Making Space for Connection

As another year winds down, I’ve been thinking a lot about making space for connection and how celebration doesn’t just happen, it’s something we create. During our recent family trip to South Africa, I was reminded how powerful it feels to be intentional about togetherness, to plan for joy instead of waiting for it to appear. What we made space for on that trip has stayed with me long after the suitcases were unpacked.

Creating the Moments That Matter

We didn’t wait for the perfect moments to celebrate…

We created them!

One of the most meaningful parts of our recent trip back to South Africa was just how much we had to honour. My dad had turned 80. My middle sister had gotten engaged and married (for the first time at 51) over a magical weekend in Mozambique. My baby sister was about to turn 50 and my son was on the cusp of his 21st.

So we brought them all together on one extraordinary family trip. Distance means we don’t have the privilege of gathering easily or often, we have to intentionally choose to make it a priority.

We embroidered caps to mark the occasion. Had a family photoshoot in the bush. Shared morning coffee under giant fig trees along the riverbank and slow meals with great conversation. We made time for the little things too – a girls’ eyebrow session, paddle games, beach swims, some shopping and many a cuppa in between.

While a trip to a private game reserve, or an international family reunion, may seem extravagant, none of it happened by accident. It was two years of planning, saving, coordinating calendars and dreaming together. These moments weren’t about luxury (even though what we experienced was bucket list level amazing!), they were about experience and intention – about intentional celebration, connection and togetherness in the most meaningful way we could.

Redefining Celebration in Everyday Life

The trip reminded me that celebration is a value I want to live by daily, not something I only save for milestones.

It’s one of those things that shifts with time, too. As your kids grow up, your parents age and your closest people live their own full lives, there are fewer automatic moments that bring everyone together.

You stop bumping into friends at the school gate. The calendar no longer does the connecting for you.

If you want celebration, connection or time together, you have to make space for it. You have to choose it. That’s something I’ve thought a lot about since coming home.

Choosing What to Hold on to as the Year Ends

As we edge toward the end of 2025, and the noise of “what you should want” starts to ramp up again, I’m thinking instead about what I want to hold on to: moments that matter. Values that guide me. Space for connection, celebration, reflection.

That’s the lens I use when I look at the year ahead and start to design what I want to fill my 2026 with and it’s the same lens I share through my Bucket List Board workshops and coaching.

If this reflection has you thinking about the moments you want more of – connection, joy, purpose – then my Bucket List Board Workshop is a beautiful next step.

It’s a guided experience that gives you the space we so rarely create for ourselves. A chance to pause, look back at the year that’s been and actually acknowledge the moments that shaped you – the wins, the growth, the surprises, even the hard bits you moved through. From there, we gently shift into what matters now. What you want to feel more of. What deserves your energy, and what can finally be left behind.

You don’t need a five-year plan or a colour-coded spreadsheet. The workshop helps you reconnect with your values, clarify what you want the next season of life to hold and then translate that into a simple, visual board that becomes a visual anchor for you. It’s creative, grounding and surprisingly powerful – a way of designing the year ahead with intention, delight and a little bit of magic.

Explore the Bucket List Board Workshop and create your own visual reminder of what you want to make space for next.