“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
This question, posed by poet Mary Oliver, resonates deeply in my heart.
Each December, I pause to take inventory of my year, reflecting on this one wild and precious life of mine – the lessons learned, the moments lived, the wisdom gained. As I look back on this transformative year, here are the biggest lessons I learned each month this year.
January opened with the gift of family travel, a powerful reminder of what I love doing the most – creating precious moments with the people I love, these moments that will forever be part of our shared memories in life.
February, my birthday month, brought a sobering reminder: there are now more years behind me than before me. This awareness wasn’t depressing but felt more like an invocation: make the remaining years the best ones yet; live them boldly and intentionally.
March took me across Canada, touring universities with my daughter. As we walked those campus paths together, her childhood memories flickered before my eyes – from bedtime stories to college applications, all in what felt like a heartbeat. It was there I learned that wholehearted living embraces both the depths of joy and the ache of grief. There’s no getting around it.
April carried me to Colorado for professional training, reminding me of the profound privilege of doing the work that I love, work that transforms lives – work that transforms me in return. What a joy and blessing.
May brought my first experience of solitude at home. Having always been surrounded by family – first in my childhood home and then in my married life – these two days alone were foreign territory. The silence of an empty house felt strange at first, but became a teacher. It showed me just how full and blessed my life truly is, filled with the beautiful chaos of love and connection. Sometimes we need absence to fully appreciate presence.
June marked a significant milestone – my youngest child’s high school graduation. As this chapter closed, I felt the weight of time’s swift passage. Never again will I have children in high school, a reminder that every season in life is precious and fleeting.
July celebrated 26 years of marriage, a testament to breaking intergenerational patterns. Realizing that our marriage has outlasted all others in my family of origin, including my parents’, showed me that with intention, commitment, and hard work, we can create new legacies of love.
August brought the bittersweet moment of sending my daughter to university across the country. Never before had I experienced such an intense mixture of grief and joy – my heart breaking and swelling simultaneously. This month taught me life’s fundamental truth: each ending creates space for new beginnings, and our task is to remain present through it all.
September ushered in a new life chapter – parenting adult children. As my maternal responsibilities shifted to the background, I discovered the rich territory of deepening friendships and my marriage, and rediscovering myself. This season revealed the importance of nurturing relationships through life’s transitions.
October brought an unexpected twist when my scheduled surgery was cancelled minutes before it was supposed to begin. This surreal experience reinforced a vital lesson about control – we can either resist life’s unpredictability and be bitter when things don’t go our way or flow with it gracefully.
November then revealed the divine intervention in this apparent setback in October, showing me an alternative path to healing that did not require surgery. Sometimes what appears as an obstacle becomes a gateway to something better.
December has been a month of reflecting on the seven funerals I attended this year, juxtaposed with the upcoming holiday celebrations. These events reminded me of a fundamental truth: our life is not our own. It is shared by those who are put on our path to bless or curse – and that choice is ours to make. Every person who crosses our path presents an opportunity to create light or darkness in this world.
Looking back, I’ve learned that there are two things we can never recover once they’re gone: time and people.
When the final page turns, when the last breath is taken, there are no do-overs, no second chances. We get one shot at each day, each relationship, with our one wild and precious life.
If you’ve been feeling the weight of disconnection, if you’ve been wanting deeper, more meaningful relationships but unsure how to create them, I want to invite you to join my small group coaching program, the Relationship Mastery Accelerator. In this intimate group setting, we’ll learn how to invest our limited time wisely, developing the skills to nurture profound connections and become our best selves for the people in our lives.
I only have a few spots remaining in this transformative program. Once they’re gone, the doors will close. If you’ve been sitting on the fence, if something in this message resonates with your heart, this is your moment to act. Today is the time to invest in your relationships and in your growth.
I repeat what Mary Oliver asks, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
