It’s winter here at the Big Lonely Ranch (more on the name later). It’s been raining for days (YAY!), the days are short and to top it off, we’re being very frugal with the heat because the gas company somehow forgot to deliver and couldn’t schedule us in for a week when I called. Supply chain? Labor shortage? I never know these days.
This is the perfect time to spend planning for the coming year. If you read last week’s article (Storing it Up, or Letting it Flow?), you know that I am working on keeping the conduit of abundance open where my business is concerned. I know I need to invest time, money and energy into it to create what I envision. So for the past week, I have been taking my own advice and planning for the coming year. Online research and input from friends helps push me forward.
My plans this year include the beautiful place I call home, what we like to refer to as Big Lonely Ranch. I have lived here for a very long time, and often forget to look at it with fresh eyes, so I spent many hours in the rain just walking the property this week. I noticed things I never even saw before. The deer trail, for example, that was just begging me to explore. With a little branch trimming and a nip-‘n-tuck of some ranch wire fencing, I did just that.
Now, at just 2.5 acres, Big Lonely Ranch sounds like a funny name for a property that is neither big, nor lonely, nor a ranch for that matter! The name comes from a sign we found on the side of our road many years back. It’s carved into the seat of some sort of chair and reads (and I quote):
Big
Lonely
Ranch
Unkindsonsobitches
will not be
tolerated
Hah, what a treasure!
This is the perfect place to hold some mindfulness events, with nature’s healing in abundance. That might be day retreats, or nature celebration meditations, or the big one this year, labyrinth walks. Plans call for the installation of a labyrinth on “the lower 40,” something that’s been in the discussion phase for years, since I trained in labyrinth facilitation in 2017. Yikes – it’s about time!
In the interest of intention setting as well as accountability, I want to share my month-to-month plan with you. Some events will be free, and others will carry a registration fee. Some will only be accessible to Mindful Café members, and others open to all. Discounts, when applicable, will be available to members. This is definitely malleable and I’m looking for input from you, dear reader. If you have ideas, if you think a 21 or 30 day challenge is too long, if you want a particular workshop, please, please, please let me know by emailing me at mindfulcafe@yahoo.com.
February – 21 day Meditation Challenge
March – Labyrinth installation, “Welcome Spring” Meditation in the garden
April – Online workshop
May – Retreat month
June –“Welcome Summer” Meditation in the Garden
July – 21 day Nature Challenge
August – Online Workshop
September – “Welcome Fall” Day Retreat
October – 21 day Art Challenge
November – Online Workshop
December – 21 day challenge to a Happier 2024
So, what do you think? Drop me a line, and here’s to a happy, healthy, peaceful, expansive 2023!
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