Accomplishments?

As my active two-year old has decided that she no longer needs a nap, I am left with the exhausting task of trying to "accomplish" something every day. Anything. This leaves me wondering: how do other folks with small, active people in their lives try to start a new business?

Sometimes I wonder if I am trying to accomplish too much. My writing course, our farm, our nursery, and even our garden seem like monumental tasks when I can't interest her in something for more than twenty minutes at a time.

I love her so much, but {holy crap!} do I need help sometimes.

The Journey Begins.

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!

Dr. Seuss is a steadfast source of inspiration; the profundity in his books belies their childlike innocence, and Oh the Places You'll Go is one of my particular favorites.

Our journey is finally beginning, after years in The Waiting Place.
We are in the process of finalizing a rental (with the option to buy): a century-old farmhouse on 2 1/2 acres. It's a fixer-upper, but that's been my personal dream for . . . well, ever. I've always felt in my heart a pull towards an old house, one that was waiting to be restored to its former place of honor. Old houses have so many stories to tell, and it saddens me to see them neglected.

Anyway, not only are we going to get a start on our mini-farm (garden + chickens), but we'll also be working for a farmer a little south of there next year. He raises chickens and small grains plus a market garden, but the cool thing about him is that he does a lot of his work with draft horses which we'll learn how to drive.

It's amazing to me how fast everything is happening. Honestly, now that the dream that I've held on to so tightly is finally within reach, I'm a little frightened. It's like standing on a cliff and seeing the clear blue water below and knowing that you have to make a crazy jump to reach the good stuff. What's going to happen on the way? What are we leaving behind? There will be risks, sure; however, to me, the risks of not taking each step towards our goal far outweigh anything that might happen.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose. Funny, once we actually picked a direction, Things started to happen.

Great Places, we're on our way.

Have You Made a Bucket List?

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do."

~Mark Twain




A while ago I made my "bucket list," or things I want to do before I die. I think it's a great idea to brush off all those crazy dreams we have and let them have the option to become a reality. So, here's my top 25 (in no particular order):


1. Get another Harley
2. Go on a cross-country Harley trip
3. Go parasailing
4. Go white water rafting
5. Create a learning environment on our property for other folks interested in farming
6. Visit Prince Edward Island
7. Backpack Alaska
8. Ride Harley on Going to the Sun Road in Montana
9. Volunteer in a different country
10. Snorkel in Australia
11. Go on an African safari
12. Publish a book
13. Create a widely read blog
14. Visit New England in the fall
15. Become sustainable (food and utilities)
16. Build a successful business
17. Support a charity or cause I believe in
18. Go on a cruise
19. Go on a Louisiana glass-bottomed croc boat
20. Learn to live in the moment
21. Visit Glacier National Park
22. Decorate our house the way I like
23. Design the log cabin we want to build
24. Travel the world
25. Farm!




What about you? Do you have any dreams that you've dismissed as impossible? Maybe making a list like this would be liberating -- give it a shot. :)


Photo: faeryboots