Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I'd like to take a moment and thank you for reading.

Every time I hit publish on another one of these "articles", I worry that I will lose my audience by straying too far from the subject of the farm and dwelling too much on habits.

The feedback I've been getting makes me think I should spend less time worrying about all this though.

I especially appreciate every one who has shared encouraging thoughts over the past week. This has not been an easy time for me, especially as it related to writing.

Between getting sick, tearing a bicep tendon, having our fourth baby, celebrating Christmas, and dealing with subzero wind chills and hauling water buckets to all the animals, there were times each day over the past week that I wished I never committed to all this.

If I were completely left to my own devices, I would have given myself a break. I would have taken this weekend off. I would have made every justification in the world for why that would have been okay.

The things is, that break probably would have extended into this upcoming week. Once you break the seal, it's hard to stop.

The momentum I had been building earlier in the month would have evaportated. I would have limped into the New Year with a fraction of the planning and goal setting done that I want to do this week.

Instead, I had you guys.

There wasn't a day that went by that someone didn't make a comment to me about the things I was sharing. Occassionally the comment was a direct "Well, it's getting late, you need to get up there and write something".

Other times it was just reaching out to let me know that you enjoyed what I had shared.

I was busy trying to convince myself that writing was pointless and no one cared so it was fine to give myself some days off, and there you were to fling all that back in my face.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

It doesn't really matter if the writing lately has been my best work or not. It doesn't matter if I'm just publishing snippets of what is essentially a journal. It doesn't matter that it's been short.

I've continued to show up, I've contined to hit publish, and I haven't broken the chain.

I'm coming out the other side of a chaotic week and a half excited to talk about goals and visions and finances.

I'm excited to get back on track, to get back into the daily rituals that help me make the most of each day. I'm excited to write more and dig into meatier subjects.

This upcoming week is one of my favorite weeks of the entire year. This is a week for big picture thinking and taking care of the things that are most important.

I look forward to forging ahead, together.

Some of the best content we've created up until this point has come directly from someone asking a question, so if you have anything at all that you'd like to ask or suggest, please don't hold back.

Anyway, thanks again for everything. I appreciate every set of eye balls here.

I appreciate the patience while we get things sorted out.

I appreciate the support when we're second guessing it all.

I appreciate the gratitude and the love and the excitement most of all.

If all that came from this experiment was a network of people with the shared goal of more love, gratitude, and excitement, I'd consider that a major win.

Love, gratitude, excitment - coincidentally, these are the real meaning of Christmas in my mind too.

I hope you've had a good one.

Life is good!