what I’m learning and loving: january 2019
Happy new year! I am still in the new year mode over here. We traveled to Disney World to take advantage of January rates and crowds, so I feel like I’m still trying to get used to 2019. Here are a few things I’ve been learning and loving so far:
What I’m loving
Jøtul season. I probably said this last year, but at least I’m consistent. We installed a wood burning stove insert in our fireplace a few years ago, and it is some of the best money we have ever spent because it gets us completely excited to embrace the long, gray days of Indiana winters. Part of living seasonally is figuring out what you enjoy most about each season. I love sitting in front of the fire with a book for hours on end so much that I actually look forward to February (a month I used to dread) these days. Find your version of the Jøtul stove for each season of the year.
Winter cooking. As mentioned above, we traveled for about ten days in January, which is very unusual for us (and likely won’t happen again, to be honest, because it has been really hard to get back in the swing of things after the craziness of the holidays and then leaving again so soon afterwards). But the upside has been that I couldn’t wait to get back in the kitchen when we got home. I have been cooking all sorts of new stuff (this and this are definitely making it into rotation), and I have been having even more fun than usual in the kitchen.
Morning movement. One of my hopes for 2019 is to come up with a more consistent morning routine, but something that I started back in November has stuck: do a little mobility work first thing in the morning. I do a little dancing to get my blood flowing and then move every joint in multiple directions. I have sort of made up my own version, but I took inspiration and borrowed movements from the following:
What I’m learning
My iphone is a tool and should be treated like one. I went down the rabbit hole of this article at the end of last year and made most of the changes the author recommends, especially the ones about notifications (game changer!). Mostly, the idea that the phone is a tool that should serve me, not the other way around has helped me to set better boundaries around it. Also, the author makes a compelling point about how these things are shortening our quality and quantity of life. Warning: Don’t click on that link unless you’re ready to commit at least an hour to following through on the suggestions.
Movement > working out. “Sedentary lifestyles are killing us – we need to build activity into our everyday lives, not just leave it for the gym.” (Read the whole article). I’ve been writing about this (first here, and then here and here) for awhile now, but the more I get into this mindset, the better I feel, the more I appreciate it, and the more I move.
When more movement is your goal, you find ways to move more – and enjoy those tasks that require movement instead of dreading them. If “working out” is your mindset, then you either check that box on your to do list for your 30 minutes at the gym or on a run or whatever, but maybe neglect moving the rest of the day (or maybe you miss that 30 minutes and beat yourself up about it all day – not that I know anything about that!).
I won’t say I look forward to laundry, but I’ve made it more of a game for myself: instead of folding everything and putting it in a hamper, I fold the laundry and put it away right afterwards. So instead of getting in just a little bit of movement in the process, I’m walking back-and-forth far more. I look forward to an excuse to go out and get more wood for the fire instead of always letting Grant do it. Instead of sitting and watching Jasper’s basketball games, I walk back-and-forth on the sidelines or do some pelvic lists. And the list goes on…it’s easy – and fun – to find ways to move more when your metric is just plain movement versus “working out.”
Glyphosate (i.e. ROUNDUP) is a freaking disaster. I mean, I’ve never been a fan of glyphosate. We have never sprayed our lawns with Roundup, so I knew it was dangerous, but I recently learned that the ramifications of its use are far worse than I previously thought.
I first listened to Dr. Zach Bush on this Rich Roll episode, but then quickly went down the rabbit hole listening to him on this previous Rich Roll episode, this Wellness Mama episode, and this podcast as well. Then I started researching on my own to find the studies he references repeatedly (email me if you want my additional research).
Last year, at Grant’s permaculture design course, they really dug into how much of a disaster that we’re facing in terms of soil health, how our plants aren’t producing as much as they’re capable of because the soil is so depleted. He learned about regenerative agriculture and the work of people like John Kempf and Advancing Eco Agriculture.
As I listened to all of these podcasts with Zach Bush, a light bulb when off in my head that of course if the soil is depleted causing more diseased and less robust plants that the food we’re eating would suffer the consequences (even the universally agreed “healthy” food like fruits and vegetables).
What I appreciated most about Bush was, despite his dire message, his solutions for individuals are rather simple: get outside A LOT more in diverse types of terrain, grow your own (or buy organic), and eat fermented foods.
Spring is my new new year. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is the time of rebirth and renewal. Spring and summer are the more energetic months; fall and winter are a time for turning inward and conserving our energy. So I decided that I’m just going to focus on filling up my energy tank with lots of rest, sitting by the fire, hikes outside, and then think about all of that new year stuff once spring shows her face. I figure I might as well work with nature’s rhythms instead of against them. Perhaps this might be why so many of our new year resolutions fail? Because we’re supposed to focusing on resting and rejuvenating in January, not pushing ourselves to do all of the things?
Disney was fun and is not the happiest place on earth for me. We went to Disney in January – I did not want to go, but Grant really wanted to take the kids. So we went, and it was fun. The kids had a wonderful time, and Grant and I loved experiencing it through their eyes. We made tons of memories together.
And since we’ve been back, nearly everyone has asked me, “wasn’t it just the happiest place on earth?!” To which I’ve responded, “it was fun!” I had fun seeing it through the kids’ and Grant’s eyes, but it wasn’t the happiest place on earth for me. I am happy for you if it the happiest place on earth for you. Basically, the whole thing was a great lesson in 1) value is subjective and 2) I am not you, and you are not me (and that’s a great thing – the world would be so boring if everyone loved the same things!).
I know January is long gone, but I’d still love to hear what you’re learning and loving lately!
