Hello Dearest Humans,

Happy new year to you. Many of us are ushering in 2021 immersed in complex emotions. With gritted teeth, we watch the fate of our country unfold. The onslaught of information we are absorbing can be overwhelming and exhausting. Yet we still tend to our lives. With a deep sigh, we wash the dishes and march on.

It is in the dishes, the gardening, the long walks outside that we can recenter ourselves and cultivate contentment even when the greater world feels like an unsolvable mess. It is in the tiny routines that we reawaken to what is right in front of us: our little lives, doing small things. Our culture pushes us so relentlessly to fix, to achieve, to be something big. With all that’s happening politically, economically, and environmentally, it can be quite defeating to try and be big right now.

Instead of resolutions or walloping goals for this year, what is something small and sweet for you to bite into?

What has been calming for you this winter season? And how might that be something you carry into this year with intention?

“Doing small things with love is how we care for each other, one hand at a time. Doing small things with love releases our courage. And each small act we’re led to leads to more. Doing small things with love is the atom of bravery.”

– Mark Nepo

Another way to think about 2021 is by inviting a theme into the year. Whether it’s creativity or growth or beauty, choosing a theme can help us anchor our choices and behaviors around something meaningful without it feeling like a massive objective we must meet.

What is your theme for this year? What questions can you ask yourself that make this theme your anchor?

Whatever you choose, know that it doesn’t have to revolve around ambition or what’s next. It can be simple and that is more than enough. You existing and moving through your life is truly enough. We are not human doers, we are human beings. Waking up every day and experiencing your aliveness is a triumph. Because this shit is not easy – especially right now. If a theme speaks to you, notice if you have an inclination to make it about a “should.” Choose a theme that serves your needs as you are.

My themes for 2021 are ease and mysticism. Each time I am about to make a decision, I ask myself, does this bring ease into my life? Or, is this something I can explore from a place of surrender and curiosity? So far, having these themes in mind has simplified things for me. If it’s not filled with ease or mysticism, and I do have a choice, I give myself permission to say no.   

Something that has inspired wonder and brought ease for me this season is poetry. As a lover of all things story, I tend to dive into fiction as a soothing reprieve from the madness. Unlike books, I’ve never considered poetry as my companion in this life. Rhyming poems can feel corny and some poems can be difficult to understand. But a good poem is a feeling that sits with you. In wintertime during a pandemic, reading a poem’s short digestible stanzas and absorbing its quiet rhythms can be a welcomed ritual. The brevity of poetry meets our restless hearts and minds, bringing us back to this moment without too much mental strain. We can just read the lines and let them sink in.

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Book Recommendations

Below, I share a few poems I’ve loved during this season, as well as my favorite books over the last few months. If you’re interested in receiving daily doses of poetry, I recommend The Poetry Foundation or The Paris Review for a poem to arrive each day in your inbox.   

For poetry that feels hopeful, check out Edward Hirsch. What the Last Evening Will Be Like and I’m Going to Start Living Like A Mystic are two favorites. Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem, Burning the Old Year feels appropriate for 2020. And Quarantine written in 2008 by Eavan Boland, is about the 1847 pandemic and is like a prophecy for what was to come.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – Imagine a library that exists between life and death with an infinite number of books that hold all the different possible lives you might have lived. Imagine being able to pull any book from any shelf and choose an alternate path, one you wish you could have taken. Imagine liberating yourself from regret. This book is brilliantly structured and so imaginative. It holds a message similar to the one in this letter: a simple life can be a beautiful life. I couldn’t put this down. A poem that will give you a taste of what this book is about is The God Who Loves You by Carl Dennis.

Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald & Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy – Two books by female writers who both explore birds, travel, and climate change. Both provide escapism with realistic perspective. Macdonald’s essays span the globe, from rural Ireland to the top of the Empire State building, following different species of birds. She writes with such care about our world and its creatures. She brings the natural world to life and immerses your senses. McConaghy’s story follows Franny Stone, a scientist running away from a dark personal past in search of a better future for the planet. Franny boards a ship to Greenland to track the last migration of birds that leads her into torrential storms both literally and figuratively. Read this for the dark mystery, and the epic oceanic adventures.  

Sing, Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward – This haunting story was my favorite of 2020. Set in the Mississippi bayou, a drug addled mother, Leonie takes her young son, Jojo on a road trip to pick up his father who has been released from prison. Through alternating perspectives, we learn that both Leonie and Jojo communicate with the other side. The ghosts who follow them hold stories about their family’s past and reveal dark layers of history within the South. The writing is gorgeous and lyrical. The characters are real and raw. The supernatural elements make this story read like a spiritual hymn. Highly recommend. 

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A few updates..

After a long break from creating my newsletter, I’m finally feeling some ease and magic in writing again. Perhaps it’s the turning tide of our politics, or the symbolism of a new year. Perhaps it’s the muse finally returning to my shoulder. Whatever it is, I am grateful to be back in the flow. I am returning to a seasonal newsletter (or two) with thoughtful insights, journaling prompts, and book recommendations.

This year, I am also launching my new website, which will include offerings beyond 1:1 coaching. I am excited to share this with you soon.

I am accepting new clients. If you or someone you know is interested in coaching, rewriting your story, or consulting on a creative project, I offer complimentary intro calls here. Feel free to pass this along.

A final thought for you: Remember, you are an artist creating your life each day, and beauty lies within the small moments.

Thank you so much for reading,

Lela