The Year of Cultivation

2020 is going to be a big year. I’ve been reading blog posts by Cindy Lauderdale from Cindy Goes Beyond and she has an interesting and exciting practice of creating a word for each year. Along with her word she chooses a symbol & song, and creates a board to accompany the vision surrounding it.

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My 2019 did not go as expected. I can’t complain, my dream of staying home with our kids came true! But if you had told me in January that I was going to quit my job and that we were going to sell our house to move closer to hubs’ work, I would have said (in the most sarcastic of tones), “Uh-huh, sure. We’re living here forever.” (I truly believed that; I loved our home.)

But we did sell our house and I did quit my job and we did move closer to hubs’ work and I am a SAHM (plus I still have all the perks of nearby grandparents), so again, I really can’t complain.

But I digress, I loved Cindy’s idea of setting a word, symbol, and song to guide me through the year. I thought that it would be a great way to enter not only a new year, but a new decade, and so I’ve spent the past weeks considering what I wanted my word for 2020 to be, while also looking forward to the rest of the decade.

In my process, I thought about my current practices, involvements, and interests. The shifts in 2019 included not only a move to a new town and quitting my job, but coming to terms with the reality of time (as in there’s just not enough of it to do everything I want to do with two small children).

Looking ahead to 2020 and beyond, I look forward to reconnecting with myself and developing relationships in my new community. There are also a number of things that have fallen along the wayside over the past few years that I miss terribly.

Among these interests are cooking, fasting (yes, you read that right), watching things grow (gardening, kind of), and art – namely rug braiding. I’d also like to start practicing better physical well-being (exercise and yoga), as well as spend more time with my dogs. Their sweet, aging faces constantly beg for me to spend more time with them, and I desperately want to before it runs out. 🙁

The Word: Cultivation

All of these things have led me to choose the word cultivation as my word for 2020. Being home with our kids gives me the opportunity to experience these things at a greater level; more fully incorporating them into my life. And so I look forward to broadening and deepening my experiences and relationships this year— to the cultivation of the true me.

• I hope to watch things grow in a garden in the spring watch my children’s faces as they reap what they sow and play in the dirt.
• I look forward to celebrating a full year in our new home and cultivating relationships amongst our neighbors and in the community.
•  I look forward to more experimental cooking and going to the farmers market. (Both me and my family are sick of all my lazy vegetarian meal planning favorites.)
• And while I’ll be sad at the end of my breastfeeding days, my body desperately needs me to take up my annual fasting tradition again. It needs a reset.
• I also look forward to springtime trips to our new dog park and watching the pups engage with new furry friends.

My Symbol: The Owl

I’m not gonna lie, I feel a little cliché choosing an owl as my symbol. Owls are so trendy right now, and they’re seemingly ubiquitous in decor and clothing patterns when you have small children. However, recently my husband and I have been hearing an owl hoot in the night outside our window. I’ve never really considered owls in residential areas, but apparently they’re there! 

Once I realized that the word cultivation should be my word for 2020, our hooting owl seemed logical as my symbol. Owls are beneficial as they keep pests under control — pests that would otherwise destroy a garden and eat its bounty. 

Owls are also nocturnal and part of my relationship cultivation will be within the blogging world. In order to dedicate sufficient time to do this, I’m going to need to cultivate my nocturnal abilities (i.e. stay up past 9 pm— sleepy mom here!).

Additionally, I’ve heard that if you’re ever asked in a job interview what animal you would be if you could choose, you should say an eagle as they “soar high and have a broad view.” As a predatory bird, I feel that an owl has similar attributes, but yet its nocturnal existence represents a unique perception and perspective.

My Song: It’s a Big World by Renee & Jeremy

This song…. All. The. Feels. The song frequently pops up on our playlist for the kids, and every time I hear it I’m near tears.

It’s a big world baby, and you’re little for a little while…
you can fiddle in your own style. 

There are many things that I would like to accomplish this year, and every single one of these experiences will be enhanced by the presence of my children. I fully intend to soak up the fleeting moments that surround me. To not just teach them, but to absorb the lessons that they provide me, as well, and catch the glimpses into their sweet souls that tell me about who they are and where they are in their life journey. 

It’s really a song about perspective. Give it a listen. 🙂

The Vision Board

My vision board is simple: it shows a home with love, an owl overlooking/guarding my favorite plant in our garden (anise), stars, our vintage station wagon, my song title, the word cultivation, and my blog’s logo. 

It sums up all I want out of this year and features some of my favorite colors.

Do you engage in any annual practices like this? I’d love to hear about them. Tell me about them in the comments below!

—Funky Crunchy Mama