An Enchanting New Year 2024
Life is full of surprises and 2024 began with an extraordinary one. After posting a reel about my family’s visit to Enchant KC, I was selected to receive a suite on New Year’s Eve at Enchant including a feast for ten! It just so happens that my immediate family is exactly 10 people. The generosity and hospitality of the Enchant staff allowed me to usher in the new year surrounded by loved ones who have supported me and instilled in me a sense of adventure. Dazzled by sparkling lights, the night was certainly enchanting. I’m so grateful for this reminder that despite everything, our world is a magical place.
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It has become a tradition for me to write a blog post reflecting on the year behind and looking forward to the year ahead. I think the reason this is important to me is because when I put my thoughts into writing and out into the world I have something to look back on as the year progresses. It also gives me a sense of accountability for my goals and dreams. While I believe that our lives are ever-changing and evolving and that it is good to sometimes change our minds about things, having plans and taking action toward them provides a guiding map. I like to choose a word or phrase to keep in mind throughout the year. The words I chose for 2023 were, “Stay true to myself.” Looking back on 2023, I believe I did follow my heart and stay true to myself as I headed into a new phase of life, but in my previous blog post, I advised myself to get more sleep and warned that maybe I pushed myself a little too hard. While I think working hard is true to my nature, this is an area where I could still seek more balance. 2023 was a monumental year in my personal life. I became an aunt for the first time, met my awesome boyfriend, Max, graduated from high school, and started college. I just finished my first semester at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. I had no idea what to expect from life so far from home, but the friends I have made, the school, and Nashville itself already have a special place in my heart.
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The accomplishment that I was most proud of in 2023 was that the original musical I spent two years writing premiered in a condensed version at my school, Shawnee Mission East. I could spend days explaining how this project and the many people I met along the way influenced my life, but I don’t know if I could come up with enough words to express how impactful this project has been for me. This is ironic because this musical, Reverie, is based on the diaries of my great-grandmother, Lorene. In addition to being a musician, Lorene was a prolific writer, and as I read her diaries I had the feeling that she didn’t have enough ink to capture all that her life entailed. This idea provided the inspiration for the song, “Ink Left Unwritten,” one of the songs in the musical. While I am so proud of Reverie, the musical has a new destiny. The full version, now called Lorene’s Reverie will premiere in Kansas City in the summer of 2024. I can’t wait for my vision to become a reality with the addition of aerial performing arts, new songs, and a revised script.
All good ideas need a plan, so I formed a company, Moon Piper Productions, in the fall of 2023 to be the organizing force behind this endeavor. I have many goals for Moon Piper Productions beyond Lorene’s Reverie, including starting a podcast and organizing immersive concert experiences. Also on the forefront of my mind is to continue my work as a songwriter and artist. Check out my Spotify here. One thing I have come to embrace, which is also the underlying message of Lorene’s Reverie, is that the journey along the way is the most important, not the accomplishment itself. So as I head into 2024 I want to ponder the phrase, “Embrace the journey.” Through all the highs and lows that will surely come in the year ahead, it’s the journey and not the destination that shapes us. In the background of our lives are global environmental issues, violence, and divisiveness. 2024 looms ahead with challenges in place for all of us. So with that in mind, embracing the journey means not just my own, but considering how my journey affects the greater collective.
