Resolutions or Goals?

Ah, New Years!  The time when many people are making their resolutions to lose weight, excercise more, do this, do that.... By the end of Spring it seems like almost everyone who made those resolutions have completely forgotten about them or have just given up! 

In the past couple of weeks the thought of making a good New Years resolution has been crossing my mind.  The idea of making and keeping a resolution sounds grand, but I myself have never managed to keep that idea going into action.  Why is this? 


According to Wikipedia, 52% of people in a study felt confindent that they would follow through with thier resolution, but only 12% actually did it.

It seems we set our minds on the finished product, over looking the actions that will get us there. 

The term "New Years Resolution" does absolutely nothing for me anymore.  Too many times have I said "I am really going to follow through with it this time" only to bail on my plans when the end result seems too far away.  This year I am not resolving to do a damn thing.  Instead, I will be setting myself realistic goals.  Mmmmmm!  There's the word!! 

I belive that in order for you to achieve your goals, you have to take baby steps all the way and do things that are appealing to you.  So you want to lose weight?  Why?  Will it make you happier?  Make you feel better?  Ok, then consider the things you can do that won't focus solely on your weight.  Have a goal to incorporate more nourishing foods into your diet, make time in the morning to simply walk around the yard observing what you see.  Simple things will lead you to your goal a whole lot better than focusing solely on the finished product.  Isn't it true that if you weigh yourself every day you will get disheartend when the scale is not so nice to you?  So why put yourself through that?

I'm not saying don't set big goals- not at all!  Go as big as you want!  Get your big ideas and commit to them, then step back and break it down into do-able sizes and set yourself a time line.  It seems like waaaay too much work when you have everything sitting in front of you, but if you were to break it down into monthly goals, it's not so daunting. 

A couple of my goals for the comming year....

• Put more home grown food on our table. This means I will be working toward building beds, testing different types of veggies, learning to save seeds....
• Become a better hooper.  Learning a new trick at least every two weeks, practicing for a solid hour or two at least once a week, getting together with the girls more...
• Pulling myself out of debt.  Learning to use what I have, cutting out disposables, growing more of our own foods...

See how one thing kind of leads to another?  Small simple goals, at least for me, are best!  Think about how you can take some of the pressure off of your resolutions simply by making small goals for yourself instead! 

And have a super fantastic New Year!!!

Twas the Night Before Yuletide

Twas the night before Yuletide and all through the glen
Not a creature was stirring, not a fox, not a hen.
A mantle of snow shone brightly that night
As it lay on the ground, reflecting moonlight.
The faeries were nestled all snug in their trees,
Unmindful of flurries and a chilly north breeze.
The elves and the gnomes were down in their burrows,
Sleeping like babes in their soft earthen furrows.
When low! The earth moved with a thunderous quake,
Causing chairs to fall over and dishes to break.
The Little Folk scrambled to get on their feet
Then raced to the river where they usually meet.
“What happened?” they wondered, they questioned, they probed,
As they shivered in night clothes, some bare-armed, some robed.
“What caused the earth’s shudder? What caused her to shiver?”
They all spoke at once as they stood by the river.
Then what to their wondering eyes should appear
But a shining gold light in the shape of a sphere.
It blinked and it twinkled, it winked like an eye,
Then it flew straight up and was lost in the sky.
Before they could murmur, before they could bustle,
There emerged from the crowd, with a swish and a rustle,
A stately old crone with her hand on a cane,
Resplendent in green with a flowing white mane.
As she passed by them the old crone’s perfume,
Smelling of meadows and flowers abloom,
Made each of the fey folk think of the spring
When the earth wakes from slumber and the birds start to sing.
“My name is Gaia,” the old crone proclaimed
in a voice that at once was both wild and tamed,
“I’ve come to remind you, for you seem to forget,
that Yule is the time of re-birth, and yet…”
“I see no hearth fires, hear no music, no bells,
The air isn’t filled with rich fragrant smells
Of baking and roasting, and simmering stews,
Of cider that’s mulled or other hot brews.”
“There aren’t any children at play in the snow,
Or houses lit up by candles’ glow.
Have you forgotten, my children, the fun
Of celebrating the rebirth of the sun?”
She looked at the fey folk, her eyes going round,
As they shuffled their feet and stared at the ground.
Then she smiled the smile that brings light to the day,
“Come, my children,” she said, “Let’s play.”
They gathered the mistletoe, gathered the holly,
Threw off the drab and drew on the jolly.
They lit a big bonfire, and they danced and they sang.
They brought out the bells and clapped when they rang.
They strung lights on the trees, and bows, oh so merry,
In colors of cranberry, bayberry, cherry.
They built giant snowmen and adorned them with hats,
Then surrounded them with snow birds, and snow cats and bats.
Then just before dawn, at the end of their fest,
Before they went homeward to seek out their rest,
The fey folk they gathered ‘round their favorite oak tree
And welcomed the sun ‘neath the tree’s finery.
They were just reaching home when it suddenly came,
The gold light returned like an arrow-shot flame.
It lit on the tree top where they could see from afar
The golden-like sphere turned into a star.
The old crone just smiled at the beautiful sight,
“Happy Yuletide, my children,” she whispered. “Good night.”

By C.C. Wiliford

I hope you all have a Blessed Yule and don't forget to try to get up to see the Total Lunar Eclipse!  It's the first one to occur on the Winter Solstice since 1638!

Social Thursday!

I've been meaning to pick this little practice back up and Lynn, with her Song Friday, has inspired me to do just that! 

I have a song stuck in my head for a few days now.  If you like a little jazz, sax and banjo in your life, you'll love Béla Fleck and the Flecktones!  Béla Fleck is one of the world's most renowned banjo players and the band is AMAZING!  My sister-in-law says it sounds like elevator music, though.  :P  I say it's ultra relaxing and at the same time it makes you want to get your groove on!

The song I'd like to share today is very deep and moving.  I hope you get something out of it!



Sojourn of Arjuna Lyrics
So Arjuna and Krishna you know they're hanging out on the battlefield
Arjuna is like tired of war, he's trying to get out of this battle
so Krishna drops a little science on him, he says you know it's the way of
spiritual growth
a man must go forth from where he stands
he cannot jump to the absolute, he must evolve toward it (can you hear that)
Krishna says at any given moment in time we are what we are
Arjuna we have to accept the consequences of being ourselves
and only through this acceptance can we begin to evolve further
we may select the battleground but we cannot avoid the battle

so Krishna tells Arjuna it follows therefore that every action under certain
circumstances and for certain people may actually be a stepping stone to
spiritual growth

Arjuna is to do the best he knows
in order to pass beyond that best to better
how can we prescribe our neighbors to be perfect
when it is so hard to know our own heart
the pacifist must respect Arjuna
Arjuna must respect the pacifist
both are going toward the same goal
if they are really sincere
there's an underlying solidarity between them
which can be expressed
each one follows without compromise the path upon which he finds himself
for we can only help others to do their duty
by doing what we ourselves believe to be right
it is the one supremely social act.

so Kirshna's reply to Arjuna occupies the rest of the story
it deals not only with Arjuna's immediate personal problem
but the whole nature of action
the meaning of life
and the aims for which man must struggle here on earth
at the end of the conversation Arjuna has changed his mind
he's ready to fight, he's ready to go ahead on
it is the way of spiritual growth
a man must go forward from where he stands
he cannot jump to the absolute
and the battle begins...


Be sure to check out Song Friday with the Family of Movers, too!

Buzz Buzz!

Can you see the bee's nest?

Find it?  It's waaaay up in the tree! 

Here, I'll help you out...

Our friend Cooter showed us this nest several months ago, when these pictures were taken.  The bees enjoyed their home for quite some time, but have now moved on or at least we saw no sign of them.  Hopefully they just left to find more food or warmth!