2024 was definitely not my best year. I struggled with almost every aspect of my life. For as long as I can remember now, it feels like I’ve always tried to find just the right combination of work, household tasks, well-being, personal relationships, and recreation. I have never quite nailed down the formula that would yield the most productive lifestyle while allowing me to do all the recreational things I loved doing. 2024 was overwhelming because a few other factors were thrown into the already impossible equation. Gardening is something I have enjoyed doing for many years, but things were just so overwhelming back in spring, it felt impossible. I started to question why I even bothered because it felt more like a chore at that point than a hobby. I ended up taking a break from gardening last summer because I needed to focus on other things.
Despite that pause, I still struggled with last year. As I reflect back on 2024, I don’t feel like I really accomplished anything. The worst part about this is I feel I have run myself into the ground, constantly go, go, go! Always on the move, always doing something because there is so much that needs to be done. And then when I sit and think back on 2024, I am like, “What have I done?!”
At the beginning of every year, I go through and make out a list of goals for the year. I just save these in a Word document on my computer. Almost always, they do not get done. Most times, I just copy and paste the previous year’s goals into the new year. So I kept 2024’s goals simple. I had 3 general, main goals with a few things listed under each that I would have liked to get accomplished. There were about 10 things I wanted to work toward for 2024, and it’s depressing when I realize none of them were fully accomplished. Some of them I didn’t think twice about once they were written down. A small effort was made here and there with a few of them, but I don’t feel it was something I could check off the to-do list for 2024.
Lack of motivation is one of my biggest culprits. I just haven’t cared. And I’m always so tired. I think a large part of this is due to a hormonal shift. I am 45, and in the past several months, my menstrual cycle has started acting a little strange when it is normally very consistent. Tell me I’m not the only one Googling weird stuff?!
That is Merriam-Websters’ definition, and it sounds spot-on. Well, sort of. I’m actually not a fan of change, but I feel it’s necessary at this point because I would like to be happy. I have to wonder if most “midlife crises” are brought on by hormonal changes. And as we get older, things don’t work as well (like eyesight 
). Things start hurting more (my hip and shoulder 
), so we can’t do things as well as we used to. Our bodies change (spider veins, psoriasis, weight gain 
). This makes us reflect back on times where things seemed easier and more manageable.
In my case, I know not all of it is due to hormonal shifts. I am in the worst physical shape of my life. I eat whatever I want without thought. I weigh more now that I ever have in my entire life. I get zero exercise. I know these 2 things can really boost energy and help release pent-up stress.
I let a lot of unplanned things get in the way and am the absolute worst about setting boundaries. For someone who claims they love routine, I am the most spontaneous routine-craving person I know. I have tried planning what to do on certain days of the week so I can better focus my attention and energy on what I need to get done, but half the time I don’t stick to that. Working from home has some major drawbacks – like distractions and other things you get the urge to do rather than the work you should be doing.
Going into 2025, I am already so behind with so many things. It’s very discouraging. Some mornings when I get up and sip on my first cup of coffee, I just stare at my computer screen and wonder where I should even start. It’s overwhelming. It won’t get done in one day. Not even a week’s time. We’ve all seen those memes where we contemplate what to start on and then decide to do nothing at all! 
This is one of the major things I need to work on for 2025 – my mentality. It doesn’t have to be all of nothing. Doing 30 minutes of something is better than doing nothing at all. And while I am not overly optimistic this is going to be the year things align properly and everything comes together smoothly, I am going to try. And I am going to document my journey here on this blog.
My hope in documenting this journey is to encourage accountability on my part. If I inspire someone else in the same situation as me, that is an added bonus.
This self-actualization process is not all this blog will cover. I have a problem with wanting to create a website and blog for every major interest I have, such as cats, recipes, woodworking, and gardening. And more blogs = more work, if I actually keep up with them and post. In all the research regarding blogging and blogger “success,” the blogger picks a niche and focuses on that. Home Decor. Gardening. Recipes. Animals. Homesteading. Fashion for a Certain Body Type. DIY Crafts. Budget Projects. You get the idea. I actually have a separate gardening blog I have been making an effort to post on more often, and I have been torn about how to proceed with that particular topic. For now, I am going to post some general gardening posts here on Life of a Gemini, but the more detailed posts will continue on my Southern Gardener blog since I really want to focus on gardening in the hot, humid southeast.
I have also been working to get a cat blog up and going to document life with 6 cats, but this will be here on Life of a Gemini. Two blogs (Life of a Gemini & Southern Gardener) are more than enough since I cannot post as often as I’d like anyway.
Bottom line: This blog will be everything. My self-actualization process. Working toward a healthier lifestyle. Posts about our cats and the things we do for them. Landscaping and gardening. Home projects. Recipes. You get the idea. I want to put everything here to make it easier for me to search for things. I can’t tell you how many times I search my blog posts on my gardening blog so I can remind myself of a certain detail or process I did years before. So having everything in one spot will come in handy for finding things I need for reference.
I hope the information I share can be helpful to you as well!