magic on sunday: the last one of 2017

when i think about the year 2017, some pretty remarkable things happened.

this year brought me to california twice, where i played in snow on a mountain in the middle of the desert.

for the first time, i went to portland, oregon and visited a potato chip factory.

march took me to austin for my third year of sxsw, where i got to unexpectedly stay for both interactive and music.

i went to miami twice, once for work, and once to teach a course at miami ad school.

in costa rica i finally (finally!) stood up multiple times while surfing.

i went to toronto for just one day, but met a man on the airplane who reminded me of the kindness of strangers.

in cape cod i relaxed for 4 days in rainy july weather.

there were a few trips to virginia to hang out with my parents in our house of 16 years that will be going up for sale soon.

i figured out how to make jewelry, and sold it at one of my favorite places in new york city, where people that didn’t know me actually bought it.

i saw art that i loved at new and familiar museums and galleries.

i went to more than 20 concerts, including solage, which made me feel like being a woman was the most enviable thing on earth.

i started dipping my toe into weightlifting in may, and in september, finally found a trainer that i love and that makes me feel like deadlifting 170 pounds is just the beginning.

outside of the highlight reel, 2017 had some pretty dramatic dips. intense change happened with friends and relationships and it completely upended my sense of self. i desperately wanted to freeze time, to keep things the way that they’d always been, because those things changing meant i’d have to reexamine my life in a context without them. of course that’s what i inevitably had to do.

it’s a shaky feeling to have the ideas, things, and people who’ve always been around disappear and force you to suddenly examine all the parts of your existence. and that’s how i spent most of this year in between the travel and the big accomplishments - peeling the layers back and uncovering why certain things made me feel certain ways. it was lonely, it was heart wrenching, it was something i couldn't imagine getting to the other side of.

now that i’m here (by the grace of vulnerability and friends who emotionally picked me up time after time), and the pain of this season has subsided, i feel calm (and strong) for the first time in a year.

someone who loves me recently told me i was coming off of what felt like an unending rollercoaster, and oh my god, thank god for that. it feels so good to be walking into 2018 on solid ground, with an overwhelming lightness and with the strongest sense of self.

this is the last newsletter of 2017 because the holidays are hectic with parties and travel and everything that comes with this time of year. i’m insanely thankful for this little community, this outlet to share music and a bit about myself, and to hear from you every week.

sending warm holiday wishes your way, i hope that this season is good to you and yours.

magic on sunday: 12.10.17
abandoned mansion - dr. dog
haunted - sharaya summers
cosoco - juana molina
a-ha - dear blanca
the boy - shannon and the clams
audrey - the shacks
baby luv - nilufer yanya

see you again in 2018.

meghan


ps - check out the the magic on sunday mega mix to tide you over

[magic on sunday archive]
[follow me on spotify]