A Year of Change

There has been a handful of years in my life that were full of change and growth. This past year is a year that will compete with those other transitional time periods. This post is written for me, but perhaps others will enjoy hearing about my life.

Career

Although I am still in the same position as the previous year, this year I have experienced growth in a new way. With the adoption of an ELA curriculum, I feel more connected and purposeful with classroom teachers and students than I have have ever felt. I am supporting learning and my ultimate goal, an urge to want to know more and instill a love of learning. I feel like I really know my place in my role and how I fit into the education puzzle.

Another way I have grown is by attempting to find a better work/life balance. I am spending less time working at home on projects and really trying to make the most out of the time I have at school. I felt guilt about this initially, but I am seeing how it makes me a better LRC Director and allows me to be there for my students because I can take care of myself.

Health

It may not feel like it right now since I’ve been sick for about a month and a half, but this is the healthiest I have ever been. Although I’ve lost 25 pounds this year, that is not what in contributing the most to my overall health growth, but rather an after effect to choices I have made. I will talk about some of these pieces in more depth below, but by going vegan with a whole-food, plant-based focus, getting rid of alcohol, and adopting spiritual habits, I am truly changing my physical being, as well as my mental wiring. I am seeing life in a new way and I am very excited to dig deeper into this next year.

As I write this, I am in a bit of a rut. Feeling sick plays with me mentally, but even so, I have hope and know that joy and fulfillment are near.

Diet

I started the year as a vegetarian, and began my vegan journey in May. I learned quickly that just getting rid of animal products was not enough. It is very easy to be a junk food addict while still being vegan. In the summer, I made the shift to a more whole-food, plant-based diet. I am not 100% perfect because I still use oil and a few other processed foods, but I would say I am about 95% there. I will occasionally eat an Impossible something or indulge with rich coconut milk in my meals, but overall I eat very healthy. My main focus is a diversity of plants. I follow Dr. B and believe in building a healthy gut microbiome. I have found a new love of cooking and eating since making these changes and I can’t imagine ever going back.

Spirituality

I have always believed in a higher power and a transcendent way of thinking. This year I started trying to figure out what I actually believe in. I am listening to the Bible as an audiobook (it is a bit lengthy) and I am adopting a meditative practice. Although Buddhism interests me, I would say that the meditation I am doing is less religious and more a mindfulness practice. I have read several books and listened to many podcasts to try to figure out which form of meditation I want to adopt. At the moment, I am attempting to do 10 minutes of meditation a day with focus on the breath. I have tried meditation with a mantra, but I have found I am less able to concentrate. My goal is to increase my morning meditation to 20 minutes and introduce an after-work meditation. The idea is that by meditating before the evening, I am able to be more present for time with family.

Meditation has really helped me as I have gotten rid of alcohol. Although alcohol served multiple purposes for me, one was trying to escape. Meditation has taught me that I don’t need to escape, but rather let go. I am able to confront my thoughts with more confidence and then release them.

Family

The year started with a time that was very scary and I felt insecure. Right before the new year I took both of my parents into the hospital. My dad hurt his back lifting mom and my mom had both a UTI and C Diff. The month that followed that was really hard. There was a lot of unknown and there were many fears I had to face. It was hard, but I did it. I not only learned what I can be capable of, but also that I am not alone. I thought this year was going to be filled with that type of experience, but things turned around. Best of all, my loved ones are here and I am so thankful for that.

Intellect

I feel like I did not read as much this year, but that was because I fell in love with podcasts. I took a bit of a break from children’s literature to work on some personal growth. My favorite podcasts focused on whole-food, plant-based eating and happiness. I highly recommend the PlantStrong Podcast as well as the Rich Roll Podcast if you are interested in those topics. I will share a bibliography below of resources I’d recommend for intellectual growth :).

Finances

I have never been good with money. I often spent money I didn’t have and did not create a budget. That has changed thanks to Dave Ramsey. For the first time, I feel educated on how to manage money and have a plan to turn around our financial well-being.

As I reflect on this, I can’t help but think how cool it is that certain people enter our lives and can make such a profound difference. Our financial growth journey all began with a brief conversation in the teacher’s lounge with a co-worker. I’m thankful that I am a person who is vulnerable and I am surrounded by people who are willing to be vulnerable with me. Through that, I feel so connected and life keeps proving that solutions are out there if you are willing to face your problems and open up about them.

Home

We have kind of been through a lot with our home and this year was no exception. In the spring we found out that our sewer line had a bow in it and that they’d have to dig through our foundation to replace it. Of course when they went in, they found more damage than expected and thousands of dollars later we have a new section of sewer line, an uneven concrete foundation, and a floor that has a dip in it. It is what it is, but we are really hoping we can have a break from all of these home-owner hardships.

I think the hard part is not feeling like we are in the clear or that we are safe. Michael and I are constantly on edge that something bad is going to happen.

Another dilemma that came from our house issues was me making the mistake of filing too many claims with our insurance. I had no idea that you can’t put in a claim for everything that could be covered by insurance because they will drop you. That is exactly what happened. Now we are on the insurance naughty list and get to pay more than double for our home-owners insurance. Lesson learned-the hard way.

Daily Choices

I’ve done a lot of learning this year, and one of those topics is about climate change. I’m scared. I’m worried about what our world will be like for my son and future generations. I think too many people don’t understand the repercussions of an increased temperature for our planet. It doesn’t just mean warmer days ahead or just stronger storms. It means drought, famine, refugee crisis, war, chaos. I’m one person, and I may not be able to fix this, but I can make changes in my life and try to share the message. So, here are some changes I’ve made to try to slow down climate change:

  • Stopped eating animal products-animal agriculture is a leading cause of climate change (methane gas is much more harmful than carbon dioxide)
  • Compost food scrapes to prevent landfill waste which actually takes longer to decompose and produces more gases
  • Reducing plastic use-no water bottles, utensils, grocery bags, etc.
  • Trying to use more green products like laundry detergent, soaps, cleaners, etc.
  • Reducing textiles in landfills and fast fashion by shopping at Goodwill

In Summary

This year has resulted in so much change and when I think about why all of this has happened in such a short time, I realize that Edwin is the reason for so much of my positive growth. He constantly makes me want to be a better person. I want to be a role model for him and be here. 

2024 Hopes and Dreams

This past year has brought so much change and I am curious what next year will look like. Here are some things I hope might happen for myself:

  • Continue to try to be more sustainable
  • Improve vegetable gardening skills
  • Become more financially fit
  • Travel – for real
  • Meditation becomes a habit
  • More time outside
  • Improve physical strength and flexibility
  • Try out many more recipes
  • Find ways to improve my community/the world
  • Create
  • Help others
  • Learn more

Bibliography (just some of my favorites)

Podcasts

Books

Documentaries

Feet to the Earth

, ,
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Leave a comment