I took a little break from writing over the past month or so to go on a quick vacation with the hubby to see “Hamilton” in Chicago for an early holiday treat. (It was fabulous! I recommend seeing it if you can.) We spent a relatively relaxing Thanksgiving at home with family and are just trucking along until my winter break from work gets here. (Come on Friday!) Since the winter months are slow (haha – “slow”) around the property, this blog post is a blend of homestead goals and sharing more about myself and my personal outlook for the months/years to come.

Last month was a rough one for me. I have periods of melancholy where everything seems stagnant, useless, or frustrating. (I know many of people feel this way and relate to my post about my struggles with perfectionism.) I can always feel “it” coming and jokingly say the “apathy spiral” is starting. Sometimes it feels like I have so many wishes, dreams, goals (whatever you want to call them) that I am overwhelmed and lose sight of the successes and good things and just drift about aimlessly. So, now that I have waded through my little gloomy period, I decided to sit back and think on all of the good, bad, and mundane things in my life and to make some goals for the coming year (personally and homestead related). By sharing these intentions I hope to make myself accountable and to share any beneficial knowledge I glean along the way!

There has been some personal education I have been eyeing for a while and I have made the leap to get started on it as we head into 2018. I formerly trained and worked as a licensed massage therapist (LMT) where I learned about and worked with essential oils and holistic healthcare. I made a career change back to more office-focused work in 2014, but always loved that through bodywork I was able to connect and heal people with my knowledge and energy. I wasn’t able to work full-time as a massage therapist due to some issues with my hands/shoulders, so the transition back to an office was necessary. I always felt so at peace as an LMT and often miss that sense of purpose and connection. Originally, I decided I would not renew my license since I wasn’t using it (and why spend the money on something you don’t use, right?), but I felt a calling in the past few weeks to not let it lapse. I am happy to say I renewed and still have my certification. I plan on using that inspiration and love of therapeutic healing to pursue herbalist training in the new year. I purchased my Introductory Herbal Course through The Herbal Academy and will start studying over my winter holiday. I hope through this training –  along with my massage therapy background, knowledge of essential oils, and love of healing crystals – that I can eventually move from office work back to a more spiritually fulfilling and healing path.

I have also begun additional research on permaculture for our property. I know some feel that “sustainability” and “permaculture” have become buzzwords, so I wanted to deepen my knowledge of them to incorporate the principles where possible on our five acres, not just throw them around in blog posts. 🙂 Since we have already established our garden space and planted fruit trees I plan to  modify these spaces as I can to incorporate permaculture ideas and principles. (And isn’t that part of what permaculture is about? Using what you have on hand…?) I have delved into this process by adding shrubs, herbs, and perennials to form guilds with a portion of our fruit trees. I will add to and adjust the space as needed as I continue to research. I am currently reading through Gaia’s Garden and would adore any recommendations or tips for practicing permaculture from those of you who are living it.

Lastly, nature and respect for our Mother Earth and her creatures plays a huge role in my personal spirituality and approach to life. It is what drew me back to gardening and why I am passionate about living so I can help impact the Earth in a positive way. I have begun additional reading, research, and meditation to help extinguish some of the aforementioned apathy and to recharge and gain balance. I want to get back into a habit of working out and practicing yoga and need to make a formal stance to take better care of myself mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Thank you for being kind and letting me share my heart and thoughts with you. I hope all of you have a beautiful Winter Solstice (longer days will be back soon!) and happy holidays!

Do any of these goals resonate with you? What are your personal (or homestead) goals or desires for 2018? Dream big and set your intentions for the upcoming year, the Universe is listening. 🙂