Weekly Jetsam 1.22.2023
I'm sharing my love of snail mail, a read and podcast about grief and Morgan Harper Nichols. Oh, I also tell you about the weird thing I did outside today.
Hello!
I hope you’ve had a good weekend.
Before I share my finds, I want to extend an invitation:
I’ve been working hard putting together my journal, Lessons from Nature: A 30 Day- Mindful Scavenger Hunt and I’m getting closer to the finish line. I am really pushing hard to have it in the world by February 1st.
I shared it in an almost finished state with a handful of people this week and their feedback left me with all the best feelings (and obviously some edits to make).
If you want to get exclusive updates and some additional sneak peeks follow this link. I plan on sending out a little preview toward the end of this week.
Enjoy whatever remains of your day!
Wholeheartedly,
Maggie
Snail Mail:
A few years ago my friend and I regularly wrote each other letters. It was a fun way to keep in touch and although we fell out of the practice, my love of mail has not dwindled. I blame it on watching too much Masterpiece Theater. I mean, is there anything more exciting than watching a letter or a newspaper arrive!?
I didn’t decorate much for the holidays, but I did hang up the cards that arrived. My plan is to take them down this afternoon, but it’s bittersweet.
When someone takes the time to write your address, find a stamp, and then locate a mail receptacle it just feels so much more personal than a text.
In addition to the holiday cards, I received a small mystery package from my uncle in New Jersey this week.
Inside were a handful of slides and a note written on my grandfather’s principal letterhead. The slides all include my dad and even one of my mom. Talk about heartfelt mail!
I intend to send more mail in 2023. In fact, since I can’t sit and watch TV without moving my hands, I started making a few of my own cards. Maybe we will have to start some type of subscriber pen pal situation.
Read & Listen:
I honestly think we are all experiencing some type of grief. As someone who suffered a significant amount of loss in the last year, I really appreciate when others open up about their experiences. Here’s a read and a podcast for you to check out if you find yourself in need.
I’ll share the Substack content first. Mari,
, wrote about grief in her newsletter this week and I related so much to her experiences with irritability.If you want to listen rather than read, Breathing Wind is a podcast created by Sarah Davis. Sarah and I met briefly over a decade ago when I was an intern for a textbook publisher and added each other on Facebook. After my dad passed, I started noticing Sarah’s posts about her podcast and it was truly divine timing.
Breathing Wind just wrapped up its third season in December. I tend to read the episode descriptions and listen to the ones that resonate with me when I need a little support. All of the guests are so authentic. It’s truly a beautiful container.
Quote:
If you don’t already follow Morgan Harper Nichols, do so immediately. Her work has changed my life and has been a lifeline on some of my darkest days.
BONUS:
I think I complained about the lack of sun in every one of my January newsletters. It continues to be a mild, but very wet and very gray winter in Massachusetts.
I’m risking losing some subscribers by sharing the crazy thing I did this afternoon, but I cracked myself up.
I was so sick of looking at the dry mud and ugly filth all over my deck today that I “mopped” it. Sure, I could’ve just waited for tonight’s rain to wash it away, but it made me happy for a few minutes.
Last Week’s Newsletters: