My depth year: planning my framework

Posted on January 21, 2019January 19, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 23 Comments

Last week, I spoke about the idea of a depth year, and promised to share my depth year framework once it was ready. If you’re wondering what in heavens a depth year is, I suggest you read last week’s post first; I’ll wait!

Now that you’re in the know, here’s my framework. My aim is to go deep in a couple of areas that are important to me. One thing that I’ve decided to do slightly differently is this: I’m not necessarily equating a depth year with a no buy or low buy year. There are some areas where I have decided that a no buy/low buy year works for me, but in other areas, I may buy something if I feel it is needed to help me go deeper.Continue reading→

On my art table: Finding beauty in the darkness

Posted on January 17, 2019January 17, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 19 Comments

There is beauty in the darkness, if only we are brave enough to find it!

But how often are we willing to even acknowledge our bad habits; our insecurities and fears; our anxieties. How often do we stop and reflect on our inner voice, and on how mean it can be sometimes…oftentimes? How often do we justify our bad behavior by blaming someone else for the way we may have acted out? We have a choice in every moment: we can choose anger or acceptance; irritation or flow.

This does not mean we have to put up with bad behavior – it simply is about how we choose to react to it. We can respond to situations by ranting and raving; acting out in anger or irritation…and often, that is our default. Or we can calmly address the problem at hand, or assert our boundaries and simply walk away from someone else’s drama.Continue reading→

Going deeper, not wider: 2019 as a depth year

Posted on January 14, 2019January 9, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 25 Comments

At the end of 2017, I found this article by Ann Patchett on her experiment with a year of no shopping, and promptly decided to give it a go. The idea was to practice conscious consumerism, but let me just say, I sucked at it!

I think it’s mainly because I’m really not much of a shopper. I tend to think before I buy, and the things I splurge on are actually put to use. So, no shopping made no sense for me, personally.

Last month, I stumbled upon the idea of a depth year. Now that…that feels exciting!Continue reading→

The word: 2019

Posted on January 7, 2019January 3, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 15 Comments

It’s funny how we can take to some rituals like a duck to water. After spending decades setting resolutions – and promptly breaking them – I stumbled upon the concept of a word of the year and it just…clicked. There’s a delicious expansiveness to choosing a word as a touchstone for the year as opposed to setting resolutions. Where one is focused on a singular outcome, which means you can either keep your resolution or break it, the other encompasses myriad possibilities and unfolds in, sometimes, unexpected ways.Continue reading→

Looking back at 2018: Reflections on Bloom

Posted on December 27, 2018December 26, 2018 by Modern Gypsy | 6 Comments

Bloom. That was my word for the year. Its gentle energy felt like just the thing I needed after the intensity of Illuminate in 2017.

And gentle it has been. So gentle, that until I sat down to reflect on everything that happened in 2018, I didn’t fully realize the impact it has had on my year.Continue reading→

The Decoding the Year workbook is here!

Posted on December 11, 2018December 11, 2018 by Modern Gypsy | 8 Comments

It’s that time of the year again! The time when you cozy up with pen and paper, a hot cup of your favorite beverage {black coffee without sugar for me, please}, some soft music, and start reflecting on the year gone by and planning for the coming year.

As an avid journaler, I really cannot let this time of the year go by without spending some time in quiet reflection. But I haven’t always been super successful with making new year plans – not by a long stretch! There have been many years when the change of the year was met with a dreary ho-hum, couldn’t care less attitude. Because just idle reflection and day dreams are really not enough to help move you forward in any sort of direction.Continue reading→

On building a mindfulness practice

Posted on October 11, 2018October 6, 2018 by Modern Gypsy | 26 Comments

I thought I’d share this month’s issue of Gypsy Wanderings to give you a taste of the kind of letters I share in my monthly emails. I enjoy writing these letters every month – it feels so much more intimate than blogging, and somehow, a lot more personal too. I imagine you, my dear Wanderers, sitting with a cup of coffee and reading these words, and I hope they strike a chord with you each month too. You can sign up for Gypsy Wanderings at the bottom of this post. xx

Hello loves,

I’m watching the sunlight dappling through the window; the gentle swaying of the leaves outside creating a flickering, fluttering pattern of shadow and light on the white marble floor. The boys {my two tom cats, Simba and Loki} are fast asleep by the balcony door. The house is quiet – all I can hear is the soft whirl of the fan and the chirping of the birds on the windowsill.Continue reading→

The Mindful Break returns!

Posted on October 1, 2018September 29, 2019 by Modern Gypsy | 36 Comments

What started out three years ago from my desire to cultivate a mindfulness practice, has become a regular feature that I look forward to each October.

Yes folks, The Mindful Break is back!Continue reading→

On being seen

Posted on August 27, 2018August 25, 2018 by Modern Gypsy | 21 Comments

For most of my life, I’ve been afraid of being seen.

I’m the girl who likes to sit quietly on the sidelines – observing, listening, silently taking everything in. When I am thrust into the spotlight, I get tongue-tied. My heart starts racing, I’m never sure what to say, and I end up mumbling something incoherent and try to escape.

This fear shows up more starkly when I have to talk about myself and what I do, which is not helpful given that I also have a deep desire to share my work and my words. Continue reading→