Obligatory New Year’s Post

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Every blogger that I follow … every friend I have on Facebook … everyone I know in real life is starting this New Year with a list of goals, resolutions, and a to do list.

So I figured I needed to do the same, so this is my Obligatory New Year’s Post.

You see, for years I also wrote a list of goals for the new year during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. I set lofty goals. It was as if New Year’s Day was some magical place and the only way to get a clean slate.

The reality …

We have a clean slate every day we open our eyes and wake up on this side of the dirt.

We get to set goals each day. Or each week. Or not at all.

This year more than any year before I realized what it meant to rest and disconnect.

Between December 23 through today, January 1, I’ve only left the house twice and both times were clearly planned out trips. Having this time where all of us are at home and resting has meant the world to me. Not having to run off to Scouts or to the market or to run some random errand has been nice. I wasn’t able to disconnect this much last summer and I feel more well rested now than I have in a long time.

And there is a good reason for it.

Winter is a time for rest. The garden is mostly put to bed. The chickens aren’t laying as often. Mowing is on hold until spring. Starting seeds is still about 6-8 weeks out as well. The canning and food preservation is finished, for now. It is time to reflect and to rest because the next busy season is right around the corner.

So this year, for 2024, while everyone is taking today to set goals and make resolutions, I’m curled up with a cup of tea and my blanket and enjoying the coziness that is winter without the stress of being busy. I am doing a little bit of planning and daydreaming of things to come, but I’m not wishing away what I have now.

I recently saw a quote on Instagram:

It goes against nature to set goals in the middle of winter. Lean into the hibernation stage. Release the things you don’t need … Set goals in spring, when welcoming in new things feels more aligned.

Leah McDermott, M.Ed.

That quote has changed the trajectory of 2024 for me, and I couldn’t be happier about that. Now to go back to my wondering where my seed catalogs are and focus on resting and planning and not on the goal setting and the business that is to come.

May 2024 be your year to grow, rest, and live life to the fullest, however that looks for you. Be well friends. Happy New Year!