the soul takes flight

"Ayant fait réflexion, depuis quelques années, qu'on ne gagnoit rien à être bon homme, je me suis mis à être un peu gai, parce qu'on m'a dit que cela est bon pour la santé."

~ Voltaire, April 17, 1761

If there was one word I would pick to describe my 2017, it would be ... metamorphosis. The year started with walking tree...new or old roots, when I seemed to be at some crossroads. It felt liberating to shed the past and all its trappings both personally and professionally. It has been enlightening to explore aspects of spirituality.

The year in retrospect:

• Curiosity and learning: numerology, astrology, Spanish, law of attraction, software engineering and algorithms
• Passion: bootcamp devoted to women and #changetheratio emphasized my penchant for empowering women and minorities 
• Kindness and acts of service: living it daily
• Simplification: shedding the trappings of corporate America and downsizing the place I call home
• Friendships and love: learning not to go off the grid and nurturing those that I love

Listening to my 'inner child' has taught me to forgive myself, primarily for being hard on myself. Holding onto something that has already gone (e.g., past event) can create mental blockages, and in some instances, creep into physical symptoms. They are interrelated and while there were some scary moments, there were no lows as I grew and emptied my coffers.

Initially, it was daunting to be so exposed and lay it all out there but true to form, it held me accountable to myself and to the universe.

My past does not define me. It was part of my journey. My heart is lighter. Shedding things that were holding me back and/or down is the only way for me to fly. It was the year of me, of #MeToo and #changetheratio, and of women finding our voices. I am stripped and ready to embrace newness of life with every day as a new start to happiness and love. What is gone is good but what is coming is even better. I am making no New Year's resolution as we should be living each day as the person we want to be without some special day as a milestone to change. My adventure is to truly live unconditional love.

Howdy 2018, get ready to be slayed!