Love the idea of giving ourselves the gift of self-care and introspection during this holiday season! For me, the best gift would be a solo retreat, embracing solitude and self-discovery amidst nature.
I have spent many many hours looking out the windows in the lounge this year......so much to see, and so much connection if one actually gives themselves permission to sit still. I have discovered such rich bird and butterfly life and other creatures. It feels lovely to be living in a space that your feel connected to the other living things who also shre that living space. The sights, the sounds, the shadows, shades and the light. Solitude brings this ability to see. I left FB 6 weeks ago and it has got even better. Now I live in the real world.............and not the abyss of silence I have written about. Solitude is treasure. Maybe a lost treasure.
In 2023 I gave my present self the permission to disengage from social media. It has definitely brought a change in my life.
The gift to my future self was the setting up of this Substack - a place to work out my writing, to develop the way I express myself, and to meet like-minded people interested in reading and writing.
Same same June. 6 weeks clean, 4 weeks here....................and definitely a change for the better. Let me know when you have set up and I will follow your journey. I have written about the expoerience of leaving myself.....and no regrets. Losses yes, but no regrets, more done, and more good brain food writing here. Well done you! Tis the less chosen path.
Dec 14, 2023·edited Dec 14, 2023Liked by Wendi Gordon
I think the gift that I fully gave myself this year, my second full year of so called retirement, now to be clear, (sheesh I hate myself saying that....that's what NZs new PM says all the time and I loathe him and that pat phrase)..............for clarity, retirement for me was no planned financial security well funded time in my life. Poor as a church mouse, but infinitely richer than most of the worlds population. I even have hot water on tap, thats the top 5% right there. So retirement for me, may not be the picture norm in your head.
So the gift I gave myself more comfortably this year was - t i m e - to think and just be.
I have spent many hours in the mornings sitting looking out the window at the birds, the light , the wild roses on the fenceline................I have given myself the permission and gift of time. We can be tempted to think that sitting thinking is doing nothing. That time has to be a construct that gets things done, that there is something to show for. Sometimes good things are not visible. Work and happenings are not always visible. There is never 'nothing' happening. That permission to give myself time has been a game changer. Never having been personally afflicted with protestant work ethic can't sit still issues.............this has been a wonderful gift to moi, moi the little red hen..............happy as a pig in mud coz of this. Love your letters.
Thanks for your reply! I’ve definitely learned (though I keep forgetting) the value of time to walk in the park, or read, or ponder different options, or just pay attention to how I feel and what I need.
Thanks for sharing that, Grace. I didn’t realize how much my soul needed the joy of a Bruce Springsteen concert. My emotional reaction surprised me; I cried when the opening song started.
What holiday gift did you or will you give yourself?
Thanks for sharing this.
My wish would be for me to be able to cultivate better peace of mind and to be more grateful in general.
This is a wonderful gift!
I could definitely use more peace of mind myself ... and more income!
Love the idea of giving ourselves the gift of self-care and introspection during this holiday season! For me, the best gift would be a solo retreat, embracing solitude and self-discovery amidst nature.
Nature is very calming for me too, Winston. Even a walk in the park helps me feel better and think more clearly.
I have spent many many hours looking out the windows in the lounge this year......so much to see, and so much connection if one actually gives themselves permission to sit still. I have discovered such rich bird and butterfly life and other creatures. It feels lovely to be living in a space that your feel connected to the other living things who also shre that living space. The sights, the sounds, the shadows, shades and the light. Solitude brings this ability to see. I left FB 6 weeks ago and it has got even better. Now I live in the real world.............and not the abyss of silence I have written about. Solitude is treasure. Maybe a lost treasure.
Solitude is good and the embracing of. I wish you well in this and it becoming a reality Winston.
In 2023 I gave my present self the permission to disengage from social media. It has definitely brought a change in my life.
The gift to my future self was the setting up of this Substack - a place to work out my writing, to develop the way I express myself, and to meet like-minded people interested in reading and writing.
Wonderful, June! I’m rarely on social media these days and left Twitter when Musk bought it. I’m so glad I did!
Same same June. 6 weeks clean, 4 weeks here....................and definitely a change for the better. Let me know when you have set up and I will follow your journey. I have written about the expoerience of leaving myself.....and no regrets. Losses yes, but no regrets, more done, and more good brain food writing here. Well done you! Tis the less chosen path.
I think the gift that I fully gave myself this year, my second full year of so called retirement, now to be clear, (sheesh I hate myself saying that....that's what NZs new PM says all the time and I loathe him and that pat phrase)..............for clarity, retirement for me was no planned financial security well funded time in my life. Poor as a church mouse, but infinitely richer than most of the worlds population. I even have hot water on tap, thats the top 5% right there. So retirement for me, may not be the picture norm in your head.
So the gift I gave myself more comfortably this year was - t i m e - to think and just be.
I have spent many hours in the mornings sitting looking out the window at the birds, the light , the wild roses on the fenceline................I have given myself the permission and gift of time. We can be tempted to think that sitting thinking is doing nothing. That time has to be a construct that gets things done, that there is something to show for. Sometimes good things are not visible. Work and happenings are not always visible. There is never 'nothing' happening. That permission to give myself time has been a game changer. Never having been personally afflicted with protestant work ethic can't sit still issues.............this has been a wonderful gift to moi, moi the little red hen..............happy as a pig in mud coz of this. Love your letters.
Thanks for your reply! I’ve definitely learned (though I keep forgetting) the value of time to walk in the park, or read, or ponder different options, or just pay attention to how I feel and what I need.
My biggest gift I gave myself this year was a trip to NYC to see my favorite band, Phish. I received some unexpected magic my soul needed.
Thanks for sharing that, Grace. I didn’t realize how much my soul needed the joy of a Bruce Springsteen concert. My emotional reaction surprised me; I cried when the opening song started.