New Beginnings

Rapini broccoli growing in my backyard

This post is a bit overdue, seeing that it is already well into the month of January and the feelings of renewal are subsiding. 2011 was an awesome year for me. I met some amazing people who I now call my friends. Collectively, we built a tight-knit community of like-minded people in which we all pool our knowledge together and learn from each other. From this community, we helped contribute our energy and talents to The Growing Home (who recently started their first ever CSA), Cuatro Caminos Collective, and other urban farms, established the San Gabriel Valley chapter of Slow Food USA, and celebrated community and local food through potlucks. My discovery last year of local food sources astonished me and am so grateful to know that, here in the urban, homogeneous sprawl that is Southern California, there are people who, without pretense, are just as passionate as I am about sustainable living and the "back to basics" revival.

In addition to that, I developed an interest in herbalism and deepened my connection with medicinal plants. This new passion came out of nowhere and I am grateful for its appearance in my life and the wealth of knowledge it has given me. Plants and their energy have taught me to listen to my internal body and heal not only physically but spiritually as well. I have gained trust in plants' ability to heal the mind, body, and spirit. For 2012, I hope to continue to cultivate a deeper passion for herbalism and engage in more herbal projects.

Looking back, I can say that 2011 was a successful and amazing year. I'm so proud for all the things I've accomplished and thankful for the amazing new friends I made.

In 2011, I started this blog with the intention of sharing my growing interest in sustainable living (and my dis-interest in the modern-day consumer lifestyle) and a place for me to express my thoughts on the sustainable food movement. Since then, I can say that this "growing interest" has solidified and have since made a conscious decision to live my life conscientiously with a deep respect for the Earth while practicing a healthy lifestyle. "Less is More" is my main mantra. I hope to continue to document this journey on my blog through 2012.

Before I end this, I want to say to whoever reads this, thank you. Thank you for reading and connecting.

I know 2012 has a lot of amazing, new things in store and I can't wait to see what they are!

Love and light,
C.