A New Decade. A Fresh Start. — Homegrown + Lovely

I can’t believe 2019 is done. The first part of the year seemed to go by so slowly, and then once August hit, it was a whirlwind. 2019 was an odd one. There were a lot of really great things, but also a lot of strange and unexpected things. That being said, I am ready for 2020. A new year. A whole new decade at that. I am welcoming the new. I am welcoming a fresh start.

I’ve been reflecting the last few weeks about what my 2019 goals were. The main goal, as many of you may know, was to reduce waste. And I will say, that even though my blogging about it wasn’t consistent, I feel pretty good about my efforts. Even Matt made a comment mid-year that he didn’t feel like we were throwing away as much as in the past. I didn’t ever remember to bring my own doggy bag containers, but I did use my cloth grocery bags and mesh produce bags approximately 96.5% of the time. I also stopped buying plastic loofahs and just use a plain wash cloth now. I buy bulk hand and dish soap when I can, and while it isn’t quite as fun as the smaller bottles with the seasonal scents (I’m looking at you Mrs. Meyers), I know it is a little less plastic using the bigger bottles than many smaller ones. I’ve almost mastered the Diva Cup, and have stuck with the Imperfect Produce subscription for most weeks. I’ve tested bamboo toothbrushes and use cloth napkins about half the time. Overall, I know it is a work in progress, and I truly believe that each little step counts. And the great thing is that I can continue to build on the progress we’ve made thus far. Preserving our world is something that is very important to me, especially since having little ones, and it’s exciting to continue finding ways to make an impact.

I had other smaller goals too. Sleep more. Strengthen my core. Read five books.

I thought about sleeping more, but rarely actually did it (I sure wish the thoughts counted for something). Towards the end of the year I took my core exercises way more seriously. And I finished one book. It was Michelle Obama’s book “Becoming” and it was incredible. I love the way she narrates, I could almost hear her speaking the words.

I don’t feel let down that I didn’t really hit the goals. I feel inspired to try again this year. I still want to read five books this year, and just having the goal to read has been fun. I read SO much when I was younger. I miss getting immersed in a book, and now that I am older I enjoy self-help books in addition to fiction. It’s fun to get educated, but also get lost in a story. I fell off the bandwagon for core exercises over the holidays, but still want to continue those, in addition to walking 20 minutes a day. Even if I get half of that, it will be better than what I was doing before, and I am all about progress. And lastly, the sleeping thing. I think that may be my vice for the rest of my life, but I love to stay awake late. I’ve always loved it, and especially now that I have young kids, the quiet after everyone is in bed is just so inviting. Sometimes I will putter around the house. Maybe I’ll read. Sometimes I’ll scroll social media. But it is the hardest thing for me to do the adult thing, get in bed and turn out the light before 10:45pm. But, the more I read and understand, sleep is critical for your well-being. So, I will keep at it and hopefully over time I’ll have more early nights than not.

So like I mentioned, last year my main focus was reducing waste. This year my main goal is listening. And yes, it is as simple as it sounds. I want to listen more. Maybe it’s listening to my body. Maybe it’s listening to my gut and intuition. But honestly, it is mostly the literal act of listening. I want to hear what people are saying. My kids, family, friends, I do it with good intentions, but often when in a conversation, when someone tells a story about something that relates to something I too experienced, I want to jump right in and tell my story, And I do it because I want to show that I can relate, but I feel like it may come across wrong. That and sometimes I honestly just cut people off, and I don’t mean to do it. So, 2020 is the year to listen more. And to listen carefully and actually hear.

What are your goals for 2020? Do you even make annual goals? Maybe you choose a focus word for the year? Whatever your stance, I’d love to hear about it.