We’re now a full month into this beautiful new year AND new decade! I just love fresh starts and new beginnings, how they’re so full of potential, possibility, and imagination.
New beginnings also inspire me to organize my closets, get rid of crap I don't need or use, and color-code everything in my planner for no real reason.
Aside from that, they’re the perfect time to set goals. One of my goals this year is to write at least one blog per month about life here in the jungle and post it here to the Fusion Home website at the end of the month.
I love writing, but I’m also easily distracted and the distractions of living in nature’s playground, combined with so many other interests and ongoing projects that I have going on, and add to that a touch of self-doubt and reservations in general about sharing my writing can sometimes make me… well, abandon my practice pretty easily and without too much second thought.
But, it’s a new year and alas - I’m feeling alive, focused, and ready to climb mountains, conquer my goals, and write, write, write all day long.
To get me started on the “write” track (clever, no?), I decided to make blog #1 of 2020 about my goals and intentions for the remainder of the upcoming year.
Ok, so here we go. Starting with...
My Personal Goals for 2020:
Goal #1: Write. Write blogs, write for fun, write for reflection, write to friends, write anything really. And don’t stress about “rules”. I will write and publish at least 1 blog each month inspired by living life as an expat in the Southern Zone of Costa Rica, living off-grid, and The Fusion Home in general (if you’re reading this, please feel free to get on my case if you notice I’m slacking. Mom - that’s you!)
Goal #2: Run another half marathon. In December I ran the “Moon Run” in the world famous cloud forest of Monteverde, which was my first 22km in over 5 years. It was wild - muddy and mountainous and all on trails through parts of the protected forest that aren’t open to the public. It took me twice as long to finish as any half marathon I’ve run in the past, but that didn’t bother me at all. I loved it. It reunited me with a side of myself that I had left behind since moving to the jungle, and made me feel strong and accomplished. (I should write a blog about it…)
Goal #3: Continue to ponder the mysteries of the Universe (obviously) and dive deeper into Self-study with the “Gene Keys” synthesis. The Gene Keys is a fusion of universal wisdom, rooted in ancient mysticism and modern scientific insight. There is a program within the Gene Keys called “The Golden Path” that acts as a guide to help you discover your higher purpose and true potential (nerd alert!). For over a year I’ve been studying and contemplating this knowledge and I’m about half way through this Golden Path thingy. It’s not meant to be rushed, so I’ve been taking it nice and slow. My goal is to finish my initial studies this year.
Goal #4: Finish the year-long permaculture course that I’m taking online (it’s free!), and continue to apply permaculture principles and practices to my life and to the Fusion Home. I’ve been really inspired to learn more about permaculture since last April, when I went to Punta Mona - and incredible community/permaculture farm on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica that focuses on regenerative design and botanical studies. I have intentions to return to Punta Mona to complete an official Permaculture Design Course in the future, but in the meantime the bite-sized classes offered online by the Permaculture Women’s Guild have been a great way to build my knowledge base. ...so far I’ve only completed 17 of the 52 classes (there’s so much to learn!)
Which leads me to (drum roll…..)
The Fusion Home Goals for 2020
(inspired by permaculture and powered by Amy & Matt!)
Motivated by the little bits and pieces of what we’ve learned about permaculture, we want to take our journey of having a self-sustainable home a few steps further and become as regenerative as possible in as many ways as possible (there’s a difference between being sustainable and being regenerative, and it’s important - Google it). Permaculture has provided us with a path and a process to follow, and we’re going to strive to apply as many permaculture principles and practices to our homestead as possible this year.
Specifically…
Goal #1: Create BLACK GOLD!
We’re going to create an at-home composting system to feed and fuel our organic gardens and fruit trees.
We have already set side a perfect space next to our main greenhouse for a composting area. We already produce heaps of organic waste (egg shells, fruit peels, veggie scraps, used coffee grounds, cardboard, etc).We already have a ton of carbon and nitrogen sources in our yard (including a seemingly infinite supply of dry leaves).
And even though the Finca Bellavista community where we live actively uses food waste and organic material to create compost, it’s about time that we created our own composting system in our yard. I think it’s going to be what takes our gardens to the next level. I’m excited.
Goal #2: Increase our yield (aka grow more foodsies!), plant more perennials, and reap more of nature’s gifts. We’ve been slowly learning which veggies and herbs grow best in our yard and greenhouses and what their personalities are (yes I’m talking about my plants’ personalities!), who likes full sun and who likes a bit of shade, who are the more resilient plants and who are more prone to disease and insects. Lucky for us we live in Costa Rica where the growing season is all year round and if we run into problems we can try again right away. We’re going to finish the salad & herb garden right outside the front door that’s been a work-in-progress for months, and continue to plant more perennials, nitrogen-fixing cover crops, and fruit trees. ...and treat them all to beautiful, nutritious compost!
Goal #3: Work smarter with WATER. We live in the rainforest where water is abundant for most of the year. We’re so fortunate, and we don’t want to take that privilege for granted. We already harvest rainwater from the roof to fill our small plunge pool, but we want to up our game. Currently, any time we do dishes, shower, wash our hands, brush teeth, or do laundry ALL of that “grey” water goes down the drain and is gone forever. It’s single-use water, and it’s very wasteful when you stop and think about it. Water is a precious resource and we want to do a better job of treating it as such. We plan to design and build a filtration system in our yard, including a pond and a small waterfall feature, that will purify the grey water that we’re currently washing away and allow us to reuse it to water the gardens. The system will not only be purposeful in terms of reducing our water waste, it will also be beautiful and provide a habitat for dragonflies (and we looove dragonflies because they eat mosquitos and other annoying bugs, and they’re pollinators for our fruits and veggies!)
*Sidenote: The Fusion Home has flush toilets (an off-grid luxury!), which will not be connected to the grey water system. When you flush a toilet at the Fusion Home, the waste and water travels to an underground eco-digestor where it is processed.
**Other sidenote: I love composting toilets and I want to build one somewhere in our yard so we (and guests) can have the option of poo-ing more sustainably when we feel like it (while still having the option to use the indoor flush toilets) Matt isn’t quite sold on the idea. Need to do more research. Maybe a 2021 goal? 😂
Goal #4: Keep our current “hold the vision, trust the process” goals ALIVE! (aka our longer-term dreams for which we have no strict timelines, and will allow to unfold naturally - essentially how the Fusion Home was born!)
Those dreams are:
- Continue with the conversion of our 1988 Chevy G20 camper van, with the intention of embarking on an epic road trip from Costa Rica to Alaska. (#sorrynotsorry to my family members who think I’m crazy for planning on driving through Central America)
- Acquire a piece of land in the mountains of Costa Rica where we will build a simple, cozy dream cabin (off-grid, of course!) where we can retreat to for chilly weather (we WILL have a fireplace, right here in Costa Rica), grow strawberries and kale, and be surrounded by loads of hummingbirds. What more could you want, right?
Aside from those lovely and exciting goals, I have intentions for the year ahead (and beyond!) that I want to carry with me in all of my actions and interactions. These intentions can’t be seen or measured in the physical sense as with the above goals. Instead, they’re more energetic goals that must be sensed in the belly and felt in the heart (aka my favs)
-To continue to cultivate inner peace and joy, regardless of external circumstances (much easier said than done)
-To extend kindness and compassion to all beings (but with boundaries!)
-To slow down, let go, and really be present
And so it goes…
Interested in experiencing off-grid living in Costa Rica’s Southern Zone, or learning more about the Finca Bellavista community in general? You can book a stay at the Fusion Home
or any of the other rental homes at Finca Bellavista. If you have at least two weeks and really want to get your hands dirty, check out the Finca Bellavista volunteer program!
Other relevant links: