Welcome to 2026. The Great Reset.
A new year, a new calendar and a new planner... a wonderful chance for a complete reset.
Mine began last year but I started out with a survival mode mindset and wanted to conquer a lot of big things. This year I want to turn my attention more onto myself and my home. If ever we needed a calming and organised home it is now. Being happy and content at home is a just beautiful thing. I really know that my surroundings affect me a lot. Walking into a beautiful and comfortable room is glorious! On the flip side a cluttered disaster makes me anxious. Seriously, this is the last thing I want... hence I need a reset!
Sometimes we only see what our home looks like when we return from being away and see it with fresh eyes. And sometimes we are just used to things the way they are and don't realise we have choices. It took hearing how Stephanie turned a whole bedroom into a walk in pantry and wishing I could do the same to eventually make me realise that I had a whole room (that used to be Andys office) that I could use any way I want. I just had not even considered it. Then it dawned on me... oh! I have a potential whole room pantry.
Several of my friends lost their husbands in 2025. Many of us have to make changes for all sorts of reasons.... much of the time we don't realise change is even possible... like me with the office. But I have reached a point now where I think I can have any colours, any style, any use for any room... there are no rules. I can have any routine, any schedule... and plan my time however I want. All this freedom can be daunting.
It is almost two years since Andy died. At first life was a day by day proposition. I have shared before some of how I got through that time. And then how I set about 2025 with a list of things that needed to be done. Now I am ready for a major reset. After being off my leg for several months I need to get that strong again and get my fitness back. And I need to go room by room, cupboard by cupboard and draw by drawer and clean out, organise, donate, give away everything I no longer need or love.
Now... I am a prepper. That will never change. I can rescue any family member at a moments notice with a generator, fuel, extension cords and jerry cans through to first aid and a months worth of food at a moments notice. If necessary I could do that for several families at once. I put it as a highest priority to be as self sufficient as I can and in a position to help my family and others in a crisis. (If you haven't taken my 30 Days to Better Preparedness course that is in the index.) I will always continue to build and update these areas. So for this challenge I will be doing things like taking an inventory, organising my big freezer, adding to my pantry room etc.
But the rest of the house well... no one needs all the random odds and sods that somehow build up. An empty space is much nicer than decor you don't like much, furniture that just sits there, ornaments that collect dust and stuff you just don't know quite what to do with.
I do best in calm spaces that I think are beautiful. I hate dusting, so there's that. I just feel like every surface in the whole house needs every single thing removed so that I only put back a quarter of it.
To keep me accountable I will share in my Friday posts my reset work for the week as well as my health and fitness efforts. At the moment I can have a whole day without my leg hurting if I don't over do it. I can walk down to the orchard to turn on the irrigation. But... if I was really busy all day or I walked up a hill or something my leg would ache a lot at night. I just want to build up to being "normal" haha.
Mostly we all know what we need to be doing. But it can be daunting to begin. If you would like to join me we can share our progress week by week. Truly no matter how big the task is it really ins't too bad when we do a little each day. We just have to get the ball rolling.
On my immediate radar.... I am getting rid of a large unused desk and several smaller bits of furniture. A
The goal.. is to have a simplified and beautiful home with a working sewing room that I make lots in! Setting up our spaces for success is important. For our own health and happiness we want to have at least some spaces we can work on our projects or read or have quiet time.
I want to have a beautiful outdoor eating area and front an back porch.
And to be back to my active self plus fitter.
So that is the plan. A reset. I've started and am gaining momentum!
What would you like to aim for this year? Truly if we don't set goals we don't achieve them. The goals I did set and achieve last year - like joining a church family, attending Mass, doing more for the community... I will be building on those too. These all were huge for me. Huge in my healing and progress. I am so very glad I took the time to think things over, make that plan and take those first steps. I KNEW one thing for sure, even when I didn't know much, and that was God had a plan and mission for me and I had to embrace that.
Now we have the opportunity to reset again, look at the course we are on and maybe steer the ship a little right or left. But we can do that as small decisions and changes can become enormous over the next 3365 days!
I THINK I still have a post coming about managing the pressures we are under re food, electricity and basically everything. This year was daunting especially for families feeding growing children. This all goes in under the "we were born for such a time as this" banner. All the things we have learned, all our skills and determination are going to be important. Patsy coined the phrase about having eyes to see opportunity. To look at things in different ways. So we will work on these things too.
Chloe gave me this bracelet for Christmas.
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