Hello ♡,
I am taking a little break, a moment offline. As a creator, it is so important to breathe and refuel. As a human, it is so important to breathe and refuel. But let me tell you first who is not happy about this plan:
This is what Sweetie does when she knows we are packing. I had to really convince her to move off of my clothes so I could pack. You should’ve seen the side eye she gave us. Sweet, deep soul, Sweetie. It breaks my heart. But the good news is the best dog sitter in the entire world will be taking care of her, so she will be happy again soon.
Coco, per usual, is blissfully unaware. I think there are advantages to that.
We are traveling to Spain again, where my dad is from, and where we have the most family. I will be opening up the balcony to hear seagulls and the little town bustling below. It’s so lovely, so cozy, and life moves much slower for us when we are there. We will walk to the market often, and eat a lot of ice cream. We will be focused very intently on what we will be eating for dinner and what time we will walk to have a coffee at the cafe. The sport each evening is the sunset over the ocean. We watch and wait for the unveiling.
Here is one of my favorite photos from our yearly trek back to this special place when my youngest was just learning to walk.
It’s been a hell of a year. You, my favorite newsletter community, know quite a bit of it. I share things here I never share on Instagram. My husband and I have both faced significant health scares, and it continued on more than I have shared here (we are ok). There’s been job loss (and job gained!), and then of course the birth of my book into the world, Your Pain Has a Name. And I know you know the state of things in the world. All of our nervous systems are swimming in that water.
I will be trying to take individual time with each kid, tasting everything I can, sleeping in and then taking long walks with family. I can’t wait.
Some of the things I intentionally am practicing and will bring with me are learning to meditate (I love this app, unlike others they actually teach you how to meditate), and working on my morning pages (3 pages of free form thought in the morning) from The Artist’s Way book. I can wholeheartedly recommend these things. I also always like to revisit my one of my favorite books, The Gifts of Imperfection, when I need a reboot. I may do that as well. I am taking so many books, I need an intervention. I am going to try to finally learn to play Wordle, I can report back. I will be praying, trying to stay open to each moment, and trying to savor the gift it is to be able to do this. It is an enormous gift.
What I won’t be doing is working or creating in any way. And the truth is as much as I know I need to take a break, it is hard to do because I enjoy creating and the work I do. But it is time, and I am ready.
I will see you in a couple weeks. In the meantime, I hope you are able to take a respite, a short break, even for a morning or a meditation. And I wish you well. Thank you for being here. ❤️
With you,
Monica
Book News!
I’ll be honest, I still feel like I need to go door to door to sell my book. It’s like I am stuck in the 90s and I am trying to sell knives. I really would do that. But the coolest thing is, the book is selling on it’s own! People are finding it, sharing it. I have seen numbers, and I am continually shocked that this little baby was not only birthed, but is now walking around in the world. And I am continually grateful people are finding it and feeling found in it.
One thing I still really need to grow are the reviews. I feel annoying asking again, but I hear from people who it meant so much to, and the way this world works is that reviews are the best way to share this.
Reviews- If this book is meaningful to you, would you write a review on Amazon and GoodReads to help support this work? It takes just minutes, and you can use the same review for both spots! GoodReads Amazon
I downloaded that meditation app to give it a try! Mindfulness is a big part of my practice (and life), so I’m always recommending mindfulness apps as a way to get started. I also love The Gifts of Imperfection—the perfect bite-size summary of her work but packs a punch. Enjoy!
Good for you, Monica! Enjoy every minute!🫶