When I look outside today I can’t help but smile. There is green grass as far as I can see, across the farm yard, over the hills, and disappearing into the woods. New Year’s Day gave us the greatest gift – a deluge of rain. My joy and relief is deep, my gratitude unbounded. It was such a wonderful way to start this crazy new year, a vivid reminder that no matter how bad things get, the good will come.

I worked right up until Christmas Eve so I could have a proper holiday. Two full weeks of all the things that restore and rejuvenate: naps, good food, watching rain fall, reading books, coloring, and cutting out pictures and words for my 2021 vision board.

Creating a vision board each year has become a treasured tradition. I love removing last years images and phrases, smiling to myself at how they unfolded over the year in mostly unexpected ways, observing how much I’ve changed, grown, and learned, noting which values stayed the same and which ones altered. It’s such a good time of reflection, gratitude, grieving, letting go, then shifting into this new year with the dreams, goals, plans, and hopes I have now.

This year I put my vision board together on the day domestic terrorists broke into the Capitol in DC. Watching the horrible scenes unfold filled me with grief, anger, and a deep sense of helplessness. I let myself watch and feel and talk out everything with Bear, and then I turned away from what I have no control over, to something I do: planning the life I want to experience this year.

There are things I want to grow, make, build, see, explore, purchase, taste, and share.

I want a chicken that lays blue eggs, a potting shed with all my tools at the ready, and coffee dates with people I love, respect, and enjoy.

I have plans for hikes in the rain forest, camping in the mountains, cheese-making, and wine-brewing.

I’ll continue to study more about indigenous land care, history, and traditional medicine.

I want to get better at foraging and fermenting, learn how to make our orchards and vineyards more productive, and plant more flowers.

Some of the things on my vision board are obvious, but others are special secrets known only to me. Special things I’m treasuring until I’m ready to share them with the world.

The world may feel topsy-turvy, wobbly, and wonky, but we still have choices, so many choices that will make our lives, and the lives of our loves, so much better and easier.

What are some good things you’re choosing for your life this year? xo