A Consciously Slow Start to the Year
Snow, Wind, Rain, the Northern Lights, Some Comforting Food and Time To Create
It’s been a consciously slow start to 2026 for me here. January is still the middle of winter and only the start of the year on the calendar. The rest of the natural world does not spring into action on 1st January, it literally waits for spring. As natural beings, I find living with the seasons to be nourishing for my soul and essential for my nervous system. I only came across the trait ‘highly sensitive’ in the past few years and I definitely recognise this in myself. I’ve recently read ‘Highly Sensitive People in a Insensitive World’ by Ilse Sand. It was good to see many advantages of being highly sensitive described in the book as well as some practical ideas for navigating the world. I’ve realised that keeping my nervous system soothed is my number one priority. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been making decisions based on what is best for my nervous system. Of course, this isn’t always possible, there will be things that really do have to happen regardless, but in decisions where there is truly more than one option, I’ve been choosing the most soothing one. I’m interested to see how these conscious choices might add up over the coming year.
As we brave ourself for another wild and rainy day, I thought I’d sit down with a steaming mug of (plastic-free) tea and reflect, a little, on the year so far.
January started cold and frosty, even here by the sea where it’s rare. We had a sprinkling of snow one day and frost on the beach another. I love this kind of weather: crisp and cold with sparkling white where the sun hits the frost or snow.
We even got treated to the Northern Lights, a week ago. Something that I never expected to witness in the south of England. This is what we could see through a phone camera, no filters used.
As always, I’m continuing my mission to reduce waste in 2026. This has included trying a couple of different food ideas. Firstly, mincemeat porridge. We had a little bit left from making mince pies so I’ve been adding some to my morning porridge along with some seeds and oat milk. A taste of Christmas on a chilly January morning!
Yesterday, whilst the rain was pouring down outside, I made easy, no bake carrot and oat bars. Cereal bars are great for packed lunches but are packaged in single-use plastic and many are ultra processed whereas these were made with real ingredients and no plastic.
Taste tested by me and my teens, so far it’s 100% thumbs up. 👍
I used the recipe for carrot and oat bars from the Riverford website.
Here are the ingredients I used:
We had a big supermarket delivery last week, so this week we are just topping up with shopping when we’re out and about. I regularly drop one of my daughters at the train station and there is an M&S food store right next to the station. Now, if you’ve ever been to M&S you’ll know there is lots and lots of single-use plastic packaging but it is possible to buy some items without plastic. I bought loose fruit and vegetables as well as red lentils, cous cous and stuffing mix in paper packaging.
I’ve been mulling over whether to write a second edition of my book ‘52 Tips To Reduce Waste’ for a few years now, often thinking I’ll start this at the beginning of the year but later realising (when it hasn’t happened) that January is not the right time to start new projects. If I do begin this second edition, spring will be the time. However, strangely enough, probably because I’ve started the year slowly and intentionally making decisions based on keeping my nervous system soothed, I’ve actually designed some of my own products. It’s been fun and without pressure and I’ve even just launched them into the world! There is my ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ tote bag made from 100% organic cotton in a factory powered by renewable energy. It is designed to be sent back and remilled once it’s finally worn out, so it creates a circular economy. I’m designing products that are sustainable, so that people have this option when they need to buy something new. I’d still encourage everyone to refuse to buy new items they don’t need, reduce the amount they do buy, reuse what they have, repair what they can before they even think of buying a brand new item. My tote bag completes the circle of ‘Rs’ because, unlike many bags, it can be recycled. There is a QR code in the label so that it can be sent back and remanufactured when it is worn out.
Wishing you a safe rest of January - be careful if you’re in the UK today and have a weather warning in place, like us. Maybe spend some time at home, if you can, and make some plastic-free snacks. Let me know if you try the carrot and oat bars or if you have any recipe recommendations.
