Planning My Best for 2019

Truth be told, I’m not very good at resolutions. Any resolutions I make usually end up the same as when I am asked to do commissions. That is, I end up hating the process and therefore the task becomes burdensome.

So, when @riverflows gave me a nudge to participate in @naturalmedicine’s contest, I cringed a little…. how would I ever stay the course?

A resolution is a firm commitment to do or not do something, whereas an intention is an aim or plan to do an intended thing. The latter seems easier for me to achieve because then I feel less bound by the obligation of the action and thus it becomes more of a challenge or pleasure to do than saying “I have to do it”.

Essentially, they are one an the same, just with a different definition of commitment.

But believe me, when I commit to something, I pledge to it 100 percent!

Life is about always growing, always changing, always improving

I believe that if we don’t learn from our past then what is our existence for.

Looking at the past helps me to determine what has worked, what hasn’t, and what my next steps will be.

In the last few years, it has been my focus in life to be healthier as I age.

Therefore, I had to really take a look and see what it was I had in mind which would essentially bring me better health in all aspects of my life and in my being while encompassing my past efforts.

Body, Mind, Spirit

The points I always tend to address include body, mind, and spirit. To this end, these are my intentions for this year and for the future, because taking care of ourselves should be a life long commitment.

Nourishment

Last year I converted over to a whole food plant-based diet. I changed everything overnight, stayed the course and have never looked back. For me, it was the best decision I have ever made and I have thoroughly enjoyed it every step of the way.

As of late though, I have gotten lazy. The once keen interest to learn new ways of eating had me out buying a stand mixer, instant pot, and mandoline… two of which I have yet to use. And I feverishly searched out new recipes and tried a ton. It was a lot of fun.

But, it appears most of us will revert to about seven to nine basic recipes in our diet that we use over and over again. Once I garnered a few that I truly enjoyed and were not too time consuming to make, I petered off in the exploration of my new found cuisine.

Which brings me to my first intention, or resolution if you will, to continue exploring new and exciting recipes that will expand the healthy nutrition I have enjoyed this past year.

With this new found nutrition, I have felt 100 times better, both physically and emotionally, and I have every intention of this continuing…. but I know it can be better.

Skill

Which leads me into my second intention, an intention that I have considered for a long time but never seem to find the time to sit down and do, and that is to really research herbs and spices for my cuisine.

I don’t always follow recipes to a “T”, as I am more of a “throw it all in” kind of gal. I will usually follow a recipe once to get the idea and flavour, and then I will alter it to my liking.

But, I am not always familiar with all the suitable flavours that enhance or detract from a food item, and I most often stick to a simple few that I have relied on for years… so, it is time to experiment again.

Once I have identified the use in cuisine, I will then delve into the medicinal parts, although, I am sure both parts will be learned together, hand in hand, at the same time… bonus points!

Later, as spring and summer approaches, I will look into growing my own… discovering what grows well in my area and what will continue to grow in the house over our cold winter months, without overtaking my window ledges.

_{photo © Heather Johnsgaard}

Clearing Out

This year will also be a year of purging! Over the last few years, I have slowly been simplifying within my home and life, donating as much as possible to goodwill, and ridding myself of anything deemed unnecessary. This has made me freer and less stressed from having so much “stuff” around and at the same time, doing a good deed. Recently, my husband and I have made some decisions for our near future, our pending retirement. In this regard, I intend to do some major clean up both in and out of the house. By this, I mean purging what we have not yet used…. lumber that had been stored outside and has become too weathered to use; tidying up other messy areas around the yard, which in essence is the garden where pots and containers have started piling up… use them or lose them. Ridding myself of items I intended to upcycle, these I will either thrift or send to recycling. And to dismantle any unusable buildings on our property.

The Unseen

I need to look at things that are not in the limelight, however, they are still a burden on my life.

A burdensome life is not a healthy life

This includes ridding myself of all the email lists I have signed on to and continue receiving mail from; this is a drain emotionally because I don’t even read half of them, but my mail basket has become over ridden… definitely causing stress as the number of unread mail adds up.

Always a challenge for me, and one I keep on my list every year, is learning to say "no" just to please someone else... I need to remember to please myself too.

Practicing Calmness

Another intention for this year is to really focus on actively practicing some yoga and meditation. I enjoy doing both, but time and life often gets in the way and I tend to put it aside in favour of other tasks… I need to make it one of my focuses this year.

The act of meditation is calming and allows me to reflect upon all areas of my life and provides a clear vision to where I want to go, what I want to be or do, and what I need to get there.

Experimenting with Expansion

This year I am happy to say I will be expanding my horizons, and I shall be opening a new shop with Homesteaders Coop.

To this end, I intend to try and create something new, at a minimum of once a month, to stock the shop.

Creativity is a relaxing past time for me, but I can't keep everything I make, nor would I want to.

I believe the Homesteaders Coop is a fantastic opportunity and such a novel outlet for vendors with the option for variable payment options for the buyers.

What better way to share my wares than with the Steemit communities, I am looking forward to the new venture immensely despite a few butterflies!

Speaking Out

I do believe that when we set our intentions and speak them out loud, that the universe listens and eventually it will come to be. Over the years I have spoken aloud many things and it is uncanny how the subject of my spoken words seem to appear everywhere I go and in everything I see thereafter. It is even more rewarding to experience them being achieved just by having uttered to the winds.

All of these actions are set forth to improve my mind, body and spirit. In essence, they all fit together well, like peas in a pod, sweet and nourishing and simple.

So thank you @naturalmedicine for your contest, and @riverflows for giving me the nudge I needed to set forth my intentions, or resolutions, I look forward to reviewing my results at the end of the year.

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