I’m not one for new year’s resolutions. I am, however, a BIG reflector of a person. Ever since I was young, I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about what was and what will be. What can I learn, what can I prepare for? Like most of us I’m learning, being present is usually the challenge for me. That’s where my word of the year comes into play. It pulls me back to something I’ve chosen in those everyday moments of life, or the big ones that knock us to our knees.
My word for this year is TEND.
Tend to my self, tend to my son, tend to my marriage, tend to my garden. Tending the soil. Tend to my career. Tend to my health. Tend to my writing. Tend to my pain. Tend to my friendships. Tend to my money. Being tender. Cultivating a softness through strength. Tending is loving—to be tender. Tender is also money, honey.
Not even three weeks into 2023 I had to call strongly on my word. I got knocked down. Hard. The betrayal I felt stirred up an old relationship I had eleven years ago, leaving me broken, betrayed, and homeless. The memories resurfaced of how that breakup sent me on a journey of healing that led me to run a marathon, start saving to move to NYC, and ultimately meet my best friend and life mate. Out of pain, I emerged glorious. We all have stories in our lives like this. I just didn’t know if I had it in me this time. Resilience is exhausting. Can I get an amen?
But then I came to my word…tend. I allowed myself to lick my wounds and tend to myself. It wasn’t glamorous. Some days it looked like sleeping (all day) through the pain.
But I started coming around a couple of weeks ago and here I am. Feeling the power of my word and I wanted to share a couple of ways I’m tending right now. Maybe it will offer a little inspiration if you’re feeling stuck or a little melancholy as the end of the winter months tend to bring on.
Tending the soil 🧑🏻🌾
When I became a homeowner for the first time in 2021 my friend Angela alerted me to the county extension office. I am still in awe that this resource exists. To my understanding, most cities have them and they are usually run by a university (like your local aggie school). In Tulsa, where I live, OSU (Oklahoma State University) runs our Tulsa County Extension Office. How do I even describe it? It’s a magical resource that offers research and expertise-backed education around agriculture, gardening, nutrition, children's education, and programming all for free or very low-cost. Try googling “extension office” in your city and see what happens! You may have this untapped resource right in your backyard that can help your backyard 😉.
But I digress, what I used them for recently was testing my soil for nutrients (or lack thereof in my case). Some of my rose bushes in the back are dwarfed and some of them are thriving so I wanted to see if it had anything to do with the soil.
Soil is the foundation for everything. You know I love a good metaphor. And soil is an easy one to see. The soil of my garden. The soil of my life. Am I enriching my foundation with the correct nutrients? What makes up my foundation? For me, my foundation feels like my mental health, my physical health, and my emotional and spiritual health—basically, all of me. I am the foundation. Tending to my garden (and soil) is tending to all of these aspects of my foundation. Being outside with the birds and breeze eases my mind and brings me so much happiness. Working with my hands and body feels good for my bones. The garden is just an excuse, or a reason depending on how you look at it, to tend to me. And, for me, it’s a bonus joy when something sprouts up or the rose bush blossoms more fully because I pruned it. I helped make that happen.
And soon my depleted soil will be enriched and ready for something new. Working less hard to just do what it’s meant to do. Ahhhh, that is the joy of tending.
Tending to my health 🩺
I’m discovering that tending to my health is a constant in my life since being pregnant and having a baby. A non-stop queue of questions like “What is this acid reflux and how do I make it go away?” “Why does my wrist feel like it’s falling off?” “Am I really sick again because of daycare germs?!” The latest stop on this adventure was my first colonoscopy. My mom died from colon cancer in 2019 at age 68. She didn’t have her first colonoscopy until she was 61 and was having issues. She’d still be here if she had done it.
My review: 10/10 would recommend. The colonoscopy nap is one of the best I’ve ever had. And the day before “prep”, as they call it, was nothing to write home about. I’ll probably share more about my experience with it in a future newsletter, but for now, just know it is not as horrible as they say. It’s quite easy, and painless, and now I have the peace of mind that I won’t be dying from colon cancer. Tend.
Tending to my stars. 🌟
This one may be a stretch for you, so bear with me. When crisis strikes I think it’s very natural to go on a search for meaning—the soup de jour question— ”Why?”
My quest began. I’ve never been a big astrology person but I dabble in the occasional daily horoscope on my Instagram feed. Every year one of my favorite podcasts brings on their astrologist and friend, Heidi Rose Robbins, at the beginning of the year to do a mini look forward for each of the signs. But this time, because I was going through some shit, it sparked me to look at her website where I discovered you could get your progressed moon chart from her for $28. “Ok, that’s not a lot of money and this could be fun,” I thought. It felt like a way to tend to my inner child and just play for the sake of playing.
What I am discovering, because I’m still playing and learning, is that my progressed moon is currently in the sign of Taurus in the 5th house. I found it interesting that your progressed moon moves to the next sign every 2-2 1/2 years and mine just entered Taurus last year. As I’ve learned, Taurus is a sign of birth (and yes, I gave birth 9 months ago so, ✅ 😲 ), building and growing, appreciating beauty on a whole new level, being willing to wait, and being patient. The moon moves much faster than any other planet in your chart and, by virtue of this, it allows you to be apprenticed in each sign at least two times (sometimes three). The 5th house is all about creativity, pleasure, love, and amusement. My moon being in the 5th house means there is a strong emotional need for self-expression and self-discovery. AHA! I’m writing this. You’re reading this.
Another observation I made is that my son is a Taurus ♉. There is a lot of strong Taurus energy happening in my life right now. I’ve been meditating on what it is trying to teach me. I’m learning about myself and it also feels like I’m tapping into some ancient maternal wisdom that I’ve barely scratched the surface of. Knowing my progressed moon location and learning more about what it means is inspiring me to have a little more fun, slow down and be patient, grow…TEND.
Do you choose a word for the year? If you chose one now, what would it be? I’d love to hear about it!
I hope to see you in the garden 🌱,
Cassie
Now what? Until our next conversation, I’d be tickled if you…
"Tender is also money, honey." *snaps* 🙌💰💪