I can’t really speak for everyone, but for me 2009 was an incredibly challenging year. Losing friends, losing work and most recently moving from sunny Tucson to Western Wisconsin in the winter has been challenging, to say the least. Still, there are many glimmers of hope. I am amazed at how quickly friendly new folks have welcomed me into my new home with open arms. I spent Winter Solstice at a party at some urban community gardens forming here in Eau Claire. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate light, warmth and peace than with a burgeoning community around a fire with food, new friends, songs and prayer. And although I’m really missing my friends and the place I’ve called home for years, and struggling getting used to the bitter cold, I’ll readily admit that the warmth of wool mittens, warm soup, hot cocoa and baked (grain-free) goods just doesn’t have the same effect in the desert as it does here. There’s a nice juxtaposition of dark cold with warm fuzzy, and I’m feeling it. My vision for the coming year is to nurture this light, the tiny flame I see in the darkness.
In determining specific goals, I looked not only at last year’s goals but those for 2007 and am noticing specific patterns taking root. My goals always revolve around things that have really become a habit for me… everything from gardening and nature, to herbalism and homeopathy, to Brazilian jiu jitsu and overall fitness to my freelance writing career are always included. This year I have a lot of good things in store, from getting trained as a master gardener to attending the Wisconsin Food Summit, an internship lined up with a great local magazine and some great events.
Best of all, I’m going to work hard bringing these things to the community and to you, my lovely readers! No, you don’t have to clean my house or work on time and money management with me. You don’t even have to hang out in my kitchen. But I will be posting a lot more– informational articles, product reviews and recipes. I will also be offering some choice offerings–courses both locally and through a combination of e-books and teleseminars. And I will be writing about any insights I’ve gleaned from books and articles I’ve read or events I’ve attended. So there’ll be a lot more blog posts in this coming year–I hope you enjoy them!
As we celebrate the holidays, the light returning or simply the end of the year, I send you my best and warmest wishes for the years to come.
