This past year, I have been opening my heart and practicing more vulnerability in the hopes that living more exposed, is living more freely. So, with that vulnerability, I want to share something I’ve struggled with for many years.
In My Own Skin
Author: kaileaswitzer
A Weekend Retreat, Vancouver, B.C.
Corinne is one of my very best friends and she currently lives in Vancouver. We have lived in separate cities for the past 4 years, but thankfully, we’ve been able to see each other regularly. We’ve met up in Toronto, San Francisco, and LA twice; I was determined to make it to Vancouver this year. I had been to Vancouver a couple of times in the past, but only for work – this was my first time really getting to relax and enjoy the city.
My Unplanned Year: 10 Hikes
When I first moved to LA, people started recommending me “all the great hikes here I simply had to do” – to which I would smile and then silently file in my “thanks but not for me” drawer.
To me – hiking was basically the opposite of an activity I would enjoy. Something for those who owned “gear.” I thought it was laden with rattlesnakes, mountain lions, and cliffs – none of which existed on my fair and gentle isle in Canada.
Want to Stop Throwing Food Away? (Template for Weekly Meal Planning)
Buying groceries (and using them all!) to make 90% of your meals at home results in major money saving and healthier eating, but it does require planning. Although I don’t think it’s a ‘one-size-fits-all’ sort of thing, below is the template Greg and I follow consistently, in case any of the elements appeal to you and make sense for your life 🙂
A Two Week Trip to Japan
This spring, Greg and I decided to take a trip to Japan as our sort-of “late honeymoon.” It had been on my destination radar since I was a kid (because my dad’s band toured there) and I remember thinking there was nowhere more fascinating and far-away sounding than “Tokyo.” I filed it away as a place I someday wanted to see.
The Pull (and the Push) to Travel
I used to think, unequivocally, that everyone should travel. I would have said, “Go! Travel! See! Feel!” to anyone who would listen.
10 Silent Days: My Vipassana Meditation Experience
One of the goals for my “Unplanned Year” was to attend a 10 day Vipassana Meditation course in the hopes that it would help me develop a regular meditation practice. Wow – did it ever give me more than that. It was without a doubt one of the hardest and best things I’ve ever done, and I recommend it highly to absolutely anybody. It is such a gift.
My Unplanned Year 8: The Artist’s Way
One of my goals during my ‘unplanned year’ was to go through The Artist’s Way program. I have now done it (and loved it!), so today I’ll share my experience. In case you haven’t heard of it before, The Artist’s Way is a best-selling book that aims to help you “discover and recover your creative self.” It helps you figure out what barriers are in the way of your creativity, and gives you inspiration on how to break through them using a self-led 12 week program.
YOLO: A New Experience Every Month
I set the goal at the beginning of 2016 to intentionally seek out one new experience every month… I called it my “YOLO List.” This was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself and I’ll definitely keep it up in 2017. Below is a list of what I’ve been up to – this color font indicates it was something that scared me. It is worth mentioning that those (scary!) things were the ones I’m especially glad I did.
My 2016 Book List
Reading is one of my favorite things to do and I’m always on the hunt for book recommendations. See below for my top picks of 2016 and if you have suggestions for my 2017 list, please share!
young, wild, and tidy. 