Sunrise at the beach As you read this, I’ve already had my feet in the sand. I’m at the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a few days, and I’ve been getting up before sunrise to walk down to the water. Which, if you know me, is a little funny…not the sunrise part since I’m an early riser but the beach part. I’m not really a beach person. I’d rather be traipsing through the woods somewhere in the mountains. But sunrise at the beach? That’s something else entirely. There’s something about...
9 days ago • 2 min read
What my recess looked like this week - biking on a rail trail in MD. Remember recess as a kid? It was just a given that we would take a break in the middle of the day. Lunch, recess, and then come back to class. We accept that for kids. We would never say “you need to power through” to an eight-year-old. So why do we say that to ourselves? Is it because we’ve “grown up”? That kids need those breaks and adults don’t? That this is just how we “adult”? Maybe. But I also think that we carry a lot...
16 days ago • 1 min read
On the left: Where my husband and friends are this weekend. On the right: Where I spent the weekend by myself. This weekend, I chose to stay home while my husband and a group of our friends headed to Deep Creek Lake in Maryland to raft and hike. All the things I LOVE! And I said, I'm going to sit this one out. I'd been traveling for almost three weeks straight. No weekend at home and no real downtime. I needed space to be alone and to really recharge. So when this trip came up, I made the...
23 days ago • 4 min read
A spacious view from my flight on Saturday. This week I spent a few hours on an airplane. And maybe it’s just me, but I enjoy flying. Not because I enjoy being squeezed into a tiny seat. (I definitely don’t.) Or racing through an airport to make a tight connection when there are delays. (Why do you think I wear sneakers when I fly?) But because once that cabin door closes, something shifts. For a little while, the world can’t quite get to me. Sure, there might be Wi-Fi and messages can still...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, Last week, I shared the story of the bird making its way down to the river, one branch at a time. Pausing on each branch, looking around, making sure it was safe before going further. For the bird, that’s survival. Is there a predator nearby? Something that could hurt it if it moves too fast? And I don’t think that’s too far off from our own resistance to rest. Sometimes slowing down feels unsafe or uncomfortable. Even dangerous sometimes. And that’s because our minds carry...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
A few things I saw on the trail the other day...in addition to the bird I mention below. A turtle, a calm river and a piece of nature that either looks like a hedgehog or a fish. The other day, I watched a bird slowly make its way down to the river. It started high in the treetops, then hopped to a lower branch. And then another. And each time, it paused and looked around. It seemed to make sure everything was safe before moving a little closer to the water. Eventually, it reached a small...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, A few weeks ago, I sent an email where I joked about wanting to pack a bag and run away to the forest. The truth is… it wasn’t entirely a joke. Lately, I keep coming back to the same idea and desire (one I've had for a few years): creating spaces where people can step away from the noise and busyness of everyday life for a few hours (or maybe even overnight) and simply breathe. No packed itinerary or pressure to “transform.” Just cozy places near nature with room to wander, time...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
My main caregiver last week - Marley! I've been sick for over a week. What started as a bad cold in June turned into a sinus infection in July. By Monday, I knew I needed to rest. Not “kind of” rest either…actually rest. The lie down and do nothing kind. And I was going to. I really was. But then the Should Monster showed up. You know this voice. It doesn't come in loud, demanding and hissing because that would be too easy to dismiss. It comes in reasonable.It comes in small like…You should...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
The view from a cabin I stayed at back in 2019. It was one of my regular solo getaways where I take time to rest and reconnect. Do You Ever Want to Run Away to the Forest?To be in a cabin where all you hear is the nearby river... the birds... the trees. The animals rustling around outside. You read. You live off the land. You walk the forest. You create, with no one watching and nowhere to be.Or is that just me? This has been showing up in my journal a lot lately. This pull toward a life...
2 months ago • 3 min read