Rooted and New Years Resolutions

This originally appeared on Medium. You can read it there too.

What do lowly root vegetables and New Year’s resolutions have in common?

Are you a resolutions person? Do you pick a word of the year? Is there a specific way that you participate in our cultural’s annual self-improvement orgy?

I’ve been resistant to both resolutions and theme words for years.

Avoiding New Year’s resolutions seems practical because statistically they are doomed to fail. While I could certainly become a resolution-keeping anomaly, I reject the notion that I have to change or improve myself suddenly on January 1 and generally prefer a gentler and more energy-driven approach to transformation that is not related to the Gregorian calendar or external cultural/social expectations.

Eschewing the typical “lose weight, stop complaining, be more productive, declutter the house” type of resolutions doesn’t mean I don’t value health, a positive outlook, focus and a tidy living space. It just means I don’t want to do it on someone else’s timeline. Rebel much?

As for the theme words- well in the years that I did pick a word of the year, I inevitably forgot it sometime in February and never thought about the word again. So the word’s ability to help guide and influence my year in a subtle way was pretty much lost.

This year is different.

A word surfaced for me over the holiday season that would not dissolve amongst the to do lists, the goals, the activities of the new year.

That word is rooted. I suppose it’s fitting then that it’s taken up stubborn residence in my psyche.

Rooted feels for me like an excellent guiding principle for this year especially after 2020. Last year we literally uprooted ourselves twice over and and started putting down roots in a new country. We experienced the uncertainty of contracting covid and unemployment. We navigated the early stages of diagnosis and healing my daughter’s four year long illness. And like everyone else around the world we waited to see how covid would impact our society in the short and long term.

We stayed rooted to some things- our family, our hope, our immediate natural world.

But it was a year of incredible change and breath-holding incertitude.

My antidote to 2020 is “rooted” as my theme for 2021.

As I have lived with and pondered this word in my mind, turning it over and over like a smooth stone, I’ve discovered some qualities of rootedness that have helped me clarify what I desire for myself and my family and the land in 2021 through the lens of roots.

Roots are Nourishment

Above (or should I say below) all, roots are nourishment. Actual food for the plant above the soil but also hearty meals for those animals and humans who harvest the roots that grow below. Here in the Dominican Republic we eat sacred roots like yucca which has incredible antioxidative power in a humble looking package.

I long for a sense of rootedness that nourishes me on all levels- my physical body as well as my mental capacities and spiritual self. This year I’ll be seeking out new ways of feeding my roots and it could include things like exercise and a healthier diet as well as meditation, journaling and the like. But instead of coming from a place of self-flagellation and “must change” it will be from a place of wanting to create a symbiotic dance- nourish my roots so they can in turn nourish me.

Roots are Storage

I find it so interesting that roots have an incredibly long shelf life, even here in the tropics. They gather and store up energy from the sun to be used later.

On a physical and metaphysical level, I desire to be rooted this year so that I can store up nutrients and energy that I may need for another time in my life. Last year (and the years prior) was incredibly depleting and this year I want to strengthen my stores of resilience and my capacity to hold paradox. I’m certainly hoping this year is a bit of respite from the hardships of years past but I also know that an abundant storehouse of all manner of resources can only help us in some future season.

Roots are Stable

The wind is powerful here. While we are not in the Caribbean hurricane path, we do experience windy days and nights. Rest assured that the native trees here have strong root systems that marry them with the earth and rock to ensure they withstand the pressures of winds, rain and storms.

Roots provide the stability for the gorgeous plants above the soil line to thrive and reach ever higher. I love that imagery because of course I want to be like a showy palm tree stretching my branches to the sky and growing gorgeous coconut fruits. But in order to climb higher and achieve my goals, I know that I like these trees require a solid foundation with strong anchoring roots.

Roots are Jewels

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that one of the most commonly grown variety of sweet potatoes in the US is called the Jewel yam (it’s not actually a yam). Root vegetables like the sweet potato are valuable and rather jewel-like in appearance. Think of radishes with their ombre skin and beets that are deep reddish purple peeking out from the dirt much like precious stones.

Because of their incredible value it’s important to treat them well- like you might treat a jewel- in plants’ case that means aerating the soil above them, ensuring they have adequate water and sun.

In the modern world it is tempting to tend only to that which the eye can see- the visible parts of ourselves and our lives and our work. But if I’m cultivating (lol) rootedness, then the invisible becomes more important. My roots might be hidden away but I continue to nurture them because of their inherent value whether anyone sees them peeking out or not.

Roots are hardy

Like the aforementioned jewels, roots share another characteristic with precious stones. They are durable. Potatoes and yams and yuccas can all be tossed around without bruising, stored for ages (in a cool spot) and stay edible.

My friend Kimberely Arana calls this quality in a woman the “unshakeable soul.”

Healthy, hardy, deep roots are vital to enduring the onslaught of this existence with its traumas and indignities both large and small. Ultimately we as a species are survivors, and roots sustain that survival.

Roots are Self-Generating

Did you know that you don’t need seeds to grow a potato plant? All you need is a potato. Stick the veggie in the ground and it will sprout and grow into a new plant.

It has all it needs to reproduce in the roots.

I love this concept because it indicates that if your roots are strong, you can go just about anywhere, plant yourself and thrive. That is powerful!

Roots are humble

In many cultures roots are the food of the poor for the reasons discussed above- they are cheap, nutritious, and hardy. Once a culture attains a certain level of wealth, eating root vegetables can become declasse.

This lack of pretension is a vote in favor of roots who ask for no adoration and make do with what they have. Regardless of my goals, I want to remain rooted in who I am and my values like the humble roots in the hills around me.

Exploring the concept of rootedness has led me on a journey into the earth, into myself and into what truly nourishes me. I think this will be the year that I finally remember my word of the year and I’m looking forward to seeing what grows underneath and above the soil.

If you want to live in a more rooted way…creating sacred reverence in your daily round and get things done, please check out http://www.ritualandreward.com