A short email today, on habits, simplicity, and consistency.

Even during a mega-storm, times of sadness or sickness, keep doing the things that build your values and keep you open.

Sometimes it feels like life is too hard or too busy to do.the.stuff. But the habits we build to live more consistently true to our values are the things we actually do for ourselves.

Last week we lost six beloved animals to a dog attack- an aggressive dog came over from a neighbour’s property in the chaos of the storm. Then our kids got sick.

Anyway, in unusual times when we have every reason to be out of routine, it’s one of the best times to lean into habits. I don’t mean the trite “keep busy,” where you move fast to stay numb to hard things.

I mean you keep doing the small things that will help you grow, love, and stay (or get) healthy. You do these things in good times and hard times, so that when inevitable crises hit, the crises don’t compound. Ultimately, growing our farm is about growing as people and raising our kids, so I wanted to share habits that keep growing the farm and ourselves.

A few of habits have been really helpful this past week:

• I always bake bread and open on the weekends, and we always have something to sell, even it’s small. It’s about consistently seeing people and checking in, more than selling.

• Our animals’ needs create consistent routine for our kids, and our kids’ needs create consistent routine for Eugene and I. Being good carers means we always have the anchor of others’s needs

• Eugene and I spend time with our kids every morning. Knowing that we’ll connect makes the rest of the day a lot easier.

• We wake up very early every day, and the early quiet to be alone is always very good, so that we always have the anchor of meeting our own needs early in the day.

• I exercise every early morning, even if I’m a little sick and can only do a little exercise.

• We plant seeds and seedlings every week, even if the weather suggests a lower probability of success. If you plant enough, you’re going to have a lot of food!

• Eugene and I walk on the beach every day or second day, because we’re so lucky to have so many beaches nearby, and the beach always makes me grateful.

• We soak beans every week, which means we eat sprouted and cooked beans almost every day.

• I cut vegetables every day, which means we eat those veg every day. Somehow the cutting is the start of the habit.

• There is time to sort out crises, every afternoon. And if we’re lucky enough not to have a crisis to respond to, we are able to work on projects or maintenance or gardening or composting.

I don’t mean that we have anything figured out, but I thought I’d share some habits in case any of them are helpful to you. Some of them have taken many years to organise or set up or get used to. And of course there are many more habits, but I‘d love to hear how you fared in the storm, if you’re here in Cape Town. and …What’s a habit that’s been really helpful in keeping you well in hard times?

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