The Year I Stoped Exploiting Myself

And fortified my Queendom.

Some people come up with a “word of the year” to encapsulate what they are calling in for the New Year. I’ve never tried that before, but if I had to call an energy around what I’m intending for 2024, that word would be, FORTIFY.

Fortify my Queendom.

To me, the word fortify means to make stronger, to protect, to call in support and to create a circle around that which is worth preserving.

Sometimes it takes a long time to come to the most obvious of realizations. (Can anyone explain to me why that is??). Even though I’ve been traveling to Latin America for over 15 years now, this latest trip hit me over the head with stark realizations and revealed some grief patterns that I am finally willing to let go of.

It took living in my dear friend Cecilia’s home in Honduras to visually SEE how she supports her family with many adults sharing in the work load of running the home. There is a driver, a gardener, a nanny, a cook and housekeeper and many others who support her plus a fully functioning extended family who live just a few doors down.

Now I know what you’re thinking. It’s different there. There are downsides to that too. (Or maybe those are just MY internal thoughts). And trust me, I have so many more, like, “I would never be able to afford that kind of help in Canada” and, “I want my children to be capable of doing purposeful work”, “I’ve tried, there’s no one”, “that is so lazy of you to want that”.

This is all true and it’s also not. It’s nuanced. What I’m open to now is a large grey area which makes everything I desire a possibility, if I am willing to co-create it with the Universe.

My new reality and belief system is that I can have lots of help and support in running my family, home and business in a way that is sustainable and very achievable. That it is easy and effortless. That there are people who would LOVE the opportunity to be a useful part of my home, family and businesses. I actually *cannot* believe that JP and I have spent the last 15 years raising this family and beautiful life entirely on our own steam. Maybe it had to be this way, maybe there is wisdom in it. Surely my capacity is HUGE.

And.

I’m ready for help, for loving support, for knowledgeable hands and hearts who are capable and willing to share in the load.

What’s my ideal? The sky’s the limit. A groundskeeper and gardener who shares my passion for growing food and medicine in a beautiful way. An energetic and loving and creative childcare provider who enjoys awesome kids. A detail oriented fairy who adores laundry and organizing and helping me keep a minimal, beautiful and functional aesthetic in my home. A farm hand who loves caring and raising animals for food and biodiversity. A cook who is obsessed with nutrient dense food and preparing it, keeping my fridge and pantry stocked and everyone’s thermos’s stocked with real meals. Who loves administration and travel and would be thrilled at the idea of keeping my inbox clean, help me run my websites and plan international retreats?

FORTIFY.

How about you, loves? What are you craving and desiring for yourselves this new year?

The sky’s the limit. If we can dream it, we can create it!