Managing Hopes and Needs at the Threshold of a New Year!

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Hello, my friends! Javier here with your weekly Mindful Life curation. Just a few more days and we're in 2021! We'll have a wonderful and undoubtedly powerful Full Moon in Cancer today, a great time to nurture our emotions, find comfort in the company of those we love, and strengthen our ties while we review the events of this very atypical year. Rest assured, next year will bring its own unique surprises and we all have to be ready to take full advantage of the change in tone and vibe that's starting right now. The posts I chose for today deal with a few interconnected topics: Hope, Desire, Growth and Manifestation, all in preparation for that new cycle of life that we're undertaking as a species. This is a critical moment for us all, after this year I think we can say we're in this together and, for once, most people would truly understand those words at some profound level.

The first contribution of this edition is a personal insight by @lililuki, telling us about what, to her, is the most relevant aspect of the Christmas season. It's not the gifts, the attire, the fireworks or even the traditional food and drink, but simply spending quality time with beloved people, talking and feeling togetherness. She certainly did that this year and decided to give us a glimpse. ### [The most important thing about Christmas: Sharing](https://peakd.com/post/@lililuki/the-most-important-thing-about-christmas-sharing-lo-mas-importante-de-la-navidad-compartir) ---

It's a common practice all over the world to set resolutions for the New Year, as a way of finding inspiration and drive to tackle the possibilities offered by the blank slate of each yearly cycle. In this post, @miriannalis tells us about the overarching theme she chose as orientation for 2021, Evolution. That's indeed a wonderful theme to start a year with, isn't it? ### [A life theme to guide you in 2021](https://peakd.com/hive-120078/@miriannalis/challenge-find-a-life-theme-to-guide-you-in-2021-reto-encuentra-un-tema-de-vida-que-te-guie-en-el-2021-esp-eng) ---

Speaking about next year, I used the recent boost from the Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter as fuel for manifestation in the coming year. Manifesting can be tricky because it's always happening and, unless we're paying tremendous attention, we may not get the results we wish for. @fenngen tells us more about it in this really nice post. ### [Why your manifestation might not be working](https://peakd.com/hive-120078/@fenngen/why-your-manifestation-might-not) ---

As I've mentioned before, I'm a lucid dreamer. Dreams are a key aspect of my daily life, and @ecotrain has a weekly question going about the meaning of dreams. There are various entries already, and I chose this one by @vida-blanca, where she describes some of her oneiric experiences and the information they brought to her, coupled with her faith in God. ### [What my dreams mean](https://peakd.com/post/@vida-blanca/ecotrain-question-of-the-week-29-what-do-your-dreams-mean) ---

Dreams, manifestation, evolution, exploration... all of these things provide a suitable framework from which to approach a new year, and in this post, @divinebeingness tells us about his fortuitous visit to The Mystery Spot, a place in California where the tilting of the floor and perhaps other less obvious features provide quite an interesting twist of visual perspectives. Fascinating stuff! ### [The Mystery Spot](https://peakd.com/hive-120078/@divinebeingness/the-mystery-spot-in-nature) ---

The @abundance.tribe community also has a challenge going right now, prompting people to talk about the most powerful source of excitement in their lives, and here I bring @stortebeker's answer, which chronicles not only his work on a building using only ancient techniques, but also an awesome bicycle ride with a friend which took them from Vancouver all the way to the Mexican border! ### [What gets me excited](https://peakd.com/hive-181465/@stortebeker/what-gets-me-most-excited-about-life-abundancetribe-s-bi-weekly-question) ---

I've had my personal process with hope. I used to connect enormously with the concept and the feelings attached to it. Slowly, I realized I didn't need hope for myself anymore as I'd found a different kind of knowledge. But hope remains important for many, and it's necessary to understand how it works. @josediccus discusses this topic in this stupendous article. ### [The other side of hope](https://peakd.com/hive-123046/@josediccus/hope-the-other-side-which-we-probably-have-failed-to-acknowledge) --- I finish up this curation with a couple of beautiful contributions filled with amazing pictures taken and edited with great care. The first one, by @ewkaw, is written in English and Polish, and focuses on the lovely effect of bokeh. The second one, shared by @carlosadolfochac, is an impressive and magical compilation of images of sunsets taken in many landscapes.

### [Swirls and bubbles](https://peakd.com/post/@ewkaw/swirls-and-bubbles)

### [The light wrapped in poetry of colors](https://peakd.com/post/@carlosadolfochac/the-light-wrapped-in-poetry-of-colors)

#### In every curation, we reward one of our delegators as a 5% beneficiary. This week I randomly chose @bengiles

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Originally posted here: https://hive.blog/hive-120078/@naturalmedicine/mindful-life-curation-new-year-hope-manifestation-desire

A Letter to Me in 2019 - A Prickly Year or not?

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Hey there old gal, life was real good having spent a fabulous Christmas with the family and calling on close friends before the year ended. The house was filled with the *kids* and the girlfriend, your bnb brimful with holiday guests and you already had guests from your regular motoring companies booked for their training stints at the college nearby for mid-January. Life certainly was rosy, but things were about to change in a big bad way! My warning to you is *Proceed With Caution!* However, I would advise you not to postpone your dream Western Cape vacation with special friends early in March 2020. This will take you from the stupendous Overberg Mountain range to Cape Ogulhas on the tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet; and you will return home just before a harsh and draconian lockdown.

You with your rose-tinted spectacles, will be skeptical when your son warns you of something called the Coronavirus that he says will eventually affect almost every corner of the globe! Listen carefully to what he says; statements that will leave you quite perplexed but warning bells will start ringing as you know he is the most level headed kind of person, but one that does in-depth research into things of importance. Don't be surprised when he tells you: "Mom, I really did not think I would ever experience something like this in my lifetime!" And... "We may end up being forced to have a Skype Christmas in 2020." His first statement will become a reality and you will feel like you're in some Sci-Fi movie as you and your staff will eventually be dressed in kind of *space suits* with face masks, shields and gloves called PPE's as you will have to sanitize your bnb units between guest stay-overs.

Another bombshell will hit when the younger son announces that he's going to Russia on a working holiday in February. Knowing your imagination, you will have visions of him being arrested by the KGB and sent to Siberia should he put a foot wrong;) How wrong you would be on that one, as he would end up in something called lockdown over there and be taken in by a kind young Russian family where he will learn quite a bit about the culture of that vast and mysterious country. Hubby's going to be buying some face masks to slip into his luggage and both you and the son will shake your heads and roll your eyes, but beware, he will get to use those masks eventually; he will get back home with much difficulty on a repatriation flight!

A warning at this stage old girl; this word lockdown would become one of the most feared and hated words in the year ahead. Many would say that it's even worse than the Coronavirus that would end up killing over a million people worldwide before the clock strikes midnight on 31 December 2020. Lockdown will kill many big businesses as well, perhaps kill more people than the virus itself as its effect will not only be felt physically, with millions facing starvation, but the effects on mental health will be just as huge! As your bnb business is reliant on tourists, I will warn you about how tourism will be brought to its knees as travel bans get imposed worldwide; closing down and killing airlines, large hotel groups as well as resorts; the ripple effect will touch every sphere of business! Take heed old gal, your little bnb will also be forced to close its doors for three months and you know what that means! Don't let this warning stop your Cape holiday though, as those wonderful memories will be something to cling to during the difficult, very prickly year ahead. You will survive the financial drain with a little help from your Hive earnings, so thank you to all my Hive friends who have helped with this! When your country's draconian lockdown regulations are relaxed and your bnb opens up again, you will be busier than ever as accommodation bookings from your regular motoring companies will come flooding in as their apprentices need to be trained before the year ends, so rest while you can girl! Many lessons are going to be learned during the year 2020, that I can guarantee! You're going to learn to make do with what's in the pantry as you will be restricted with moving around, and that's going to be a valuable lesson. Visits to the doctor for every little ache and pain will lessen and you will start taking responsibility for your own health by making use of natural remedies, boosting you immune system and also start growing your own produce; thus becoming more self-sustainable. So it's not all doom and gloom! You will get to take another break on the lower South Coast of Kwazulu Natal just before the year-end holidays, with close family this time, and it's going to be a real special time; so close your eyes and just do it; no postponing! You will be fully booked for the Christmas holiday period and be totally exhausted and overwhelmed at times as you will let your staff go home to be with their families over this special period. Shall I say it again, rest while you can but make sure you stay fit and healthy! South Africa will not only experience its second Coronavirus wave at the height of festivities, but a variant of the SARS-COV-2 Virus - currently termed 501, will also rear its ugly head in your country. A very close friend will become infected, but he fortunately he is one that took charge of his health many years ago and this will stand him in good stead; his 59 year old sister in law however will not fare as well. A surprise visit from your son and girlfriend who you have not seen for the entire year, will be the highlight. He's been super careful and will stop you visiting shops and introduce you to the wonders of online grocery shopping; not only save you from crowded malls but also save you time and effort!

The president is going to address the nation again as infections will start spreading at an alarming rate. Lockdown restrictions will once again affect your little business and tourism at large, as most of the beaches of Kwazulu Natal will be closed, including other provinces in SA. Two holiday booking cancellations will follow! I think your bnb will survive as one guest will extend her stay and this should help see you through to the next season of guests from the motoring companies; that is if lockdown regulations are not tightened up again; holding thumbs for you and everyone else in your beautiful country! Stay strong my girl and never let those rose-tinted spectacles become clouded; it will just be another season along life's pathway; it too will pass! Much love from me.

A letter to me in 2019 is a challenge inspired by @livinguktaiwan. Check her post [Here](https://peakd.com/hive-124452/@livinguktaiwan/a-letter-to-me-in-2019) for more information. This has been my *Letter to Me in 2019*. I'm going to tag a few of my friends so you can send a letter to your Me in 2019. Tag some of your friends and use the #mein2019 tag. @fionasfavourites @ericvancewalton @papilloncharity @dandays

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Originally posted here: https://hive.blog/hive-124452/@lizelle/a-letter-to-me-in-2019-a-prickly-year-or-not

Planting the Seeds for 2021 {Gardening & Life}

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Regardless of the crazy year almost behind us, the last few days of any year I tend to get reflective about what has passed and also think about what might be to come. I can't say I generally make "resolutions" per se, but I do try to start making some plans and thinking about goals I would like to hit for the months and year to come. Even when times are uncertain, or perhaps especially so, I think it is still important to give yourself something to work towards, even on the smallest of levels.

2020 Catalog

For me, one of the joys of this time of year is looking forward to our spring garden. Last year my boyfriend's mother gave us our first seed catalog from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds for Christmas. I remember cozying up with a blanket and taking my time enjoying perusing the hundreds of wonderful pages full of plants. I dog-eared all the items I wanted to try to grow and eventually put in an order for our 2020 garden.

New to our 2020 garden

We had some great success with a number of the items I chose to add to our collection of saved and purchased seeds. The beans did well considering it was our first time growing them, and we learned some good lessons to hopefully have an even better harvest this year. I still have plenty of the seeds above to grow more in 2021. The lemon cukes were the biggest success, which shouldn't be surprising given how well cucumbers do in our climate. The patty pan and candy roaster squashes also offered up a fine yield, which we hope to replicate going forward.

New seeds for 2021

A few weeks ago I got the latest version of the free catalog from Baker Creek to inspire my choices to add for the coming year. Before making any purchases, I pulled out our collection of seeds from years past to get rid of any duds and see what we still had so I didn't buy more than we really need. We do save seeds from our own garden hauls and often from items I buy from local farmers at the market. Some of our best growers have been volunteers from the compost bin or seeds saved from previous hauls. Once I cleaned house, it was time to dream about juicy tomatoes and fresh herbs not too far in the future...

What's New?

We have quite a good herb garden already, but there were a few items I have been meaning to procure for a while. I finally remembered to add lavender to keep the pollinators happy and rosemary (how the heck did I not already have rosemary?) to my new order. We were also in need of more basil seeds since we were down to the last of the purple basil seeds from last year. I also decided to try planting some marigolds in a few of the beds as some of my online gardening buddies have suggested them for pest control. Plus, why not add some flowers to the mix?

We had some gorgeous tomato plants last year, although we fought a good battle against the caterpillars and squirrels to harvest many of the mature fruits. The boyfriend's golden fertilizer did so well we actually realized we probably overcrowded the beds, as well. Always a learning experience this gardening thing. I picked out a few different tomato varieties this year, a larger and cherry size since the smaller ones tend to make it to the plate easier with less snatching from the pests. A new eggplant was also on the order as we somehow missed growing any this past year. I opted for a green variety this time around since it is not one I've seen locally. That's one of the great things about growing your own--you can get heirloom items you wouldn't otherwise have access to!

Our fig tree we got this year from a clipping is doing quite well, as are our transplanted strawberry plants from another family friend, but as a fruit lover I wanted to add some melons to my dream harvest. My dad had some great success in 2020 taking control over his health and going mostly plant based in his dietary intake. Watermelon was his favorite fruit of the summer. Given that we had great success with a local heirloom this last year (the candy roaster squash), I opted for a Georgia variety of watermelon to try for this year. It would be wonderful to have enough to share with him as he continues his healthy lifestyle. My mother loves melons, as well, so we'll see how the Golden Jenny does for us, too!

The only rattlesnake welcome in my yard...

We'll also grow other staples like more cucumbers, some greens, summer and autumn squashes, along with whatever else we have in our seed collection. I still want to try to work on our planning for autumn/winter growing as we can't seem to get the timing right, but we tend to do quite well for spring/summer. As I wrote in an article for our holiday corporate challenge, just the fun of dreaming and planning what we might be able to grow is quite enjoyable for me. It's a great way to forget about any current stresses or challenges. Gardening can be hard work and there's always pests and mother nature that often put a wrench in your plans, but ultimately it is a very satisfying process. To put the tiniest of seeds in the dirt then watch it grow from seedling, to flowering, to fruiting--it never ceases to amaze me.

A monster cucumber plant from 2020.

There's nothing like watching that first pop of green coming out from the dirt once you start planting our seedlings. We'll start quite a bit of our spring garden indoors in just a few months, so it's easy to monitor the process daily. Plus there is just something so nice about it being cold outside and knowing once it is warm your little plant babies will really start to flourish. Growing from seed definitely takes more patience, but as I said above, you have so much more access to different plants than just buying plants from the local store. Though that can be a great option if you get started late or don't have the time to nurture a plant from seed. There are so many ways to dip your toes in the gardening waters. Whether you just grow a few herbs in containers or plan a whole yard full of outdoor beds, every little bit that we take control over our own food production is a beautiful thing.

Looking ahead...

There were a lot of things that didn't go the way I planned for this past year, but I'm happy to be looking ahead and thinking about what I want to accomplish in the days to come. This year taught me to be even more patient and flexible in many ways, but it also gave me lessons in perseverance and fortitude. Those values are important in life and gardening. And I have a feeling there will be plenty more life lessons ahead...

I'm just grateful to have an outdoor haven to look forward to escaping to again. Really, I know how lucky I am to have the security to do something as simple as gardening. I can only hope this coming year sees even more people starting their own gardens. I saw so many people jumping in this year, and it was a blast to follow along with them! I really have no idea what 2021 will bring as a whole, but there will be plants...lots and lots of plants...

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Originally posted here: https://hive.blog/hive-120078/@plantstoplanks/plantingtheseedsfor2021gardeninglife-jgumsc33mafefmhhva9v

My Actifit Report Card: December 29 2020

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Good evening actfit peeps I hope you've been keeping at it! I'm picking up the pace and tracking more. I'm finding the background tracking is a bit heavy on the battery usage but that's ok. At least I'm able to track a bit better. Tonight I wanted to talk about staying motivated and on track. I remember in my early days of training I found it hard and thought that the people around me had amazing physics and I'd never be able to look like any of them. I also thought that if I did, I'd be done and just maintain or I'd be happy. But the truth is, you're never happy with how you look. If you asked anyone with a great rig I bet they'd point out flaws. In fact it can even lead to unhealthy life styles. Chasing unattainable goals. Our minds are always geared to think we look bad or that we need to improve. In fact, I still look at myself the same way as when I was 116kgs overweight. I probably always will. So my advice tonight. Don't track your body by its looks, definition, physique track it by not tracking it. You're not competing, neither am I. Do what you're comfortable doing. Training is about a healthy lifestyle and ensuring your body can do for you what you need it to do. Don't stress the small stuff, set tiny goals and by the end of it, you'll achieve more by reaching those goals and feel great. See you all tomorrow afiters!
_This report was published via Actifit app ([Android](https://bit.ly/actifit-app) | [iOS](https://bit.ly/actifit-ios)). Check out the original version [here on actifit.io](https://actifit.io/@melbourneswest/actifit-melbourneswest-20201229t113931149z)_

11735

Aerobics

Originally posted here: https://hive.blog/hive-193552/@melbourneswest/actifit-melbourneswest-20201229t113931149z

The First Organic Vegetable from my Garden

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Gardening is not my forte at all, but I do love having plants around. With little knowledge that I have gained now, thankfully with a lot of tips from the Gardening post that I come across, I keep trying something or the other. For a long time I have had only flower plants in my Garden, which included Bougainville, Desert rose, Tulsi and Aloe Vera. These are easier to manage, so they are blooming well. Sometime ago I planted my first vegetable plant of Bitter Gourd and now I can see the Vegetable coming out. It's wonderful to see a vegetable plant growing in my garden finally. I never had the confidence of doing it, but now I am getting motivated after this one to try other easy growing veggies also. Started the process of potting it and I can see the leaves sprout out.

And it has started growing, this came up just within 10 days

And it grew up faster then I expected

My cook suggested that I should have a thread tie up across the railing so that the plant can spread out well

Finally the vegetable has come

It's growing very well. But I need to learn more about maintaining my plants.

There have been multiple of them growing up. Bitter Gourd is a very healthy vegetable and has ample health benefits. The major one being it helps reduce the inflammation in the body. I remember my father in law would have a glass of bitter gourd juice every day and he was the fittest man I had seen at his age of 76. He did have a very healthy lifestyle so it was all adding up. I am so happy for to see this growing up, it's the first organic vegetable from my Garden. It's all come up in a span of 1 month. I have now planted some onion roots, let's hope they come out well :-) ***Thank you for visiting my blog.*** 👼🏻👼🏻💖💖🌹🌺🌸

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Originally posted here: https://hive.blog/hive-120078/@nainaztengra/the-first-organic-vegetable-from-my-garden