Do I wish you a Happy New year? It feels kind of off right now, but I do. I do wish this year is happy for you, better for all. I even made some ‘semi’ resolutions, I don’t call them that because they never work. I am making some gradual life shifts instead. Honestly, thank fuck 2023 is over. It was one of the most stressful years of my life and I am one of the ‘lucky’ ones. But everyone is feeling it right now, aren’t they? It seems to cost an unattainable and offensive amount of money to feed your family, to pay the bills, to put petrol in the car, to do the things that were once more manageable. Interest rates? I can’t keep up. Daily coffees, an occasional movie, some nice Thai takeaway food? Forget about it. regular groceries would be nice. (Obnoxious first world problems hey) It is time for some major shifts, a move away from all the bullshit and greed. There is a strong yearning in me for a simpler, healthier and more peaceful life. To find a more affordable way of living, a deeper way of connecting with nature and others and sending a big middle finger to the corporations, banks and rich folk actively destroying our lives. Greedy buggers, I am sick of them. This year, I’m focussing on my health, my home, my kids and my creative work. I’m keen to revamp and expand my vegetable garden to help reduce grocery costs, have access to fresher, healthier produce and to be a little more self-sufficient. The supermarkets are out of control, and I don’t want any part of them. I’ll focus more on bulk buying, cooking from scratch, getting rid of processed food as much as possible (there are some things my kids won’t part with!) and reducing my use of plastics. I’ll actually compost this year and not just produce a tower of stinky sludge and I’ll barter what I can for what I want. This way of living really appeals to me. I would really like my kids and theirs, if they decide to have them, to have a healthy planet to live on when I am long gone. But I fear it may be too late. I hope I am wrong. My creative work over the past year is coming to fruition and will hopefully begin its journey out into the world, that’s fucking scary but the goal nonetheless. I need to be braver, because I often say things that pisses people off, and I care way too much what people think. I am a person who easily offends, who speaks too quickly, too abruptly at times. It is a flaw I am aware of. Is it a flaw? My words are not subtle and I refuse to shy away from the hard things. I admit this way of living stresses me out at times, but I will continue to create, to write, to speak. I’ll read more because as a writer, you must read. I’ll teach more, because people loving to sing makes me happy and I’ll write more music because without it I can’t exist. I’m not on socials right now for several reasons but will return soon, to a lesser extent. I existed for decades without it and can do so again. I’ll put my phone in a drawer, it’s a convenient but irritating thing. Once upon a time, ‘back in my day,’ we would just take the phone off the hook. Done. I’ll walk more, I have two dogs that need exercising now. (Aren’t they cute?) My little home is complete. I’ll look for little pockets of joy and sink into them. It could be sipping a hot cup of tea under a blanket, reading a new book that enthrals me, a new song I can’t stop playing on repeat, a chat with a friend that makes me laugh so hard I pee. I’m at that age now. I bloody love it. I’m grateful to be able to grow old, to pluck the chin hairs, to see my kids grow up. Many aren’t that lucky. Most importantly, I acknowledge how fortunate I am to be able to write these things down as my focus for the year, that I am not spending my days dodging bullets and bombs and destruction. I’m not losing my family and friends, or losing my home. I am so fucking lucky. I acknowledge that I am blessed to have a home, that my children are safe and no matter how much we struggle it is nothing compared to some. Watching the world in chaos on a screen is surreal and traumatising, and it is so easy to disconnect, to keep scrolling, but please don’t. Those who are suffering need our voices, our help. I have actively lost people from my life this year for speaking up and out, but I won’t stop. I won’t ‘shut my mouth’ as I have been told. How can I truly live in peace when others can’t? I wish it for you, I wish it for all. Liz x
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I have often heard about how gardening is good for your mental health. I remember a fantastic segment on Gardening Australia where they visited the garden of a woman whose psychologist had recommended gardening as one way to help alleviate her post natal depression. Watch it here. I have always been interested in self-sufficiency, creating a food garden and basically growing as much of our own produce as we could. As well as keeping rescue chickens. I do find that when I am in the garden, working the soil, planting, harvesting etc… it is very calming and my kids love it too. That said, we only have a couple of veggie beds. In an effort to tread lightly and reduce costs, I installed solar panels on my house, we were lucky enough to already have two water tanks on the property and now I plan to develop the garden. We don’t have a huge property, just your average suburban backyard but careful planning should allow for maximum rewards. The thing is, I don’t really know much anything about gardening, I am more of a chuck it in the ground and see what happens kind of woman. All I know is I like the idea of growing food and choosing dinner from what is in the garden. I also have two compost bins and a worm farm I am yet to fully utilise and the chook house needs replacing. If I had my way I would go all out, but for that I’d need a much bigger space, especially for all the goats I long to have. But for now, while the kids are in school and we all need stability we will make do with what we have and where we are. (which is pretty good tbh) One cool thing I have done is enrol in Milkwood’s next Permaculture Living course, which starts Monday. I can’t wait. I hope I learn loads and can implement it all...except for bees… can’t do bees… That aside, I am interested to see how I feel once I start gardening more. Will it help calm my mind, reduce episodes of anxiety and panic? Will I become a gardening addict, Will I finally get rid of the grass for veggie beds? Will I start growing a beard like Costa? We will see. Peace |
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