It’s finally here. The end of 2020. A time that almost all of us had doubts that we would never see. With March and April feeling like years away from December, we are finally at the end of 2020.

What a year it was. This was the year that I thought would be my best year. It started out that way. But, turns out, this was the year of major redirection. What felt like challenge after challenge was just part of the growing pains of moving forward to a new direction.

It was the end of my 20’s. I turned the big 3-0 in November. I thought that I would’ve achieved some of the goals I had before that time. But unfortunately, the pandemic happened, and everything changed. It’s funny because we can have all these plans and then life gets in the way. But hey, that’s life!

Ultimately though, maybe the things we thought we wanted, actually were never the things that we needed. Maybe we were destined for more or for something greater than anything we have ever planned. We just always have to trust that no matter what, there is something better for us and that everything ALWAYS works out for the best!

This year was also year 11 of my organic journey. I love my organic passion and I am so dedicated to it. But this year, I have never felt so disconnected from my organic lifestyle. Not shopping at Whole Foods or any grocery stores for 6 months had a major effect.

I of course ordered organic grocery deliveries from Whole Foods and other grocery stores. I bought organic products from there, but it was just not the same. Also, as I had mentioned in previous blogs, I couldn’t consistently receive organic products, or the shopper picked conventional products even when I selected organic. It was a nightmare, but I learned to cope. Desperate times surely do call for desperate measures.

We are living through such uncertain times and a lot of products were unavailable. I had to learn that I couldn’t always get organic products. In times of survival, all that matters is that you are sustaining yourself with good nutrients, not whether something is organic or not. This year, I thoroughly learned how to cope with that and learned to not make myself wrong for not eating organic. It wasn’t that I chose to not eat organic, but it just wasn’t always available. That was a hard lesson to learn, but an important one. It truly opened my eyes to reality.

Also, not attending any organic food shows this year affected me too. The conventions are where I reignite my passion and immerse myself in all things organic. It is where I also learn the food trends for the year and try all of the new products coming to market. After those shows is where I then develop new content for my blogs and social media accounts. So this year I have had to create new ways to come up with content, since going to an organic grocery store or food show was not an option.

Despite all of the hardships that this year brought us, there were still many positives that came from it as well. It is all about perspective and how you look at it. I learned a lot and went through some necessary hard growing pains. In the end, I’m thankful for everything that this year has taught me!

I read a quote by Melody Godfred that said “I thought 2020 would be the year I got everything I wanted, now I know 2020 was the year I appreciate everything I have.” That quote resonated with me and it is so true. That was the the theme of 2020.

I appreciate my family, friends, and everyone in my life. I am thankful for everything I have and everything I have experienced. Thank you to all of you who read my blogs and follow me on my social media accounts. Thank you for inspiring me and for letting me inspire you.

All things considered, 2020 was a significant year and the lessons we gained from it are immensely valuable as we continue to go through life. I refuse to deem this year as the “worst year of my life” because it wasn’t. It was just a different kind of year, where we had to learn how to adjust to a pandemic and make sacrifices for safety. This was the year where the small things significantly mattered.

As this year comes to an end, I hope and pray that you all stay safe and healthy. I hope that you all have a better 2021 filled with new possibilities, goals, and dreams. I pray that this world transforms into a kinder and safer place to live. As our world slowly but surely returns to “normal”, I hope that it changes back to a better and new normal. One where we slow down a bit, where we cherish our loved ones, where we aren’t selfish, and where love is the answer.

I wish you all health, happiness, success, peace, serenity, and a magnitude of organic love in the new year. May this next year be 100 times better than the previous one. Here’s to the end of 2020 and a brighter 2021!!

Happy New Year!!

Love always,

Sara, “S.O.Eats”

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Looking back on 2018, it’s been one of the most challenging yet rewarding years yet. I wanted to take some time to reflect on both my personal and organic life. It’s true that so much of my personal life is my organic life, but there are still some moments that I like to keep private.  

First off, the organic industry skyrocketed in the best way possible in 2018. More companies are now producing organic products. Also, organic products are being sold in many places and they are also becoming readily available. It makes me happy to witness the growth.

In 2018, Amazon fully integrated with Whole Foods Market after their purchase in 2017. I still have mixed feelings on the purchase of Whole Foods by Amazon. However, the greatest benefit is that they lowered some of the prices on certain organic foods. If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can get discounts on sale items when you check out at the register. What I like the most is that they are also making organic food more accessible and cheaper for consumers. You can now purchase more organic products on Amazon.com. I love that you can now buy a wider range of organic products on Amazon because I think the future lies in consumers purchasing everything from the comfort of their home. My only wish is that Whole Foods Market stays true to organics and that they won’t replace organic products with natural counterparts just to keep the price down. Only time will tell.

Natural Products Expo West 2018 was the best one that I have ever attended! The convention grew so much this year! It’s so great to witness the growth of the convention because that means the organic industry is growing. My wish for the future is that the organic industry continues to grow. Hopefully, that will eventually result in all of our food being grown the organic way. Then, we can eliminate the term “organic” as well as health food stores because all of our food will just be food. In my heart and soul, I know that is coming! Hopefully in the next few years or in my lifetime we will see that change.

This year, I had major growth in my organic life. I realized that this year was my 9-year anniversary of living an organic lifestyle. I can’t believe it has been 9 years! I have never felt so healthy and happy. I just can’t ever imagine my life without this organic passion of mine. In 2018, I had some amazing opportunities to work with some awesome organic companies. I learned even more about the organic industry. I love learning new aspects about the organic industry because I want to have as much knowledge as I can so I can further my organic passion.

As far as my personal life goes, this year I got to see four amazing people in my life get married. Out of the 4 weddings, I was a part of 3 of them. All of them were special, but the most special one was assuming the role as maid of honor at my sister’s wedding. At her wedding, I got out of my comfort zone and said a speech in front of 100 plus people. I didn’t just say a speech but I sang through it as well. My sister is part of the theater world and since she is so special to me, I created a speech using song references to Broadway shows.

Only for her would I get up and speak, let alone sing in front of that many people. The reason I am talking about my speech is because that was one of the many challenges for me this year. Standing up in front of a crowd (even though most of them were my family) is not my specialty. Putting yourself in the position of doing things you aren’t comfortable with is where your growth comes from. Moving forward in my life, I will continue to put myself in situations where I’m not comfortable because that is where you experience the most growth. I’m not talking about walking into danger or anything like that. But, just doing things that scare us the most will help us grow and build character. After making the speech, I realized that the fears and thoughts will always be there, but I am stronger than that and I conquer anything.

The Natural Products Expo West in 2018 was the best one that I have ever attended! The convention grew so much this year! It’s always fantastic to see the growth of this convention because that means the organic industry is growing. My wish for the future is that the organic industry keeps on growing and eventually all of our food will be grown that way. We can get rid of the term “organic” and we can get rid of health food stores because all of our food will just be food. In my heart and soul, I know that is coming! Hopefully in the next few years we will see that change.  This year, I had major growth within my own organic life. I realized that this year was my 9-year anniversary of living an organic lifestyle. I can’t believe it has been 9 years! I have never felt so great in my life. This year I felt healthier and happier than I ever have. I just can’t ever imagine my life without this organic passion of mine. In 2018, I had some amazing opportunities to work with a few organic companies. I learned even more about the organic industry by working with these companies. I love learning the different aspects about the organic industry because I want to have as much knowledge as I can to further my passion.

Also this year, I met some amazing people. Going into a new year, you just never know whom you are going to cross paths with. The people that come into our lives do so for a reason. There are no coincidences or accidents to meeting them. It was all supposed to happen. I am so grateful to everyone that I crossed paths with this year. Whether it was for a moment, a few days, a few weeks, a few months, or for the whole year, THANK YOU for impacting my life in some way.

Symbolically, New Years is a time for change and for new goals. What we all forget is that every single day of our lives is a chance to start a new goal and for change. We don’t have to wait for the New Year to do so. Just because the number at the end of the year changes at 12 am on January 1^st, it doesn’t mean that we will automatically be new people and that our goals will magically be fulfilled. You can do that any day of the year. Don’t forget that!

In 2019, I hope to see more growth in the organic industry. I hope that our broken food system starts to change for the better and that organic food becomes even more accessible to everyone.

2018 was an extraordinary year! Even though this year was extraordinary, it also came with a lot of challenges and tests. I think I was thrown almost every curveball in the book. Regardless, I am living proof that I can survive anything that was thrown at me because here we are at the end of 2018. I am walking away from this year stronger, smiling, happy, full of life, and feeling younger than I have ever felt in a LONG TIME.

I am so thankful for the growth, the open doors, the closed doors, the happiness, the pain, the heartbreaks, the people I met, the places I traveled to, and just everything! I am so thankful to my family and friends for supporting me in my endeavors. Also, thank you to those of you who have made a difference in my life. For 2019, I just want to keep sharing my organic passion and knowledge with you all. I want to keep creating a life filled with gratitude, happiness, love, adventure, and empowerment. I want to continue to make a difference in peoples lives.

“Thank you for the adventure 2018, now go have a new one!”-UP

I wish you all a HAPPY, HEALTHY, SUCCESSFUL, PROSPEROUS, and ORGANIC New Year! I can’t wait to see what 2019 brings!

Love,

Sara, “S.O.Eats”

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