Happy New Year Donna! Your words are so beautiful and authentic, I’m sure we can all relate to getting lost and hiding away like this. Sometimes we need to though, like being in a cocoon. But I’m glad you’re not staying there and ditched the Netflix in favour of life again. So good to connect with you on here x
Kate, it's wonderful to see you here! I appreciate you taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment. Yes there is a time to cocoon for sure and, as I said, I've found it quite easy to stay there! I think that might come with age and such a strong desire to be comfortable. It's a fine line we all walk! xox
I think we all forget we are dealing with PTSD from the pandemic (which is alive and well, BTW). And just when we started getting our footing, it was an election year, and all of that stress walloped us again. So, it's understandable to find comfort in ways we may not fully want or appreciate, and it's wise and insightful to realize, nope, I'm not doing that anymore. Applaud yourself, Donna. We have to remember what we can control and what we can't. What's in our power and what's out of our hands. That's not giving up or giving in or turning a blind eye, it's a healthy perspective. Then, we can decide where to focus our energy rather than spin our wheels. Wishing you and yours all the best in 2025. xo
I appreciate your thoughts about a healthy perspective Sandra❤️ I agree, I think there is a collective constriction (we could use so many words - angst, concern, PTSD) that is mostly unrecognized but can weigh heavily on us. That is one of the reasons I love being here on Substack, to have met so many wonderful, like-minded, smart folks who make every effort to lift us all up. It's amazing and refreshing. So, there's that. There is also our own circle of influence in our lives where we can choose to make a positive impact. These are the things that keep our perspective healthy and I appreciate your generous contribution to this online eco-system!
I so appreciate your consistent commitment to your own betterment. And I think it is so valuable that you share it with all of us, so that we can draw inspiration from you and your journey. Uplifting, as always, Donna.
Ooooh yes, too much Netflix, too much dissociating, too much sugar ;) The creeping menopause pounds that make me feel like I'm not even in my own body. I don't recognize myself anymore and yet, here I am.
There have been so many bright spots as well. I'm not sure what 2025 will bring, but I'm working on a couple of projects that include flowers and yoga. By summer both should be in full bloom and I'm excited to see what pops up (literally and figuratively). It's intentional, but not necessarily "goal" oriented if you know what I mean? I guess that's what I'll be working on. Intentionality, but without the sole-purpose driveness that came to define my life for so long. Right now, I'm still in my gathering phase. Until January.1st...lol. Then I'm locking in to something. I'm just not sure what yet. Great post.
From your mind to my heart Kim! You just wrote what I'm thinking and feeling (without the flowers and yoga part that both sound amazing). I'm in for the non-goal-oriented-intentionality that is a little more than just presence, and when you said you're locking in to something that phrase hit home for me. I think I want to package all of this in one little word or phrase because my organizational brain likes that so I'll see what shows up. As always, I appreciate your insightful comment❤️
I love the “non-goal-orientated intentionality”…foreign concept to my goal driven mind of past but I want to mull over what that could look like for me 🤗
The gathering. I feel like that’s a common theme for many of us.
Don’t discount unseen growth. Plants sometimes seem to stall out- but they are growing their hidden root system. I’m sure some of your year is similar to that. I know mine was.
Thank you Tim, you're right. It's so easy, in our performance based culture, to negate the unseen growth or the expansion that comes with allowing. Here's to another year of seeing each other around this corner of the internet, I'm so glad we met here!
Donna, I came here from CK's restack. I experienced what you describe for the first 10 months of 2024. I couldn't get motivated to do all the things I'd planned, and reasoned that my body was in need of the rest. I was wrong. I was leaning into the laziness, making it harder to get up and go. Then I started intermittent fasting, which was what I needed to boost my energy and make things happen. My focus increased and while there are still many areas I can improve on, every day brings successes that make each room a better place, just because I'm in it.
I'm so glad you made your way over to TBL, welcome and thank you for taking the time to comment! It's fascinating how we can shake things up by making one change, in your case the intermittent fasting, and that starts a cascade of small changes that improve things. I appreciate you pointing this out. I've done something similar in the past with getting into cold water and found that small thing made a big difference. This is an excellent reminder that we don't have to turn our life upside down to create a change.
I sent this to someone I was close to a while back. You may like it.
During Covid, many of our habits and behaviors shifted. When life opened up again, it wasn’t easy to spring back into action like a Tesla Roadster going from 0 to 60 in under three seconds. It felt more natural—maybe even inevitable—to resemble a sluggish 1975 Granada.
Some of us tried to leap straight back to pre-2020 routines, but the momentum didn’t last. Instead, like so many others, we retreated inward. We overthought everything, got stuck in our heads, and let our minds spiral.
But sometimes, the best thing to do is simply “Let it Be.”
Hope you find all you are hoping for in 2025, Donna! Excellent post!
Paul I appreciate this comment so much. You're right that sometimes that solid forward momentum is not sustainable. We know this to be true as a creative and it's equally true as a human living an adult life. It's ok to be a sluggish 1975 Granada🤣 sometimes!
Gorgeous photo! Relatable text. Yes, I’ve overindulged in some areas and underperformed in some; but making a “Wrapped” slideshow helped me account for the good works I produced. Quality over quantity! In 2025 I intend to use habit tracker pages to be more conscientious; continue with gratitude lists I’ve been exchanging with a good friend; and keep the iPhone out of reach more often. Thank you!
Michelle, I love the Wrapped slideshow idea (although the tech aspect of that probably would boggle my mind!) and I wholeheartedly agree that quality of quantity is vital. That's an important part of my writing - I would much rather have a solid community of wonderful folks than a large community of scrollers. Quality. I am so glad you are here with us.
Exchanging gratitude lists is a very cool idea that I think I'm going to steal from you!
This post could have been written with me in mind. I've felt that "itch" since summer. What a great description. Like you, I've suffered losses, and my world has been turned upside down over the past four years. Instead of being frustrated with myself for slacking off, I now see it as having been a time of gathering, sorting, and discarding - getting ready for the next chapter in my life.
I know you've been living exactly what I'm talking about Janice. One reason why I love your writing is because you are constantly sharing, as well as giving us resources we can access to grow and heal. I think you are going to be amazing in the next chapter of your life - there is an untapped wealth of wisdom and creativity within you that we all need so keep it coming!
I love the realization that you are not lazy but instead gathering. I will borrow that mantra.
We’ve watched so much Netflix there’s nothing good left to watch.
I have an end of year itch. I need change. I need my snow fix. I need to know which project deserves my undivided attention. (Us creatives have too many ideas.) I need a new recipe, a new friend… My banner for 2025 will be about pursuit and discovery.
I got the shivers when you wrote about which project deserves your undivided attention! Those words caught me because they sum up why I've had trouble settling this year - I am not giving the things I love my undivided attention. Thank you for this CK. I needed these words.
I love your banner for the year and feel compelled to add one for you - BOLD (I coined this one from one of my coaching clients). Perhaps that fits with your pursuit and discovery quest?
Happy New Year to you and Jeffrey❤️ If you need a new friend maybe I now count as an old one?! Yay!
Whenever something serendipitous happens with someone I cherish, I call it Radar Love.
Last night I had EPIC! dreams.
The last one I remember was about you, coming here to check out a Director of Medicine job that was inexplicably at my kids’ elementary school. You were staying with us while you interviewed.
What I woke up feeling was comfort and connection. I have little dream snapshots of you in my home, in the sunlight, bantering with my family and laughing together.
I reached for my phone to message you, and your Substack writing was just received! And, as always it spoke directly to my heart.
My tender heart. The stress, anxiety, fear and disappointment from the past few years has built up a plaque like armour so much that I hardly recognize this heart.
Thank you for continuing to send this missives of love into the world.
Wow this is amazing. I love that the Universe is drawing us together like this and will stay tuned to see if there are any other links that offer clues. One might be that WE NEED TO GET TOGETHER🤣, that would be a great start!
Thanks for sharing and for your kind words about my missives of love, it means a lot.
Here's to the web of connection that we know is there even if we can't quite understand it.
I can totally relate to this Donna! You put a lot of what I've been feeling into words - thank you!!
Here's to a 2025 of less Neflix (I'm guilty of that too) and more progress into things that feed our souls and purpose xo
Christean
Happy New Year Donna! Your words are so beautiful and authentic, I’m sure we can all relate to getting lost and hiding away like this. Sometimes we need to though, like being in a cocoon. But I’m glad you’re not staying there and ditched the Netflix in favour of life again. So good to connect with you on here x
Kate, it's wonderful to see you here! I appreciate you taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment. Yes there is a time to cocoon for sure and, as I said, I've found it quite easy to stay there! I think that might come with age and such a strong desire to be comfortable. It's a fine line we all walk! xox
I think we all forget we are dealing with PTSD from the pandemic (which is alive and well, BTW). And just when we started getting our footing, it was an election year, and all of that stress walloped us again. So, it's understandable to find comfort in ways we may not fully want or appreciate, and it's wise and insightful to realize, nope, I'm not doing that anymore. Applaud yourself, Donna. We have to remember what we can control and what we can't. What's in our power and what's out of our hands. That's not giving up or giving in or turning a blind eye, it's a healthy perspective. Then, we can decide where to focus our energy rather than spin our wheels. Wishing you and yours all the best in 2025. xo
I appreciate your thoughts about a healthy perspective Sandra❤️ I agree, I think there is a collective constriction (we could use so many words - angst, concern, PTSD) that is mostly unrecognized but can weigh heavily on us. That is one of the reasons I love being here on Substack, to have met so many wonderful, like-minded, smart folks who make every effort to lift us all up. It's amazing and refreshing. So, there's that. There is also our own circle of influence in our lives where we can choose to make a positive impact. These are the things that keep our perspective healthy and I appreciate your generous contribution to this online eco-system!
🥰 😘 xo
I so appreciate your consistent commitment to your own betterment. And I think it is so valuable that you share it with all of us, so that we can draw inspiration from you and your journey. Uplifting, as always, Donna.
Thank you. And happy new year! :)
I love this Micheal - consistent commitment to my/our own betterment! I'd like that printed on a T-shirt as a reminder for myself🤣 Thank you.
May 2025 be amazing for you, my dear! ❤️🔥
Thanks Sweetie, I wish the same for you! May we have a gentle journey through the coming months.💕
Ooooh yes, too much Netflix, too much dissociating, too much sugar ;) The creeping menopause pounds that make me feel like I'm not even in my own body. I don't recognize myself anymore and yet, here I am.
There have been so many bright spots as well. I'm not sure what 2025 will bring, but I'm working on a couple of projects that include flowers and yoga. By summer both should be in full bloom and I'm excited to see what pops up (literally and figuratively). It's intentional, but not necessarily "goal" oriented if you know what I mean? I guess that's what I'll be working on. Intentionality, but without the sole-purpose driveness that came to define my life for so long. Right now, I'm still in my gathering phase. Until January.1st...lol. Then I'm locking in to something. I'm just not sure what yet. Great post.
From your mind to my heart Kim! You just wrote what I'm thinking and feeling (without the flowers and yoga part that both sound amazing). I'm in for the non-goal-oriented-intentionality that is a little more than just presence, and when you said you're locking in to something that phrase hit home for me. I think I want to package all of this in one little word or phrase because my organizational brain likes that so I'll see what shows up. As always, I appreciate your insightful comment❤️
I love the “non-goal-orientated intentionality”…foreign concept to my goal driven mind of past but I want to mull over what that could look like for me 🤗
I agree Alice, that wording is catchy and meaningful. Kim is a word-master!
The gathering. I feel like that’s a common theme for many of us.
Don’t discount unseen growth. Plants sometimes seem to stall out- but they are growing their hidden root system. I’m sure some of your year is similar to that. I know mine was.
Thank you Tim, you're right. It's so easy, in our performance based culture, to negate the unseen growth or the expansion that comes with allowing. Here's to another year of seeing each other around this corner of the internet, I'm so glad we met here!
Donna, I came here from CK's restack. I experienced what you describe for the first 10 months of 2024. I couldn't get motivated to do all the things I'd planned, and reasoned that my body was in need of the rest. I was wrong. I was leaning into the laziness, making it harder to get up and go. Then I started intermittent fasting, which was what I needed to boost my energy and make things happen. My focus increased and while there are still many areas I can improve on, every day brings successes that make each room a better place, just because I'm in it.
I'm so glad you made your way over to TBL, welcome and thank you for taking the time to comment! It's fascinating how we can shake things up by making one change, in your case the intermittent fasting, and that starts a cascade of small changes that improve things. I appreciate you pointing this out. I've done something similar in the past with getting into cold water and found that small thing made a big difference. This is an excellent reminder that we don't have to turn our life upside down to create a change.
I sent this to someone I was close to a while back. You may like it.
During Covid, many of our habits and behaviors shifted. When life opened up again, it wasn’t easy to spring back into action like a Tesla Roadster going from 0 to 60 in under three seconds. It felt more natural—maybe even inevitable—to resemble a sluggish 1975 Granada.
Some of us tried to leap straight back to pre-2020 routines, but the momentum didn’t last. Instead, like so many others, we retreated inward. We overthought everything, got stuck in our heads, and let our minds spiral.
But sometimes, the best thing to do is simply “Let it Be.”
Hope you find all you are hoping for in 2025, Donna! Excellent post!
Paul I appreciate this comment so much. You're right that sometimes that solid forward momentum is not sustainable. We know this to be true as a creative and it's equally true as a human living an adult life. It's ok to be a sluggish 1975 Granada🤣 sometimes!
Thanks! 🚗
Raising a banner of courage this new year!
Excuse me?! You raise a banner of courage every single day. You are a modern-day heroine so keep on rocking❤️
Thanks, Donna! Sending you happy thoughts for the new year <3
Gorgeous photo! Relatable text. Yes, I’ve overindulged in some areas and underperformed in some; but making a “Wrapped” slideshow helped me account for the good works I produced. Quality over quantity! In 2025 I intend to use habit tracker pages to be more conscientious; continue with gratitude lists I’ve been exchanging with a good friend; and keep the iPhone out of reach more often. Thank you!
Michelle, I love the Wrapped slideshow idea (although the tech aspect of that probably would boggle my mind!) and I wholeheartedly agree that quality of quantity is vital. That's an important part of my writing - I would much rather have a solid community of wonderful folks than a large community of scrollers. Quality. I am so glad you are here with us.
Exchanging gratitude lists is a very cool idea that I think I'm going to steal from you!
This post could have been written with me in mind. I've felt that "itch" since summer. What a great description. Like you, I've suffered losses, and my world has been turned upside down over the past four years. Instead of being frustrated with myself for slacking off, I now see it as having been a time of gathering, sorting, and discarding - getting ready for the next chapter in my life.
I know you've been living exactly what I'm talking about Janice. One reason why I love your writing is because you are constantly sharing, as well as giving us resources we can access to grow and heal. I think you are going to be amazing in the next chapter of your life - there is an untapped wealth of wisdom and creativity within you that we all need so keep it coming!
I love the realization that you are not lazy but instead gathering. I will borrow that mantra.
We’ve watched so much Netflix there’s nothing good left to watch.
I have an end of year itch. I need change. I need my snow fix. I need to know which project deserves my undivided attention. (Us creatives have too many ideas.) I need a new recipe, a new friend… My banner for 2025 will be about pursuit and discovery.
Happy New Year, doll. 🥰😘🙏🎉🎊
I got the shivers when you wrote about which project deserves your undivided attention! Those words caught me because they sum up why I've had trouble settling this year - I am not giving the things I love my undivided attention. Thank you for this CK. I needed these words.
I love your banner for the year and feel compelled to add one for you - BOLD (I coined this one from one of my coaching clients). Perhaps that fits with your pursuit and discovery quest?
Happy New Year to you and Jeffrey❤️ If you need a new friend maybe I now count as an old one?! Yay!
RADAR Love
Whenever something serendipitous happens with someone I cherish, I call it Radar Love.
Last night I had EPIC! dreams.
The last one I remember was about you, coming here to check out a Director of Medicine job that was inexplicably at my kids’ elementary school. You were staying with us while you interviewed.
What I woke up feeling was comfort and connection. I have little dream snapshots of you in my home, in the sunlight, bantering with my family and laughing together.
I reached for my phone to message you, and your Substack writing was just received! And, as always it spoke directly to my heart.
My tender heart. The stress, anxiety, fear and disappointment from the past few years has built up a plaque like armour so much that I hardly recognize this heart.
Thank you for continuing to send this missives of love into the world.
I love you and cherish you.
Sent from my iPhone
RADAR LOVE❤️
Wow this is amazing. I love that the Universe is drawing us together like this and will stay tuned to see if there are any other links that offer clues. One might be that WE NEED TO GET TOGETHER🤣, that would be a great start!
Thanks for sharing and for your kind words about my missives of love, it means a lot.
Here's to the web of connection that we know is there even if we can't quite understand it.