I’m back in New York as I type this letter to you. My final one of 2025. And before I dive in, let me say thank you. I’m truly grateful for you inviting me into your email and your lives each and every week. And I LOVE getting messages and pictures from you…all the ways you are making space for yourself, questions about rest and unplugging, spotting beauty in the everyday, feeling seen in my stories and messages.

It’s a pleasure and an honor to walk this path with you.

As we head into these final weeks of 2025, my invitation for you is to simply give yourself the gift of presence. I was reminded of this as my husband and I walked along Main Street in Lake Placid. I spotted these cute holiday trees above, all festive in lights and I just stopped.

I love a pretty twinkly light but something about these trees in this moment made me pause. I thought about how lucky I was to be here this weekend, spending time with my husband, seeing the Luge World Cup, eating at local establishments and seeing the sights.

And it was in that moment that I made a promise to myself to sink into presence as much as I can this weekend.

Why? Because I’ll never have these moments again. Sure, I may come back to Lake Placid with my husband before Christmas but….it will never be these exact moments. Meeting these people, experiencing the sights and the sounds in the same way ever again.

The man who checked us in? Maybe he will check us in if we come back here again…but, he will be different, I’ll be different, the moment will be different. The waitress who waited on us for breakfast today? Same. Well, different if we come back here again.

And as we all know but often don’t want to talk about…tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

So, in the rush of these next few weeks, I invite you to be as present as you can - with yourself and others that you meet.

Need some ideas? Here are three invitations for you to experiment with:

• Pause where you’d normally rush: Savor the coffee, slow down and appreciate the twinkly lights, sink into the sounds of the day (even if they are chaotic).
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• Be fully here for one interaction: Choose one conversation this week and give it your full attention.No phone and no multitasking. Just listen because you’ll never have that exact moment again.
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• Come back to the present moment through your senses: When your mind starts to run ahead, return to your body and the present moment by focusing on your senses. What do you see? Hear? Feel right now?

I hope that you find moments of peace, calm and rest throughout these next few weeks. And I look forward to continuing on this journey of unplugging and making space for you in 2026.

Thank you for being here this year.

I’m grateful to be walking this slower path with you and I’ll see you in 2026.

Chris