The Beginning

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!