…it’s that time, again. This year passed quickly! I will remember 2025 as a series of milestones; it was a mixed bag of great joy and great sadness. It feels like more shifts are underway, which excites me.

I’ll look at life’s four aspects, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual self. That’ll be the foundation and then setting intensions for 2026 can be more wholistic.

For starters, winter was its glittery self. Gorgeous snowy scenes with plenty of time outside, bundled up to the eyeballs. We did a lot of skating at Victoria Park Oval whist wearing our silly-looking yet, precious hockey helmets. We bought the helmets immediately after I fell backwards and hit my head on the ice. Our skating skills were never great to begin with. And they are not improving as we age much to our chagrin. Regardless, they were fun times. The crisp fresh air was invigorating!

Spring, summer and fall was spent walking and biking along the river valley trail system on the weekends. Our vacation was a road trip to Revelstoke, BC, which I mentioned in my last post. While in BC we enjoyed time in the elements, as tent campers, and we spent time sitting in Hot Springs pools. Work keeps me physically active however, I noticed that I get quite winded when I go up a flight of stairs. Not enough cardio! In November, I embarked on getting major dental work done. Urgh! I’m on a liquid diet for 4+ weeks. At first, I dreaded it and now, three weeks in, it’s become surprisingly delightful. I’m finding high-quality nutrition goes a long way to sustaining me. I’m turning this into an adventure of discovering new flavours. For example, I blended an avocado, banana and chocolate protein powder mixed with Almond Milk to be delicious and nutritious. I’ve been drinking green smoothies, for years, but as it’s my only source of nourishment, at the moment, I’m being more mindful with their contents.

Speaking of the mind…this aspect remains a big mystery to me. It’s an incredible and fascinating part of the body. Navigating life was largely difficult and is now mostly easy. At times, I have a photographic memory and other times I delete information coming my way before it has a chance to land. This impacts my communication skills and my actions. I can be a slow thinker, as well as, a speedy thinker. Recently, I said, something at work and I sensed a discomfort from a colleague. Low and behold, I said the exact same thing the day before. Oops. Oh well! I’m not fretting about that fact that I’m also starting to experience some memory loss. I’m profoundly grateful that “fear” has abated. My cycle of fear-based thoughts has been broken with daily meditations and mental exercises which has created new neurological pathways. I’ve noticed pivotal breakthroughs this year. Yay!

My emotional self experienced the usual ups and downs. Mostly, I’m responsive. Generally, speaking I’m now a very happy person. And for that, I’m deeply grateful. I’ve certainly weathered many storms. Frankly, it’s from those circumstances that I have learned the most about life, myself and others. During a storm, and immediately after, is certainly no fun. None at all. But, when the storm is in the rear-view mirror the realizations/teachings surface. Shifts start to happen. In early 2025, I learned that a close family member is ill. A horrible disease that is eroding every aspect of this person. They are becoming a shadow of their former self. I have the support and tools to weather this monster-storm in my familial sphere. But, do they? Do they have the supports they need to make it to the end. And what will that “end” look like? There is little I can do to help. What I do know, is Grace can help and so I’m inviting Grace into this situation, every single morning.

This year I became a part of a spiritual community in a happenstance way. A dear-trusted friend said, “you might wanna check this place out”. Sometimes, you never know what you’re missing until you find it. I felt at home instantly. The centre’s ….”mission is to teach spiritual practices to create joy-filled lives”. Imagine that! Spirituality has been a part of my life for decades; it’s like air to my lungs. I’ve been part of communities in the past. Some ran their course and ended; I’m thinking of a couple of women’s circles I belonged to. Different teachers, different teachings have contributed to my spiritual foundation. Finding this community has been boon. It enhances my monthly meetings with my Spiritual teacher and my daily practices. Spirituality is central in most of my friendships, as well. Which makes for delightful phone chats and coffee or lunch dates.

In a nutshell, did I nourish those four aspects of Being or was I off-kilter. It’s always a matter of degree. Throughout this year’s ebbs and flows I remained relatively measured. Are there things I could do better to feel better? Of course. That’ll be my next focus.

How did you fair with respect to your Being in 2025? Are there any aspects that need more nourishment? Were you on-balance, for the most part? Or were you not? I hope this post inspires you to reflect on this past year and do some writing on it. It will pay you back in dividends.

Happy holidays everyone!

~Barbara