One of my "goals" this year is to step more gently and steadily, Reader.

Not too fast, not too slow, just sustainably stepping forward, sideways, or wherever I need to step to stay in sync with my body and nature’s rhythms, while managing socio-economic obligations.

Slowing down was a priority for the last few years, and I was really bad at it, haha.

When I felt good and filled with inspiration/energy, I would leap into a project, or an opportunity, and then quickly lose track of my capacity limits (which have been changing, thanks to burnout and perimenopause).

I would over-commit, do too much, and then crash.

I learned to let the crashes happen (rather than powering through), and allow myself a lot of time to rest and recover. But then I’d do it again. Over and over again, haha.

My passion and drive to share what I’m learning is just too hard to resist!

So this year, my aim is to move slow and steady, learn to dance gently with difficulty, and embrace the crashes when they come, which are kinda like personal winters, according to author Katherine May.

Item #2 of the Winter Wonder Scavenger Hunt is - ICE where you’re about to step! This means we have to walk more slowly and mindfully, honing our awareness, which is good for our brains and bodies. It trains our proprioception and interoception! The dangers in winter, as well as the dark, are lessened when we step more slowly and steadily, and notice them before slipping on them. Practice with me, document it, and tell me about it.

Although I aim to make them less dramatic, sometimes we can’t avoid the slips/crashes/winters, and just need to allow them to take us into the dark. This is simply a cycle of nature, really.

I'm reading this book called Wintering - The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. And it's is raising my self-confidence significantly, after many years of challenges.

These were simply winters, seasons of hardship, not failures or forever.

And I love winter now.

Through stories from her personal life, mythology, and research Katherine compares the season of winter to phases of life that feel dark and difficult, like “fallow periods.”

She defends these times as the soul’s cry for rest and encourages us to embrace the challenges these phases bring us, rather than avoiding or fighting them.

"Plants and animals don't fight the winter, they don't pretend it's not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in summer. They prepare. They adapt."

"Once we stop wishing it were summer, winter can be a glorious seasons in which the worlds takes on a sparse beaty and even the pavements sparkle. It's a time for reflection and recuperation, for slow replenishment, for putting your house in order." - Katherine May, Wintering.

Another goal of mine is to read more books - especially on the topics of ecology and memory.

Wintering - The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, by Katherine May - is one of 48 book recommendations I have logged and ready for you in the EarthCare Library.

I really love the way she writes and finds inspiration in nature, especially from cold-weather cultures.

This month we added a Compass-guided Book List to the EarthCare Library. With so much to read out there, I always appreciate a good recommendation, such as Wintering - The Power of Rest and Retreat by Katherine May. Thanks to Ashli Franck for suggesting it to me! On the List there are 47 more books and reviews, aligned with the 4 EarthCare Compass directions: awareness, connection, action and impact (12 books in each quadrant). Wintering is in Impact (north).

Some of my favorite books EVER are on this list - which is beautiful, by the way!

They have all enhanced my EarthCare journey immensely, like mini-mentors.

A third goal in 2026 is being more consistent with my Core Routines:

• Sit Spot
• Nature Journal
• Land Walking
• Cues to Care.

These routines help me stay connected to nature easily, and keep my ecological impact expanding locally.

So, Reader, have you been forming any goals yet this year?

It's ok if you're still easing into it... I would just love to hear more from you about your dreams and desires...

...is it a wildflower garden for pollinators, a rain garden for overflow, or a memorial garden for loved ones?

Is it helpful to get blogs, guides, checklists and curated materials/experiences from me?

...or do you want someone's hands and heart on your land with you?

Do you want to start an EarthCare business?

...or do you just want to find a sit spot, or plant your first garden, even if it's in a single pot?

Whatever it is, I wanna hear about it.

In this wild winter time of wonder together,

Kendra Marie Hoffman