to my computer (now that I’m writing this out… it makes me wonder if there is an easier way… but this is ok, this way is working for me, and I actually enjoy the steps). The reason I enjoy each of the steps, is because each step is another conscious action and opportunity to receive the message about what I might write about today.

And then, I sit on my bed at the end of the day, often after my children are in bed (so I’m staying up much later than I used to!), and I open Substack. Then I usually close my eyes for a few minutes, I connect with my breath and I pause. I listen. I breathe. And I start writing, and I see where my fingers take me.

Each day is a new journey, and I’m beyond words incredibly grateful that you are here to read some of my words and musings, in this year of noticing. This year of healing. This year of tending to a broken heart. This year of healing from broken promises and vows.

And each day I find myself feeling a little more alive, and I love living my life by noticing.

Each day, I treasure the moments and opportunities to connect. Connect to nature. Connect to my heart. Connect to my soul. Connect with others, with you, dear readers that show up and take a few moments of your day to read my words - THANK YOU! I’m deeply and humbly honoured!

sunset - spring equinox

At one point I contemplated if now might be a good stopping point.

I could stop now, since I’m the one in the driver’s seat… but I’m having fun! And even more than that, I’m curious! I wonder, what will the remainder of the year bring?

As I wrote through the winter months, it felt much more reflective and inward than Fall, is that a reflection of my growth as a writer, or a seasonal shift?

My curiousity continues to drive me forward, exploring, adventuring and excited to see what will unfurl and emerge through the season of spring.

What have you noticed through the journey of the past six months? I’d love to hear what has resonated, connected, what you have pondered and noticed on this journey with me.

xo