MY 100 MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF 2023

A flow of consciousness account of some of the moments that made my year

In 2022, I started an end of year practice of creating a list of 100 Memorable Moments from the year, inspired by Austin Kleon’s list of things that made his year.

I really do enjoy creating a simple, flow-of-consciousness list of moments that arise. I trust the process and lean into what bubbles up to be remembered and what doesn’t. Clearly, it is not a comprehensive list and because I don’t make it into a big deal or a major project, it stays light and fun as a process. Generally I start thinking about it in December and create it at the end of the year or the beginning of the next.

So off we go. Let’s see what arises from pondering 2023 In no particular order. This is not my only process but it always brings me joy. I’d love to hear how you choose to reflect on your past year. Have you tried this process?

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MY 100 MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF 2023

1. Hangul class in Fort Collins and surfing the Korean Wave

2. A gratitude practice via Marcus Aurelius. “Thank you to ______ who taught me _______.”

3. I committed to a small, local church and made many new friends while continuing to express my spiritual path in community. This decision has had beautiful ripple effects for me that I did not anticipate.

4. Workshops, Training and Certification Process with Veriditas to become a Certified Labyrinth Facilitator

5. In July, I completed my two-year journey participating in Richard Rohr’s, The Living School. A spark of desire that began in Germany, was followed by an application made in Scotland, that took me to Albuquerque twice and was completed in Colorado. Not an ending but only a new beginning.

6. And of course, my Circle Group, who were my companions through the entire process.

7. One of my most cherished memories from my final week in The Living School was a private conversation with Jim Finley about healing through memoir writing.

8. I began quietly offering individual Creative Spiritual Soul Sessions online to women. It’s likely the most easeful work I have ever done because it brings my current gifts and passions into one space.

9. Ron and I celebrated our 40th Anniversary in Italy and France. Trip of a lifetime! I created a fun little on-the-go travel journal.

10. Red letters written on our anniversaries and hidden in Italy and France.

11. Two family moves. In August our youngest daughter and her partner moved up to Colorado from Austin. Our eldest daughter moved out of our house in November and now both daughters live in nearby Denver! We all live in one state! Wonder of wonders!

12. Ron and I took lots of trips to Louisiana to care for my brother in law. The gift of being able to love on him.

13. In Feb., I switched my newsletter format from weekly to 2x monthly and shifted my paid subscriber email to sharing more intimately about the process of writing a memoir.

14. Hangul feels less and less like a foreign language even though I am no where near being conversational. Chats with the bestie Darla about a trip to South Korea.

15. A trip to Dallas with Megan and connecting with dear old friends at a memorial of our friend, John.

16. Joined the International Expressive Arts Therapy organization

17. Discovered TheAbbey of the Arts - feels like who I might have become if I’d stayed in Scotland.

18. My amazing new therapist, Sunny.

19. Border Encounter Experience weekend in El Paso with my Circle Group from Living School.

20. Jim Finley’s Couples Retreat in April.

21. Joining my sister Shari for lunch and theatre directed by my nephew and her son, Tanner

22. Going to see the remake of The Little Mermaid with my first mermaid child, Megan, now an adult.

23. Three halloween jigsaw puzzles with Aiyana and Jordan before Oct 1. We were ready.

24. Aiyana, Jordan, and their dog Benji living with us for a few weeks while they found a place in Denver. All my kids under one roof again.

25. Finding Dinah + the gals. What happened when I found and reconnected with one of my deceased mother’s earliest friends after 40 years

26. Which then followed a few months later with a luncheon with Dinah and meeting all the gals, and my bestie Linda, too.

27. Beautiful connections with my Spiritual Director, Judith Favor

28. And then having to say goodbye to her as she made her transition home in December.

29. Started a program through the Episcopal Church, EFM.

30. Joined the Labyrinth Building Committee at my church - we’re building a labyrinth!

31. Found and connected with some new women’s friends groups.

32. Lost 20 pounds and gained back 10. Worked with a nutritionist. Tracked my meals. It made all the difference, until I stopped. I also started experimenting again with Intermittent Fasting.

33. Winter wonderlands where I live

34. I caught more Sunrises and Sunsets. ( Cue: Fiddler on the Roof.)

35. Facilitated multiple labyrinth walks for certification

36. Women’s Spirituality Retreat in Texas

37. Asked for more help

38. DisneyWorld Trip with Meg and Aiyana: Dole whip. Cosmic Rewind. Tron Motorcycles Exhilaration. 23 rides in 2 days. Laughter + sore feet + magical memories.

39. Singing along while my daddy plays the organ

40. A letter to my estranged sisters

41.  The power of not knowing

42. Cooking Thanksgiving dinner with Aiyana

43. Planning Meg’s birthday surprise with Aiyana for the Disney Trip

44. The gift of seeing old friends in Shreveport

45. My entire website was deleted. Not on purpose. Time to create anew.

46. The brilliant decision to NOT create another program or course this year

47. Moving into our own house again, shifting rooms and spaces now that Meg and Aiyana have their own places. Moving my office up from the basement. Sunlight!

48. Learning to cut Ron's hair myself. Him seated on the edge of the tub, and me clipping away behind him.

49. Walks over the neighborhood Butte with  Java

50. Random day trips with Ron + the simple joys of running errands together

51. Giving and receiving many more at -least- 20 -second-long hugs.

52. Reinvigoration of my writing practice

53. Participation in the Hay House Writers Community group online

54. Walking away from what no longer serves, with kindness

55. Bali and Java on blankets in my office, snoring and cuddling

56. The blessings of discomfort 

57. Continuing my recovery in ACA another year. Working along on Step 9: making amends. Slow going, but my writing memoir is part of the practice. Compassion and empathy for them and myself.

58. An Anthem to my younger self 

59. Taking the Build A Second Brain course + reading the book. How to build a digital system so you don’t have to remember everything. Work in progress.

60. Discovering Lawrence the Band

61. Kept writing when my old conditioning wanted me to believe that no one cared

62. Learning what it means to labyrinth a story 

63. Surrendering to my healing

64. Pilgrimage poem Santiago and David Whyte’s TED talk.  

65. Mystical Sobriety course study with a group from Living School

66. Learning how to work through comparison and what to do instead

67. Committing to writing a book and sharing it publicly

68. Beginning to explore the Intensive Journal Process

69. Creating The Memoirs Notes  - from writing stories to writing a memoir

70. The Healing Path by Jim Finley

71. A few noteworthy films: Living, Past Lives, Maestro, Sam Now documentary

72. Consolations by David Whyte

73. Learning to live in two worlds

74. I am not loved in spite of my humanness, I am loved all the more for it.

75. Favorite bathroom discovery in France

76. The Book You Were Born To Write by Kelly Notaras

77. Rereading every journal I have ever written

78. Pasta Jays’ garlic bread + trips to Boulder with Ronnie

79. Mary Chapin Carpenter at The Colorado Chautauqua

    Hearing Stones In The Road live. Out of body experience.

80. Learning to make Korea’s favorite street food, Tteokbokki. The Trader Joe’s version is also delicious, but what do I really know about how Tteokbokki is supposed to taste?

81. Friends visits to Colorado. Darla and Rick. John and Mary.

82. Standing on Omaha Beach

83. My friend Phylis and I texting each other in Hangul.

84. The last of the BTS members went into military service. Hundreds of thousands of ARMY fans tearing up all over the world - including me- for men they have never met. It reminds me of what happened when Elvis enlisted, multiplied.

85. Hildegard Of Bingen

86. Mr. Chazz on IG teaching parents how to interrupt generational trauma

87. Emotional Inheritance by Dr. Galit Atlas. Best read of the year for generational trauma insights.

88. The Spirituality of Imperfection by Earnest Kurtz and Katherine Ketchum

89. The Wind Has A Voice by Phylis Caskey

90. Aging is not the for the faint of heart but Ron and I are in this thing together.

91. I found a dentist who is kind, attentive, and understanding. This was a big deal.

92. Laughing and playing games with the family

93. Being asked to officiate the wedding of my bestie Darla’s daughter

94. Collecting all my written scenes, memories and stories in one place and discovering I have written over 57,000 words and 140+ pages - there is hope.

95. Remembering again and again what a gift it is to be able to live a life.

96. Ron’s spaghetti and meatballs at Christmas. The one time a year I eat meat.

97. Surprise gifts in the mail. A dandelion in an acrylic cube.

98. The multitude of moments shared with Ronnie

99. Taking homemade goodies to the neighbor who blows the snow off of our sidewalk

100. The wondrous gift of words and sharing and being witnessed by friends all over the world through this tiny vehicle of a link on Substack. Thank you for being here and enriching my life.

xo Mary

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