One of my routines for year end is to reflect and see how the year ended versus how it started. I’m always curious about the twists and turns of life. Where did I think I would end the year? Where did I actually end the year?
I started the year off with a few goals.
Decluttering and Simplifying
This has been a long time quest and though I am proud of my accomplishments, in fairness if you’re not me, you probably can’t see it. Yes – the clutter was/is that bad. I’m not a hoarder but I have an old-fashioned Yankee sensibility that hates to create waste where it’s not needed. I’ve had to work hard to embrace that the only way out of my past overconsumption (mostly clothing) is simply to accept that waste will be part of it.
I’ve gone through my own Marie Kondoing several times and find that each time I go over my “stash” I am less and less attached to it. It’s a process and one that will carry into the new year with me. The best addition to my declutter this year was embracing thredUP, an online consignment store. My first preference is simply to give items to people I know and love. I still post some things on Poshmark but I’ve discovered that not everything sells well there. Anything posted there for too long or which simply feels better off in the hands of professionals, I ship off to thredUP.
I have donated several wardrobes over the years to various charitable organizations but if they don’t sell in relatively short order, they end up in a landfill. I really hate that – so I was very focused on repurposing/reselling until a friend brought up thredUP’s consignment option. A blessing. Now I’m hoarding big cardboard boxes to ship them things I think still have value. 🙂
Health and Wellness
This is another ongoing trend in my life that will definitely carry into the new year. I had a successful run with Noom and had finally gotten down to a very comfortable pre-pandemic weight. I was thrilled.
The year started with a family wedding in Mexico and I was not the least self conscious in a bikini with people 20 years my junior!!
Then, in February I had a hysterectomy which put me into menopause. I had written a blog about it but decided not to publish it quite yet. I was angry and hadn’t had time to really process and reflect on the immediacy of changes that brought to my life. I’m still working on the ripple effect of this major turn of events. Definitely an unplanned left turn in my life. Pretty much the remainder of the year was devoted to dealing with, mostly failing, the after effect of having the surgery.
New Adventure
Ah well now – this is a pleasant thread through my life that will definitely continue in 2023. In the past my adventures centered on new and exotic beach trips. This year, it took a turn to the North.
If you are a regular reader, you know that earlier this year we bought a farm. A defunct, overrun, lovely piece of property many hours away from our primary residence. This is the adventure of a lifetime. It’s entirely new and I’ve been truly surprised how much I am enjoying it.
I find that putting in a hard day’s work on the farm – tons of activity, manual labor, long hours – is a pleasurable change from my days largely chained to my computer. I love being at the farm because it ticks the boxes of Adventure, Health and Wellness (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual) with what I call Farm crossfit. It’s a welcome workout. What a sense of accomplishment!
We are documenting our journey on YouTube if you’re curious. https://www.youtube.com/@bigsprucefarm
Here are the highlights of this adventure so far:
- Buying the farm – Enough said.
- Cleaning up invasive species – We are learning a lot about honeysuckle, multiflora rosa, and japanese knotweed.
- Installing a new farm gate and testing out some shou sugi ban (japanese wood preservation technique)
- Converting a grainery/hen house/potting shed into a livable cabin/tiny house – This will take a while.
- Buying and restoring a 1958 Ford 871 Tractor – Who thought I would ever own a tractor?! Not me! There is definitely more tractor restoration in the future.
- Buying a 1955 D6 Caterpillar Bulldozer – If I was surprised by the tractor, imagine my shock at a bulldozer. Talk about an unexpected twist!! Restoration will start in the new year!
- Completing a makeshift tractor run in using repurposed lumber from the grainery/hen house/potting shed deconstruction.
Our new/old adventures will continue as we look at new life for old things. One of the projects on the near horizon is taking old basement windows that a local contractor removes and resells – and repurposing them into a window wall in the tiny cabin. Will it work? Only time will tell. We are also looking to repurpose old bottles to make them into building bricks to add some interest and dimension in farm building projects. Barn work. Orchard prep. And oh so many other things.
When you look back and reflect on the year, where did you start and where did you end up? Did you embrace the journey or fight against it? Where will you try to redirect your energy for the coming year?
Please leave comments below. I love the idea of sharing stories and inspiration with one another.
