a new year

As each year passes on this journey of mine I find myself greeting the new year in different ways.  In looking over my goals from last year I kept things simple and left the specifics for some other year.   That ended up being a good decision for me and us since small steps were taken which of course led to other paths not foreseen in the initial ideas.


Food and health were a huge component.  We established routines and some stuck while others faded away.  I wouldn't say in the end that 2010 was a particularly active year for us since the gym membership was abandoned, yoga on my own was sporadic at best until my prenatal class in the fall, and we certainly took fewer family walks than we had the previous year.   But we made a huge move towards eating more holistically.  I journeyed to almost vegetarianism and then back to a full meat eater.  Dave began eating meat after a decade of vegetarianism and noticed a marked difference in his health.  Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats changed my perspective on food preparation and began an at times overwhelming endeavor to eat with digestion and optimal nutrient absorption in mind. 

I took small steps towards being more pro-active in maintaining our health and avoiding sickness which we managed pretty well.  One stomach virus plagued us all, and Ky had a few brief colds and fevers but overall I'd say we made it through 2010 with little illness. 

Kyan joined the ranks of the potty trained, no longer breastfeeding big boys in big boy beds.  We indulged his love of singing and introduced him to more structured play environments in the community, while at the same time giving him plenty of space to evolve his personality and imagination organically.

Personally I kept up with writing as best I could and I did complete some art goals as well.  Making a picnic blanket, completing an art for art's sake piece,  and making gifts and home projects.  Pregnancy was planned and welcomed despite it taking its usual toll on me in the first trimester.  Moving was exciting and stressful but so worth the effort in the end.

As is so often the case for me with spiritual matters my practice fell by the wayside way too often.  Having young children does not aide me in this but I make the sacrifice without too much regret because I know it will come back.  I know that I will have more "me" time in every aspect when my children are older.  I see my crone self rising each morning to yoga, meditation and self-reflection.  Being an artist, writer and having a daily practice.  I will have those things in their time.  I plan on sharing more about my spiritual goals later this week along with my yearly tarot spread which I managed to do yesterday.  Yah!

I welcome this year with optimism and a serious re-organizing bug derived from nesting hormones and the completion of construction work in our storage room.  These next few weeks before our second son's birth will go by so quickly and I find myself trying to savor it being "just the three of us" while also feeling a sense that our family will be complete once this guy makes his big entrance.  I'm so grateful for the expansion of our family with a healthy nephew joining us and my parent's health being more stable.  And I am ever grateful for this space and the inspiration of the friends I've made here.  Having this little piece of me is always grounding and rewarding beyond measure.  Happy 2011 friends.  May it be your best one yet.