When I close my eyes and look into the year ahead, I have this vision of what I would like it to look like: backyard chickens, beehives, farming out the yard, solar panels on my roof to get off the grid, and 3 successful businesses. These pastoral pictures are calming, but how can I make them practical and productive?
I am a social creature by nature. As I grow older, I have noticed that I have become quite the homebody and wish for simpler times. I do as much as I can in the home, but it’s important to me to bring back the simple times outside, for me, for the girls to experience, and for the environment. Alex and I watched the documentary Food, Inc the other day and I cried. To see how food manufacturers are out to make money at the cost of people’s health and lives was extremely disturbing to me. The lack of respect shown to a living creature (chickens or cows) was just evil and scary that these people exist. The lack of accountability for unsanitary conditions that resulted in children dying angered me. It reminded me of another food documentary I had watched about potato farmers in Idaho. The farmers who grew potatoes for McDonald’s would not eat the potatoes grown on that plot and grew their own separately. That tells you something-that farmer didn’t feel safe to eat those potatoes.
Knowing that a perfectly healthy little boy died within 2 weeks from eating a hamburger made me want to circle the wagons and not bring the girls out to eat anywhere! It really got me thinking that I need to truly make it a priority and in my vision plan for the coming year to grow and eat as much home grown or locally grown food as possible. First, I want to start with building Mina’s Chicken Coop.
Having her own chicken coop has been important for Mina for the past few years. She told me that she wants to help contribute to the food in the house. She wants 3 baby chicks (one for each girl to care for) and says that all the girls will be responsible for the care and feeding of the chickens. Last spring, Alex drew out some plans to put a coop behind the garage. It took him and I all of spring and summer to clear out the dirt, level the ground, and dig up massive tree roots. Fall came and we were able to scavenge wood from the neighborhood cleanup day. I feel we are in good shape to start building once spring comes. How fun it would be for the girls to get real eggs to hatch for Easter! I want them to have the whole experience: hatching the eggs, caring for baby chicks, building the coop, and finally caring for them outside.
I told Alex this morning that I need to plan out the year. I have a feeling it is going to be a big and busy year for me as I see the businesses take shape and I don’t want to sacrifice family time or activities. If I can create a plan on the front end of what I want to accomplish, time estimation and the how of execution, I should be able to do it. When I don’t have a plan and things come up at the last minute, I get jittery and uncomfortable. That’s when I rush and make mistakes. There needs to be separate plans (business and family) and I need to be able to overlay one on top of the other without feeling like too much is pushed in or too much sacrificed. By having a plan in place, I can proactively do ahead an item or 2 if I have extra time here and there. It gives me the ability to breathe.
When I throw myself into work, I can become so focused I lose touch with life around me. It’s not just about me anymore. I need to be able to break away for family and myself. This week’s challenge is to sit, 12 sheets of paper in front of me representing the coming months, and write in everything, absolutely everything! Well, guess I should begin-no time like the present.