I've been thinking a lot about what I want. The things I want to get better at. The things I want to experience. The places I want to see. The type of mother I want to be. The type of partner I want to be. The life I want to live. So, as 2015 comes to a close, and I start thinking about these things, I've decided to write them down. Make a list. Have a vision. Manifest all those goals.
One of the things I think about wanting most from life, is Travel. I don't want to live my life in my home and office, I want to explore the surface of the earth and the cultures that occupy it. I want to stick my toes in foreign sand, and hike distant cliffs. I want to swim in all the oceans and eat the unique foods in various lands. I want to meet new people and learn new languages. I want to document these experiences and share them with my family. I want see how the rest of the world lives and I want to challenge my comforts and experience change. I want to do this with my partner by my side and our kids in tow. I want a well traveled family with stories and adventures! So this year, I'm planning one trip a month. Some are small, an overnight trip to the Grand Canyon. Some a bigger, two weeks to visit my sister and friends in Switzerland. But each month, {thanks to the generosity of our family at Christmas time and to a new job,} we'll go somewhere new. We'll experience something exciting together, and I promise to tell you all about it.
As a Mother, I want to teach my daughters new skills. Part of the reason I want to travel with them is so they can see more of what this world has to offer. I want to read them more stories. I want to play more games with them. I want to stop yelling. I want to stop getting frustrated. I want to focus on patience, or at least acceptance. I want them to tell me when they need help and I want to support them. I want them to be happy and I want to show them how I've found happiness.
As a Wife, I want to be more gracious, more thankful, more appreciative. I want to communicate better and plan more effectively. I want to set aside time just for us, to do whatever we want, and thanks to my family and friends we have that opportunity to go on dates, or getaways. We both work really hard so we can live fully in our free time and I want to continue literally building our life together. I want to help around the house more. Mostly, I want to create a healthy functioning space for our family.
Another thing I want to focus on this year is Healing, and being healthy. both emotionally, {which I'll talk about later,} and physically. In addition to moving my body, working out at the gym, going for hikes, doing yoga or whatever else works with my schedule, I want to focus on eating healthy again, moving away from the processed food and focusing on leafy greens and no sugar. In that same line of thought, I'd also like to focus on the healing power of plants. Right now I integrate essential oils into our daily life and I like to think they offer immune support, but there's also so much I don't know. How safe are certain oils? How well researched are their impact on kids and pets? I want to educate myself on that more, and also integrate tinctures, teas and handmade salves into my routine. I want to pick the plants myself, use what the desert has to offer. Speak with the plants, give them a few extra drops of water in thanks. Listen in nature as I appreciate its beauty and all it has to offer.
Also in line with the healing goals, I want to focus on Educating myself. Reading more science based studies about natural healing, not just old wives tales, but actual science supporting nature. My aunt has a tag line that 'nature knows things science doesn't.' And I fully believe that there are things we don't know about our own natural world, but to pretend like science hasn't observed or analyzed any of it is absurd {not that she or anyone else I know says or necessarily believes that}. But it is why I want to focus on the science based aspects of it. What has been observed? What has been analyzed? What case studies can I learn from? What resources can I look to when sharing my knowledge of what works for my family and why? I also want to read more in general, fiction, historical, maybe even some native and spiritual books. What have people believed for thousands of years? How were native cultures able to live off the land without destroying their land base? How can I reduce my impact while living in a consumer culture? How can I find balance between the way we live now and how humanity has survived for the past hundred thousand years?
Another goal for my 2016 list is Creating. I already paint. I'm a decent photographer {always learning}. I enjoy ceramics but haven't had access to a kiln for a few years. I sew and silk screen. I already create quite a bit, but I like to add new skills to my experiences. So this year, I want to continue doing those things that I already do and integrate maybe some weaving, and henna work. My friend Diane gifted me a small tube of pre-made henna paste from Mehndika Joey Henna after my birthday and now all I want to do is draw all over my body. Since it's temporary, I can just keep doing it over and over again. I observed a weaving workshop a few weeks ago and am really inspired to start using more fibers in my art, I already work with mixed media but would be interested to see how I could integrate sewing, painting and weaving into a more modern outlet. Something I'm currently really inspired by is the revival of old arts and crafts and how artist are integrating and modernizing them to make them new and current. More bold colors for weaving or more trendy phrases for cross stitching and just in general anything handmade being marketed to the current culture interests me. I hope my current process is interesting and expanding with the needs of myself and my patrons and that I can continue creating throughout the year.
Last but not least, I'd like to spend more of my time Calming down. This is in regards to, of course, everyday life, and I know that might sound contradictory with all the things listed above that I want to add or include, but maybe it's just a matter of making my time more purposeful. I'd like to incorporate Rest time into my schedule like actually set an alarm and pencil it in. REST. Reminders to take breaks, you know? Be present. And in addition to the calm time, I want to focus on calming my body, my energy, my nerves. I've had a lot of stress these past few months, sure a lot of it was my own doing, and I thought a lot would go away after bigger issues were resolved but ultimately that anxiety, stress, they're sort of always present with me. Even when there's nothing to be stressed or anxious about, I still find myself feeling overwhelmed or I'll notice my heart beating faster, it's being aware of my body and knowing something is bothering me, even if I don't know what it is exactly. I'm hoping with attention to rest and relaxation, my goals of calming with help resolve this underlying health issue and allow me to be more present as a wife, mother, artist and adventurer.
What about you? What are your goals for 2016? What do you want from your life? I'd love to read about it in the comments or shoot me an email to share your goals on the blog in 2016. Happy almost new year!
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