16 Amazing Things that Happened in 2016

Early on new years day I posted my feelings about 2016 on Instagram. It was a  tough year for me in many ways but it was also very good to me in many more ways. Instead of dwelling on the disappointments I am celebrating all the amazing things accomplished or that happened in 2016.

Some things may not feel like news to some of you because I have been actively posting on Instagram. So here are the stories behind some of the pictures.  

1. I visited Hamburg, the city of my birth and where I lived until I was 7. 

Baby N and I took trains and planes in early January to get to our freezing destination. It was our first mama daughter trip. That trip allowed me to reconnect with some amazing people with whom I share so much love. I had been gone for so long that I almost forgot the love that resided in Hamburg. 

Traveling alone with a 2 month old also showed me how willing strangers are to help and connect in public spaces. For some moments they let their guard down and they smile at a baby...and then chatted for hours on a train with her mom. Those encounters reminded me to trust the goodness of people. 

2. I plucked up the courage to leave my legal career behind. 

I have consciously worked towards being a lawyer since I was just 17 and actually practiced law for two years. I left because wanted to give my creativity a serious chance to blossom. The law gave me a lot of what I needed to get to where I am at today and I thank it and release it with gratitude. It was scary at first and I kept looking back wondering whether I had made the right decision. Wondering how long it would take before I felt competent and confident in my new field. Almost 9 months later I stand knowing that I made the right choice, proud that I took and chance and excited for creative growth in the new year. Check out some of my handy work on the True Blue Bay Boutique Resort Blog. 

3.  Alicia Keys dropped her album Here and it gave me LIFE! 

I rediscovered why I fell in love with her music and her essence back in 2001(as I do with all of her albums). In this new album she dropped any facade that may have been there and just blew my mind. Favorite song on the album remains: Girl can't be herself. 

4. I discovered my love for interviewing people. 

I always enjoyed hearing people's stories . I had a chance to interview fellow creative Christina Cornier (that was a really long interview). I got to hear about how she found her way back to a creative lifestyle after many years of struggling against her nature. 

5. I began experimenting with art writing. 

This is fairly new but I know its going to be exciting. I found a way to weave art, and what it does to its audience into my personal reflections. 

6. I was one of the organizers of the Grenada Chocolate Fest. 

That was an exciting and intense time.  I tasted a lot of chocolate (real chocolate...), wrote a lot of tweets, blogged, instagrammed and met some pretty interesting people. My favorite part was probably the people and the organic dark chocolate. In  just under 2 weeks an international chocolate enthusiast gang was formed and it was glorious. I am excited  and slightly intimated (by the workload) for Chocolate Fest 2017 (Starting May 12th). 

7. I met new soul sisters. 

I don't know if I would describe myself as a woman's woman ,but, the emotional struggles that 2016 brought with it connected  me with other women who were on the journey to healing. I met soul traveler Carly from Cherish the Day Blog. We have an amazing bond and I will miss her a lot this year. This woman does not believe in small talk and we had many heavy heart to heart conversations. She is a soul traveler and I am a soul adventurer....and we are both soul warriors.  

I also connected with powerhouse writer,  blogger, artist, lawyer, PHD candidate and new mom Roopa. Oh my, when I read Roopa's bio before signing up for new parenthood yoga I knew I had to meet this lady. We talked...deep down real talk about becoming first time moms, balancing that with who we were before and trying to keep that transition healthy. We practiced Yoga, we cooked delicious Indian food until 10 pm (sorry for everyone who was waiting on that spread). Baby N and her son also bonded a bit, it was magical. 

Photocred: Arthur Daniel

8.  I watched  Cowspiracy and Food Matters. 

Thanks to those documentaries I am now super paranoid about food. Super paranoid but also super aware. It has made me feel an urgent push towards taking more responsibility for the food my family consumes. I always knew that we need more veggies and less sugar ( we all know that). But, what about pesticide and GMO free foods. Foods that are real and not slowly poisoning us. I am not even close to where I want my food game to be at but I am aware and working towards it. 

9. I grew my own kale and sorrel! 

This is connected to my new food safety awareness. I always considered myself to have a brown thumb. I once killed a cactus! This time around our makeshift compost (i.e the place where I dumped the produce waste) and lots of rain was on my side. From my kale I was able to make two salads so far and two yummy pasta dishes (if you follow my IG story and snapchat you would see how much I go on about my kale and sorrel) 

10. I joined the Green Team at work.  

Thanks to the Green Team I woke up a lot about environmental issues. We joke that our meetings are generally depressing because of the state of the environment. Global warming threatens our very existence on small islands, the food industry in large part only cares about the bottom line, our reefs are dieing and creatures are going extinct. Fortunately, being on the green team also made me more aware. I use less plastic, less disposable diapers, grew my own food,  and sometimes even talk to restaurants about the dangers of styrofoam and the fact that cardboard food boxes are just as cheap.

11. One full year of breast feeding! 

Yay! We made it to one year and are still going strong. There is all sort of politics about breast feeding in public and they are coming up again now that Baby N is officially Toddler N. However, I am determined to keep it up for a while still wherever we may be. It is the perfect food and a sacred bonding experience between mother and child! She has been on solids since about 4 months but mannn that girl still loves her boobie. 

12. Baby N walks! 

Just shy of one year she started taking her first steps. It is amazing how many changes happen in just one year and walking is a huge milestone. I have been warned that now the work really starts. 

13. Baby N Talks! 

She is not stringing sentences together just yet but she can communicate in her own way. I can't wait to be able to have  little conversations with her. Although I have heard from many moms that I can wait...and not to tell her my private business! 

14.  I had a personal card reading done and believe in magic a little bit more.

I met Adele: an amazing Grenadian woman. She is a Card Reader and  Intuitive Health and Happiness Coach who lived in Australia for many years and recently moved to Dubai. Adele and I have been crossing paths on IG for a good while. Maybe even years. 

In the middle of this year out of the blue a friend of mine mentioned her account. In November or December our paths crossed in real time. I felt a pull to connect with her. A few IG messages...then an exchange of numbers and finally the universe aligned for us to meet and talk over tea and coffee.  I interviewed her for a blog post (which is coming to you soon). Our conversation was intense and amazing.  Meeting with women like Adele, Roopa and Carly was inspiring on many levels 

After watching her weekly  F.A.B Card readings on youtube and connecting with her in real time I had the urge to have a personal card reading done. I was slightly worried, slightly sceptic but also very excited to find out what it would reveal. 

I am now a believer. It was a  very positive and very specific experience. It left me energized and excited to step further into my truth. Thanks Adele 

15. Grenada Soul Adventurer made it into two blogs. 

I was interviewed for women's history month by fellow Blogger Danielle. It felt really good to be picked as one of the interviewees for her #BlackGirlMagic series and to be on the other end of an interview. 

Grenada Soul Adventurer was also names one of the Grenadian blogs to follow by Islepreneur. 

16. Books and Audio Books! 2016 was a year of great reads. Not many books but books that have changed me. I read Veronica Decides to die by Paulho Coehlo, Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan, The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman,  and The Celestine Prophesy by James Redfield (in that order) . I also started Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. 

💕💖💗Bonus! Because I have more than 16 things to be grateful for in 2016

😁I celebrated Kwanzaa for the first time and documented it on snapchat and instagram
👻I joined snapchat and sort of kind of understand it now (follow gndadventurer)
👍I am a volunteer at the Grenada Community Library (PR Team)
👏The Grenada Community Library found a permanent home
👏The Grenada Community Library published its first book; "The Grenada Chocolate Family" the narrative of which was dreamed up by the children of the creative writing program.
🙏My friend Carly Introduced me to Spray Bay in Westerhall and I screamed at the ocean

💃I wore turbans and felt fabulous

Writing this blog affirmed that 2016 was not as rough as I made it out to be. There were dark moments, but they only served to bring out the light.

In 2017 I have one rule : "Find what feels good and everything else will take care of itself."

I would love to hear from you in the comments

What are you grateful for 2016?
What are your intentions/resolutions/ rules for 2017?

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