Saturday Snippets | What I’m Excited about this Year
January brings with it so much promise for the new year. My insides spark with anticipation of all that could happen over the next twelve months. Here’s what I’m excited about this year.
In January I clean. A lot. I talk in detail about it in this post. And as I clean, I dream. Dream about everything I’d like to accomplish in the new year, everything I’m excited about this year. My hopes for family, home, and business. I use to be so strict with new year resolutions, purchasing planners that took forever to fill. Going into detail about every single thing, by month, week, day, and hour on how to accomplish it all. But being only human, with a creative and wandering mind, I would always fail.
The Change
Then about a year ago I decided to change things up. To be more gentle, slow, free. To have goals, but block out plenty of time for fun, relaxation, learning different and new things, (that’s very fun to me), and precious family time.
Part of the reason for this change, I think, was one day I looked at my babies . . . and they weren’t babies anymore. And although I truly pride myself on soaking up moments with them, from birth until now, it still feels so fleeting. Like I’m a breath away from them being all grown. And my heart plummeted in my chest. I miss them already, even when they’re right by my side. I want no regrets of time mismanaged and lost.
Learning to live for now
I spent years reading books about business and growth, and everything in between. Always looking ahead. Never satisfied with today. Anxious and worried about things I needed to accomplish so I could enjoy life later, when things were as I wanted them to be.
And then there came a moment when I looked up from my business and how-to books and realized, there were so many other things to read, and learn, and do. So I started reading books for, gasp, fun. Books that didn’t have anything huge to teach me. And it was a release. Refreshing.
And I spent more time in the kitchen. Dinners went from a begrudging task that needed to be done to something I planned and looked forward to. I’d pour myself a glass of wine, and spend a few hours dancing around the kitchen, singing and cooking. The kids and/or my husband would pull up to the barstool periodically, where we’d chat about any number of things. And it was beautiful.
I don’t know why I’m writing this in the past tense, because it is beautiful, and happening now.
Know thyself
And before anyone feels the need to defend how-to books and that they’ll never love cooking. There’s a time and place for everything. I don’t regret the books I read, but found I didn’t need them to fill my cup anymore. I may read one again someday, but it’s not an obsession, a feeling of necessity.
And if you don’t like to cook? Well, I know it’s not for everyone. But find something you love yet don’t do enough of, and figure out a way to change that.
For a little added perspective on where I’m coming from, if you do the enneagrams, I’m a three, which is The Achiever. I’m very driven and future-oriented. You can read more about enneagram threes here. So for me, slowing down and savoring things can be difficult.
What I’m excited about this year
All that leads me back to what I’m excited about this year. And let me tell you, it’s a lot!
Gardening
What gets me most excited about the year? Gardening! I want to garden even more and do it better in 2022. To learn plant names, and grow new and unusual things. To sow plants not normally found at your local stores. Creating my own secret garden. When I walk through, I want to feel inspired, filled with awe and delight. The color palette will be mostly purples and blacks. Saturated, dark, moody, and romantic.
Vegetable gardening will definitely still be happening. With all my staple plants. But what I want to concentrate most on are florals and herbs.
Good food
You’ll notice, these are mostly extensions of things I worked on last year. But this year, I’ll be delving deeper into them all, mastering more than what I knew before.
I recently re-discovered sourdough, and have been head over heels for it ever since. I now make English muffins, bagels, sandwich bread, and traditional sourdough loaves. It’s glorious. Good food, and good for you too. As close to perfection as you can get. I plan to expand on this more, because I’m still a sourdough baby.
We’ve always been a fairly from-scratch family. Yet still, this can also be improved. I make 98% off all our food, even sending my husband to work with a sack lunch. Purchasing half a cow last year was another great stride forward in having good ingredients at the ready. Even with all that, we still went through a pantry purge a few months back, cutting out many of the other items that weren’t good, yet we were still holding onto. Doritos, fruit snacks filled with sugar, and a few more odds and ends.
It may cost a little more, but we’re springing for beef jerky as snacks now, as well as nuts, and other yummy organic goodies. We’re also trying to be more intentional about bigger meals, which leads to less snacking in between.
Doing things well
I’m very much an, “Ah, that’s good enough” person. Some might call it cutting corners, I call it better half done than not done at all. But no more! If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it well. No halfway. It’s full-on finished.
And while others might have the completely opposite problems, coming from more of a perfectionist’s standpoint, that’s very much not me.
Home Updates
This is truly my wheelhouse and makes my heart go pitter-patter. Never one to leave something along, we have several more projects scheduled for the house this year. Some small, others a bit larger, but all things to look forward to! I don’t have specific dates for these. We’ll start them as we feel inspired and sprinkle them throughout the year.
And that’s what I’m excited about this year! Truthfully, my plan is just to enjoy and savor 2022 and all it holds. To embrace each day, find pleasure in the small, everyday tasks, and look for adventure and joy. I hope you’re looking forward to something similar!
Follow along!
To follow along in real-time this year and see if I’m actually doing what I’ve planned (fingers crossed!), make sure to follow along over on Instagram. It’s my favorite social media platform!
Happy 2022 friends! I hope it blesses each and every one of you!
