Reframing Resolutions
Every January, we’re handed the same script: fix yourself. Wake up earlier. Be more productive. Spend less. Do more. Lose weight. Try harder.
But what if the New Year didn’t ask you to become someone else?
What if it invited you to live more intentionally, in ways that nourish you and the world around you?
Instead of resolutions rooted in self-criticism, this year let’s talk about intentions—small, sustainable practices that ripple outward. Ones that support your well-being, your local community, and the earth, while still feeling joyful, abundant, and deeply satisfying.
Below are 10 ways to set intentions for 2026—no “new you” required.
Are you reading this at another point in the year? Why wait? There are no rules, so if something below speaks to you and doesn’t feel overwhelming, I encourage you to try it!
1. Set an Automatic Donation (and Let It Be Small)
You don’t need to give big to make a difference. One of the most sustainable ways to support a cause you care about is to set up an automatic monthly donation, even if it’s just $5 or $10.
Choose something aligned with your values—environmental conservation, food justice, mutual aid, local land trusts, or arts organizations. Automation removes guilt and decision fatigue while creating consistent impact.
Intention: I support what matters to me, steadily and realistically.
2. Volunteer Once a Month (On Your Terms)
Volunteering doesn’t have to mean overcommitting or burning out. A once-a-month rhythm is powerful—and manageable.
Websites like https://www.volunteermatch.org/ make it easy to find both in-person and virtual opportunities, whether you want to help locally or from your couch.
Think:
Sorting food donations
Mentoring or tutoring online
Environmental cleanups
Supporting nonprofits with writing, admin, or tech skills
Intention: I give my time in ways that fit my life.
3. Try One New Local Restaurant or Seasonal Food Each Month
Instead of restrictive food goals, try an exploratory one.
Each month in 2026, visit a local restaurant you’ve never tried—or cook with one seasonal ingredient you don’t usually buy. This supports local businesses, reduces reliance on long supply chains, and reconnects you with the rhythm of the seasons.
It’s pleasure and sustainability.
Intention: I nourish myself while supporting my local food ecosystem.
4. Visit a Farmers Market—and Go One Step Further
If farmers markets are new to you, start there. If you already go regularly, deepen the experience.
Strike up a conversation with a grower. Ask:
What was hardest to grow this season?
What’s their favorite thing they grow?
How the weather has affected their farm this year
These small exchanges remind us that food comes from people, not shelves. Try something new while you’re at it! Ask for recommendations - farmers love to talk about what they grow!
Intention: I build relationships with the hands that feed me.
Giardino Foresta at the Charlottesville Farmers Market for the holidays
5. Support Local Businesses for Life’s Special Moments
Birthdays. Weddings. Thank-you gifts. Holidays.
Set an intention to shop locally for special occasions whenever possible—flowers from a local farm, handmade goods, books from independent bookstores, art from local makers.
This keeps money circulating in your community and makes gifts feel more meaningful.
Intention: I choose connection over convenience.
6. Create a Seasonal Self-Care Ritual
Instead of rigid routines, align your care with the seasons.
Winter: rest, warm meals, earlier nights
Spring: gentle movement, fresh greens, clearing space
Summer: outdoor time, play, hydration
Autumn: reflection, preservation, slowing down
This kind of self-care works with nature, not against it.
Intention: I honor my energy as it changes.
Baking and cooking has always been a comfort task for me. That said, I don’t always have time to do it, so when I do, I soak it in!
It’s a bonus that it feeds my family, too.
7. Grow Something—Even One Thing
You don’t need land or expertise. A windowsill herb, a balcony flower, or an air plant is enough.
Growing something connects you to patience, cycles, and care—and often leads to deeper appreciation for farmers and ecosystems.
Bonus: flowers and plants offer emotional and spiritual nourishment, too.
Intention: I participate in creation.
It might come as a surprise that I consider myself a “lazy” gardener. I grow mainly perennials, which mostly take care of themselves.
These are hellebores and are the first to bloom every year (usually in February). Having easy plants like this allows me to enjoy gardening, not be absorbed by it. Perennials also helped me start the flower farm!
8. Reduce One Area of Waste (Without Perfection)
Choose one thing—not everything.
Maybe it’s:
Bringing reusable bags
Composting food scraps
Buying fewer fast-fashion items
Switching one household product to a refillable option
Make choices that fit your lifestyle.
Is it too overwhelming to wash reusable bags? Don’t make the switch. No place to compost? Don’t worry about it! It’s not practical for you.
No matter how “eco-friendly” your intentions are, stressing about it won’t make it better, it will make you stressed.
Instead, think differently: Can you safely walk to the next store instead of driving two blocks to get there? Great! You saved some gas! Can you double the batch of soup you’re making and freeze the second portion? Fantastic! Now you’re using less energy (from the power company and yourself) while making future you happy that you’ll have a meal ready at any time!
Sustainability sticks when it’s doable. Let’s be real, life happens, things get in the way. Go easy on yourself, do what you can, and most importantly live your best life.
Intention: I make thoughtful choices, not perfect ones.
9. Build Community Through Conversation
Set an intention to talk more—to neighbors, shop owners, growers, baristas, artists.
Community isn’t always built through big events; often it’s formed through repeated small moments of recognition and care.
Intention: I belong where I show up.
10. Choose Joy That Aligns With Your Values
Living sustainably doesn’t mean living small.
Choose pleasures that feel expansive and aligned—slow mornings, shared meals, beautiful objects made with care, time in nature, meaningful work, wearing the jewelry you love but have been saving for fancy date nights.
Think about how many things you are saving for the “right” moment:
The good wine
The special soap
The beautiful candle
The fancy jewelry you love but only wear “out”
Let this year be an invitation to stop postponing pleasure.
Open the bottle on a regular Tuesday.
Use the handmade soap every day.
Wear the jewelry while answering emails at your kitchen table.
These objects were made to be enjoyed—not stored away as proof of a life you’re waiting to live.
Choosing to use what you already have is also an act of sustainability. It honors the resources, craftsmanship, and care that went into creating them.
Intention: I allow beauty and joy into my everyday life.
A Different Kind of New Year
For 2026, let your intentions be less about self-improvement and more about self-relationship—with your body, your community, and the living world around you.
You don’t need to fix yourself.
You’re already part of something worth caring for.
Small choices, made consistently, can change everything.
And remember, you don’t need to wait until January 1st to start something new. If it feels right and doesn’t seem overwhelming, try incorporating it into your life no matter what time of year it is.
Farm Updates
Holy Market Season, Batman!
At the Charlotteville Holiday Market
The Holiday Craftacular at Eastwood Farm & Winery
At the Charlotteville Holiday Market again, set up for a solo trip when the husband wasn’t available
The Maker’s Market at Minerals & Mystics
What a ride. Oomph. Markets, illness, birthdays, snow, holidays. I managed to book at least one market every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Don’t think I’ll be doing that again!
But we made it through!
Along with the markets, we also celebrated my son’s birthday. A huge shout out to Decades Arcade for making hosting a birthday party really really really easy! And to Cake Bloom for an absolutely delicious peppermint chocolate cake!
Peppermint Chocolate PERFECTION
My family celebrates Christmas this time of year. This year was filled with relaxation (finally, no markets!), baking, and lots and lots of family time.
We always head to the Boar’s Head Resort this time of year to ooh and aaahh at their annual Winter Wander. As a former theatre technician, I’m always impressed by the amount of talent that is put into their light installations!
This was the new addition for 2025 they call the Glistening Grove. It was magical!
It sounds kinda cheesy, but the first Giardino Foresta Holiday Party happened in December - I had a really great day and got some wonderful news (see below) so it was only appropriate to celebrate! I’m so proud of how far this company has come since 2024, so I got lunch at Maple Pine Thai Kitchen.
Solo dining is so underrated
I’m really proud of everything the company accomplished during December! 2026 is going to be amazing. I have a lot to look forward to and even more to keep me busy!
Aside from markets, Giardino Foresta accomplished a huge goal: We are now Certified Naturally Grown!
Our commitment to sustainability, protecting the environment, and building soil health is a top priority, so it made sense to become certified.
I’m all for honesty and transparency, so having a really clear way to show the standards that are upheld on the farm was something I wanted to do. CNG posts annual inspection reports under each farmer’s profile, which gives consumers a clear view of how their produce/flowers/meat/honey are being handled if they would like to delve that deep!
It’s also a connection to a wonderful community of like-minded farmers, from whom I’ve already learned so much!
That’s great and everything, but what does this mean for you, the reader?
- Know that you can soak in all of the goodness of our products without the slightest concern of coming into contact with anything that could harm you or your family.
- Fully enjoy our flowers! Enjoy their presence and their fragrance knowing that all you’re exposing yourself to is pure, natural beauty.
- When you visit the farm, you can fully relax and dive deep into connecting with nature knowing that you’re in a safe space.
- For our florist customers: you can rest assured that with us, you’re only handling flowers: no preservatives, insecticides, or synthetic fertilizers in sight! Feel confident that you are providing pure, natural beauty for your customers.
Next up is getting the event space ready for the first events in the Spring, early spring planting, and all of the work that comes with running a farming business. But first, January! I’m taking it easy this month while nature is also at rest. Every time I take a step back and recharge, I’m reminded how necessary it is to focus on caring for me first. It makes such a difference!
Until next time, take care of yourselves and be the reason someone smiles today.
