By Kristy Halvorsen | January 22, 2022

Strange but true: this is my first share anywhere in 2022.

Life feels like it’s begging for another new beginning. More than ever, I want to fall into the fresh and new, shine a light on wonder, and foster everyday curiosity that becomes as common as a morning coffee.

For me, 2021 was a year of rest and renewal (and very few blog entries). At the end of 2020 I realized I had stretched myself too thin in the past year. I gave my heart and soul to someone else’s passion. I found that what once brought me joy had morphed into chores that felt like trudging through knee-deep mud. The thing is, these “chores” felt familiar and safe, which made it tough to walk away. I enjoyed being a part of a team and contributing to a worthwhile cause, but I was dog tired. In December of 2020 I was jolted off track in a wonderful way.

As I look back, I see how I bounded into new commitments thrilled and free, ready to embrace every fascinating part. I crossed over the point of play, though, and fell into exhaustion. My own passions were playing second fiddle to commitments. I trudged into the muddy bog of “too much.”

For a while I didn’t realize it was too much. Usually exhaustion is a telltale sign! But I’ve been trained to push through, so I did. Even that is part of the game: to go too far, and then to realize that I’ve gone too far. That’s the point. Then I get to rest and remember, again, what I enjoy most: wandering deep in Nature, meeting new and interesting people, coaching, sharing, and fostering relationships.

As 2021 began I exhaled, lived as slow as molasses in January, and enjoyed being with family. In respect to work, I stopped doing anything that felt like “work” and instead listened to the tickles of my soul. I did what I love: coach clients, explore, write and rest. For the first time in four years I stayed in one place without traveling for several months. I spent nine glorious months with my Mom. Ha! I did that once before, about 43 years ago! 🙂

Then, alone, I fell into the plush womb of Nature. I had some crazy adventures, like getting lost deep in the forest TWICE in one week, followed by a subfreezing morning kayak adventure on Lake Superior that could have been my last day on earth. Alone, and with everything, a gentle resurrection bloomed.

The past couple months have felt like a sloughing off of old skin after a season of hibernation.

What I am drawn to more and more: writing and sharing. My coaching practice continues to bring joy to many people, me included, and it seems to have a life of its own now. The business is like a teenage kid that says “Mom, leave me be… I can take care of myself!” I’m listening… this lets me just show up and be with people, which is fun and great news for us all.

My hope for all of us is a life filled with more dreams, more tickles of our soul, more experiences of freedom and more renewing ourselves in Nature. And by “Nature” I mean anything and everything: be it the forest or the sea, or family and friends, or God, or silence, or soul stirring art, or nothing at all but seeing our true Nature.

Here’s what I was up to this past year (and check out the bread crumb trails of my travels in the photo below): I started 2021 staying warm and meandering around Florida and South Georgia. On May 20th I drove off in my Airstream with Mom. We left Florida and headed west on a cross country adventure, just like Thelma and Louise (without the driving off a cliff part). We made it all the way to California and then back to Montana before Mom flew to Florida in August. Then I continued to explore the northern states and the Midwest before I got caught in a couple snow storms in Michigan in November. From there I swung over to Illinois to complete the journey of visiting all of the lower 48 states in my Airstream, then I bee-lined it south to Florida and warmer weather.

Now, here I sit, sharing my experience with you and knowing this is exactly where I’m meant to be… I don’t need to try to figure out what life will look like in the next day, week, or year. I don’t even need to know what I want. The game I want to continue playing from now until forever is: to experiment, get curious, and repeat. Life will find me, and I’ll find the blessings that life brings.

Kristy’s 2021 Travel Map

My three favorite places visited in 2021:

Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming
Glacier National Park in Northern Montana
The lakes of Northern Minnesota and the Great Lakes

Favorite books this year:

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

And just for fun, here are some stats from 2021:

• Visited 25 states
• Visited 5 National Parks and several National Seashores/Lake-shores and Historic Sites
• 18 stays in rustic campgrounds
• Numerous stays in National Forests
• Total spent on campground fees: $1,583 (not bad for rent for the year!)
• Total Spent on Fuel: $4,319
• 350 Kilowatt Hours of Solar Energy Produced
• 40+ gallons of celery juice consumed
• 3 guests spent a week or more adventuring/traveling with me
• Countless nights cloaked in nature
• Innumerable new friends
• Many wonderful visits with old friends

Many people have asked me if it is ever scary living as a nomad with all that is going on in the world… No, not at all.

Last Fun Thing to Note

The Coddiwomple Group Program begins on March 3rd and this program continues to be one of the most special spaces in my work and life. The joy, freedom and depth of exploration we share is something that must be experienced. Lives change, connections are made and Life tends to become much more simple and fun.
For more info or to register: Coddiwomple Group Program

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