I understand more and more how important it is to be fully present and engaged in my life.  As well, it's good to reflect on my life to see where i've been, what I've accomplished, and transformed in my life over a period of time; whether that's a day, a week, a month or a year.  I received an email from a life coach, Bev Barnes in which she talked about creating a calendar for the previous year to really reflect on the year.  I thought this was so amazing because sometimes we get so busy with our lives, that we don't always see the beauty and tapestry we've created in all areas of our life.

 

As I pondered this process, it was quite easy for me to understand where to begin; my photography. It's both a gift I share with others as well as a medium I just love.  So, I started going through my year in pictures and in some cases I had kept insights about my experiences, which I write through my morning pages and also through my newsletters.  I wanted to share this process with you, in case you might like to create this for yourself.  i created a yearbook through Blurb and you are invited to take a peak at Blurb - just take a look at Janise Witt - Reflective Perspective. The preview provides a good opportunity to look at the visual memories throughout the year, yet the insights are not so easy to read.  For this reason, I've included them in a separate document, and have also included a slide show, which takes you through a visual meditation of the beautiful experiences I enjoyed.

 

I feel my life journey each year is like a full circle; just as each day is; yet in the course of the year we go through the seasons, and many amazing experiences.  I love metaphors and really enjoyed the quote from the movie, "Sideways", which really says it all:

 

"I like to think about the life of wine....how it's a living thing.  I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining; if it rained.  I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it's an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today, it would taste different than if I opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive.  And it's constantly evolving and gaining complexity.  That is, until it peaks, like your '61.  And it tastes sooo...good."