Welcome back. I started a 30-day challenge of letters to myself as suggested by an energy healer a year ago. Today is day 14. Join along if you’d like and if you want to share any of your letters with the Nomad-ish community, please reach out!
Also, I have decided to resume paid subscriptions. With the paid subscription, you will receive my daily letters and all posts going forward as well as weekly writing prompts, a 15% discount to any Rooted Writers Workshop, and hopefully the joy of knowing you are supporting a writers journey. With a free subscription will continue to receive occasional posts. To upgrade your subscription, click the button below. And THANK YOU for being here.
Dear Megan,
Tomorrow you leave Wisconsin and start your drive back to North Carolina where you will housesit in your favorite college town for two months. You are most excited about the coffee shop that has drip decaf, the farmers market with that all natural face care company, warmer days (see ya later SAD’s), your friends senior dogs that require only one 15-minute walk a day, going back to acupuncture, and this new desire to make art.
Today you and Zeppelin drove to your mom’s house for lunch. While your mom’s German Shepard and the puppy rough housed, you and your mom ate salmon and veggies and talked about writing and the time you met Lidia Yuknavitch at a writers conference and pretended not to know who she was because you are slightly socially awkward (and also-hey anxiety). You were sure you had told her about your computer dying and how you lost the book you were almost done with, but she reminded you it had been seven years. SEVEN. This fact stunned you when you got back to your brothers and sat in the driveway and let out a good cry because TIME. Where does it go if it doesn’t exist?
You told her about this Letters To Self challenge you are doing here, but she knew because she reads it even though you can’t find her on your list of subscribers (Seriously, mom…what’s your fake name on here?). Then you told her how since you started this challenge you have lost 2-4 subscribers A DAY which if you do the math right- you won’t-could result in you losing all your subscribers by the end of the challenge and WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.
You told her you were trying to be very nonchalant about it but that’s near impossible for you since you are Leo SUN and Leo Rising with big hair who tends to need and require a lot of attention and affirmation (don’t blame yourself-it’s written in the stars). She said you should write about that. And here you are.
But here’s the thing. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we just let people come and go in our lives without attaching meaning to it? Without attaching our self worth to it? What if people’s comings and goings have very little do with you but everything to do with them?
Take your mom sabattical for instance. You couldn’t really give her a solid reason for the seven year gap. You could never give anyone or yourself a solid reason. And in your reconciliation, you now see it was really all about you (again, double Leo placement). Your need for space. Your inability to express and resurrect boundaries instead of a wall.
This outlook could possibly reduce some suffering. Maybe you spelled a word wrong and it offended someone. Maybe people are trying to clear up their inbox. Maybe your vulnerability is annoying to some. Maybe it just doesn't matter.
Celebrate the ones who stay and leave the door to your heart open, but with adequate fencing.
With love and admiration (again, double Leo),
Your team
This is the chicken coop at my brother’s house. Yesterday I went to check for eggs from the box on the left and when I opened it, one of the chickens was busy laying an egg. I slammed the hatch shut instinctively and said out loud, “Pardon me” feeling the embarrassment akin to walking in on someone going to the bathroom. That’s normal, right?
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This coming Monday we kick off our next series of the Generative Writing Workshops. There is an evening session for you night owls and a morning session for you early birds. I hope you will consider joining and exploring your voice on the page and in community.
4-Week Generative Writing Workshop (PM Session)
Mondays starting April 1st
7-8:30pm
4- Week Generative Writing Workshop (AM Session)
Tuesdays starting April 2nd
11-12:30pm EST
I'd like to say, "See you, wouldn't want to be ya" to anyone who unsubscribed! They're just making more space for those that are and will be your people! Props to you for finding the gold in that.
I love the letters. Obviously. I love how insightful you are.