Weekly Jetsam 1.1.2023
1.1.2023, that felt great to type! Sharing my nature based intentions for 2023, my current read about building community and some Oprah love!
TWENTY-TWENTY-THREE. We’ve arrived.
I spent New Year's Eve playing a late afternoon game of Scrabble with my lovely neighbor Greta, crafting for an hour (keep reading for the reveal) and then writing this newsletter on the floor by the fire. My night wasn’t much different than any other Saturday, and I am MORE than okay with that.
So per usual, here’s what I found thought provoking or inspiring from this week! Let me know if you have anything to add. Wishing you a peaceful start to 2023.
Wholeheartedly,
Maggie
Nature Based Intentions for 2022:
Resolutions, schmezaolutions. I’m walking into 2023 with nature based intentions disguised as a new piece of wall art.
I had a lightbulb moment listening to Roxie Nafousi discuss manifestation on Jay Shetty’s podcast. She felt vision boards are extremely personal and not meant for everyday display. I finally felt seen! I wholeheartedly believe in the power of writing down dreams in whatever form, but I’ve always felt a little strange displaying them. For better or worse, I like to keep some things close to my chest while they’re still incubating. Cue my New Year's Eve craft project!
When it came to my intentions for 2023, I wanted to have them visible, but not in such a way that it would stick out like a sore thumb. So I present my new wall art:
Each symbol (crow, hydrangea, squirrel) represents something that I want to embrace more in 2023.
Crow: wisdom, intelligence, communication, cleverness, curiosity , community
Hydrangea: tenderness, beauty, blossoming, growth
Squirrel: resourcefulness, playfulness, persistence
If you are ever in my house, you will be in on my little secret.
Maybe next year, I will level it up and go gather objects from outside and shadow box them! Endless possibilities.
Also on the topic of nature based intentions, I’d be slacking if I didn’t mention that I am ALWAYS trying to live to the words of local poet, Michael DuBois’ Be the Ocean.
2 weeks left to hit 100 subscribers & my goal is in sight. Help me out?
Reads:
I’ve been slowly reading
's book, Start with Hello.Start with Hello, is super digestible, and is great for illuminating some of our blind spots and calling shenanigans on some common hesitations around community building.
At the start of this new year, I have immense gratitude for the community right in front of me...my neighborhood. I feel so lucky to live in a place where it is the norm to wave when you drive by someone. It’s been super fulfilling to begin cultivating new relationships with neighbors I’ve known my whole life. Losing both parents was not the path to home ownership I planned, but living in a place I adore sure is a beautiful silver lining.
Finally, I’m so grateful for the community that this newsletter has started to create. It’s been just shy of a month, but I’ve already had so many amazing conversations and connections after beginning to write on Substack.
I’m also posting on Instagram between newsletters & continuing to blog.
Quotes:
I’ll leave you with a quote from Oprah. I first heard this several years ago, but it pops back up in my head every now and again. I wanted to share it today, because it fits well after my newsletters on letting go and hanging on. It also seems appropriate as we embark on our 2023 adventures…
Last Week’s Newsletters: