Loved loved loved this. And how timely! I am about to launch my very own substack and I just need to find the courage to click publish. I will let you know when I do! As a coach, I am always encouraging people to embrace the journey towards the future and isn't it hard to do? I am going to be writing about the MIDDLE and how we are always in the middle of something and yet, we never take a moment to just sit with it, enjoy the view. Life is not a ladder to climb. Like the Queen, I am not motivated by ambition alone, but by a desire to make a difference.
I love this! I know the feeling well, but can promise you’ll feel better after you click publish. Please let me know when you do! As someone who feels very much in the middle, I’m excited to check it out.
Thank you, this was lovely. This was the third reference this week I’ve read to Letters to a Young Poet, so I think the universe is judging me that it’s finally time to sit down and read it!
The idea of “living the questions” has really been hitting home lately amidst our waffling over the past year of whether or not to have a second child. I’m afraid that my highly sensitive self is not going to be able to handle the overwhelm and potential PPD again, even though I think long-term it’s the right move for us. I shit you not, 3 months ago, on my weekly to-do list was “#2: DECIDE!!” I’ve softened in the past decade since my over-the-top-type-A early 20’s, vie still regularly regress. I’m now 9 weeks pregnant, so we will see how this goes!
I often find myself wanting to take a good old fashioned highlighter and highlight segments of your writing that I find particularly poignant. It's always so good! But alas, we are relegated to screenshots and hoping my phone doesn't just DIE and lose all my data 😄
Just recently thinking about how we should start celebrating the "today"...rather than waiting to celebrate what we are supposed to accomplish in the "future". I guess part of living in gratitude. I look back on my youth and wish I had celebrated those moments more.
I love this one so much! I have stacks of notebooks that would be better off burnt that I can't seem to part with. Rather than goals, mine seem to be more lists of complaints. Oof. I periodically think of disposing of them largely because I'm horrified to think of anyone reading them should I suddenly die. But they remain stacked throughout my house. Luckily, I've become a terrible journaler in recent years.
And the Queen of Pentacles encouraging patience, nurturing, and pleasure! Oh, Queen!! And the Rider deck, no less; the one I have! (I won't remind her just how many nights it's been...)
Thank you, Jane! I, too, am guilty of notebooks full of complaints—any time I attempt the practice of morning pages or flow-of-consciousness writing it so easily goes the way of complaints, worries, or comparison. And the fear of someone discovering them after death is real. I look at all the gorgeous notebooks featured on Noted, and wonder if any of those people would be wildly embarrassed to have their private thoughts out in the open!
I know!! But none of them seem to be complaining. Haha. Plus, I believe they all donated their journals and notebooks to libraries and museums, et cetera. They're all so erudite and thoughtful and visionary. And I'm like: D didn't call when he said he would...
It depends! I've been known to rip pages out, shred them up, and throw them away before I even reach the end of the notebook. But sometimes, if it's more of a morning pages/journal style notebook, I'll let them linger.
When you've burned your old notebooks, did you do so in a fireplace? A fire pit? I am always fascinated by the act of burning old pages.
That's so fascinating! I love discovering all the different choices we make when it comes to keeping/discarding old notebooks.
If it is just one notebook, I might throw it in my fireplace. If it is more than one I will throw it in the fire pit. I'm lucky to have access to both and it has turned into a cleansing ritual. I usually do it about once every couple of years. I've been keeping a journal for 32 years so there has been A LOT of whittling away from the stacks of notebooks throughout my life.
Finally, another person who throws away their old journals like I do, I thought I was the only one!!! I took them all in to be shredded and it helped so much.
So sorry to hear you are dealing with an injury, that’s never fun! I hope you’re on the mend super soon 🤞
This card was a timely reminder for me. Never overnight... so true! Need to add it to my current mantra: The only way is through 💛 so much through-ing to be done at the moment.
P.s. I wholly believe that you’d make an excellent talk show guest!! So you can tell Caroline of years past that I said that ☺️
For me, to appreciate the journey is all about acceptance - primarily accepting who I really am and how I have such little control over most things. It's helpful to me to occasionally view my life as a novel rich with plot twists, unexpected villains, luck, serendipity, grace and love. That perspective comes in handy when I come across something from my younger, super intense self - I think wow! I'm glad to see that character has developed and matured because dang! The story continues...
this was such a lovely read!! love the way you phrase things; so simple and impactful and beautiful. and thank you for this week’s card and all it represented -- well needed as i’m trying to slowly build my own substack and work on creative projects. frustrating how fast and easy it is to imagine something, and how long and hard it is to actually build them.
There’s a longer comment I won’t write about the tarot decks I own and the plastic wrap they’re still encased in; long story short, I open your newsletters a few days after they arrive when I feel the moment is right and the card you pull always has something to say to me. So, thank you, for being one of the guiding Witches in my life, even if you don’t know it :)
Wanted to let you know that you inspired me (23, VERY lost, just moved to NYC) to buy a tarot deck along with two books about tarot :) have been reading your writing for a long time (since COJ) but never commented. Appreciate you and this space so much. :) <3
Thank you, Annie! Very honored to have inspired this purchase. :) Let me know how it goes and if you have any questions. (That goes for both tarot and NYC.) And thanks so much for reading all this time! That means a lot. ❤️
One of my favorite newsletters! I quite literally laughed out loud at the talk show line.
This essay is somehow both deeply intimate and personal while also being extremely relatable and universal. My birthday was Saturday so reading this with the perspective of putting myself back into the situation where I was trying to get all of the answers and not have to live them was particularly meaningful. Thank you, as always for your gift of words.
Lately, I’ve been drawing parallels from my work in financial planning to...everything else. Most people know that an investment portfolio won’t grow overnight—it needs decades to compound. Why do we expect that other sources of richness (i.e., all the ones you discussed here) would be any different?
This was a beautiful essay and reading. Being a Type A twenty-something is...exhausting 😅 Sending injury-healing thoughts your way.
Oy. After a rocky weekend with the kids, the card reading spoke loudly to me. Thank you.
Loved loved loved this. And how timely! I am about to launch my very own substack and I just need to find the courage to click publish. I will let you know when I do! As a coach, I am always encouraging people to embrace the journey towards the future and isn't it hard to do? I am going to be writing about the MIDDLE and how we are always in the middle of something and yet, we never take a moment to just sit with it, enjoy the view. Life is not a ladder to climb. Like the Queen, I am not motivated by ambition alone, but by a desire to make a difference.
I love this! I know the feeling well, but can promise you’ll feel better after you click publish. Please let me know when you do! As someone who feels very much in the middle, I’m excited to check it out.
Thank you, this was lovely. This was the third reference this week I’ve read to Letters to a Young Poet, so I think the universe is judging me that it’s finally time to sit down and read it!
The idea of “living the questions” has really been hitting home lately amidst our waffling over the past year of whether or not to have a second child. I’m afraid that my highly sensitive self is not going to be able to handle the overwhelm and potential PPD again, even though I think long-term it’s the right move for us. I shit you not, 3 months ago, on my weekly to-do list was “#2: DECIDE!!” I’ve softened in the past decade since my over-the-top-type-A early 20’s, vie still regularly regress. I’m now 9 weeks pregnant, so we will see how this goes!
I often find myself wanting to take a good old fashioned highlighter and highlight segments of your writing that I find particularly poignant. It's always so good! But alas, we are relegated to screenshots and hoping my phone doesn't just DIE and lose all my data 😄
Just recently thinking about how we should start celebrating the "today"...rather than waiting to celebrate what we are supposed to accomplish in the "future". I guess part of living in gratitude. I look back on my youth and wish I had celebrated those moments more.
I love this one so much! I have stacks of notebooks that would be better off burnt that I can't seem to part with. Rather than goals, mine seem to be more lists of complaints. Oof. I periodically think of disposing of them largely because I'm horrified to think of anyone reading them should I suddenly die. But they remain stacked throughout my house. Luckily, I've become a terrible journaler in recent years.
And the Queen of Pentacles encouraging patience, nurturing, and pleasure! Oh, Queen!! And the Rider deck, no less; the one I have! (I won't remind her just how many nights it's been...)
I hope you heal up quickly!!
Thank you, Jane! I, too, am guilty of notebooks full of complaints—any time I attempt the practice of morning pages or flow-of-consciousness writing it so easily goes the way of complaints, worries, or comparison. And the fear of someone discovering them after death is real. I look at all the gorgeous notebooks featured on Noted, and wonder if any of those people would be wildly embarrassed to have their private thoughts out in the open!
I know!! But none of them seem to be complaining. Haha. Plus, I believe they all donated their journals and notebooks to libraries and museums, et cetera. They're all so erudite and thoughtful and visionary. And I'm like: D didn't call when he said he would...
I wonder this all the time! But I'm one to never throw away a notebook. But I wish I could! Would make my apartment a bit less crowded.
Cheers to the long game! 🥂
Timelines are so bizarre, especially if you are a women (we get biologically bullied-yes or no to children etc)
Do you discard your notebooks as soon as you’re finished or do you let them linger for a bit?
I’ve only burned particularly hard years of my notebooks, things that I do not care to re-visit again otherwise I keep them all.
It depends! I've been known to rip pages out, shred them up, and throw them away before I even reach the end of the notebook. But sometimes, if it's more of a morning pages/journal style notebook, I'll let them linger.
When you've burned your old notebooks, did you do so in a fireplace? A fire pit? I am always fascinated by the act of burning old pages.
That's so fascinating! I love discovering all the different choices we make when it comes to keeping/discarding old notebooks.
If it is just one notebook, I might throw it in my fireplace. If it is more than one I will throw it in the fire pit. I'm lucky to have access to both and it has turned into a cleansing ritual. I usually do it about once every couple of years. I've been keeping a journal for 32 years so there has been A LOT of whittling away from the stacks of notebooks throughout my life.
Finally, another person who throws away their old journals like I do, I thought I was the only one!!! I took them all in to be shredded and it helped so much.
So sorry to hear you are dealing with an injury, that’s never fun! I hope you’re on the mend super soon 🤞
This card was a timely reminder for me. Never overnight... so true! Need to add it to my current mantra: The only way is through 💛 so much through-ing to be done at the moment.
P.s. I wholly believe that you’d make an excellent talk show guest!! So you can tell Caroline of years past that I said that ☺️
Thank you!! Past Caroline appreciates the message. Who knows... maybe someday! 😊
"“Finish novel!!!!” makes multiple appearances, alongside prompts like “Must sell by age 25!!!”" - do we have the same journal? Felt this deeply. 🙏
Thank you. :) Nice to know I'm in good company.
For me, to appreciate the journey is all about acceptance - primarily accepting who I really am and how I have such little control over most things. It's helpful to me to occasionally view my life as a novel rich with plot twists, unexpected villains, luck, serendipity, grace and love. That perspective comes in handy when I come across something from my younger, super intense self - I think wow! I'm glad to see that character has developed and matured because dang! The story continues...
this was such a lovely read!! love the way you phrase things; so simple and impactful and beautiful. and thank you for this week’s card and all it represented -- well needed as i’m trying to slowly build my own substack and work on creative projects. frustrating how fast and easy it is to imagine something, and how long and hard it is to actually build them.
There’s a longer comment I won’t write about the tarot decks I own and the plastic wrap they’re still encased in; long story short, I open your newsletters a few days after they arrive when I feel the moment is right and the card you pull always has something to say to me. So, thank you, for being one of the guiding Witches in my life, even if you don’t know it :)
“We’ll figure it out when we get there.” Love it. Impressed your younger self could access that sort of self-reassurance. 🩷
Wanted to let you know that you inspired me (23, VERY lost, just moved to NYC) to buy a tarot deck along with two books about tarot :) have been reading your writing for a long time (since COJ) but never commented. Appreciate you and this space so much. :) <3
Thank you, Annie! Very honored to have inspired this purchase. :) Let me know how it goes and if you have any questions. (That goes for both tarot and NYC.) And thanks so much for reading all this time! That means a lot. ❤️
One of my favorite newsletters! I quite literally laughed out loud at the talk show line.
This essay is somehow both deeply intimate and personal while also being extremely relatable and universal. My birthday was Saturday so reading this with the perspective of putting myself back into the situation where I was trying to get all of the answers and not have to live them was particularly meaningful. Thank you, as always for your gift of words.
Thank you, Molly! I appreciate you. :) And happy belated birthday! Wishing you a wonderful year ahead.
Lately, I’ve been drawing parallels from my work in financial planning to...everything else. Most people know that an investment portfolio won’t grow overnight—it needs decades to compound. Why do we expect that other sources of richness (i.e., all the ones you discussed here) would be any different?
This was a beautiful essay and reading. Being a Type A twenty-something is...exhausting 😅 Sending injury-healing thoughts your way.