Your openness in admitting, “I am not nourishing myself. Not in the ways that matter most,” is incredibly brave and resonates deeply with me today. It’s something many of us feel but rarely voice. We’re so often the ones who pour into others that we neglect our own needs. Your vulnerability is a reminder that even those who are strong pillars for others need to take time to refill their own wells.
I am so proud of you for honoring that and writing about it. It's encouraging to see you emulate that when we stumble, even when we forget, we can always "come back" to ourselves. Thank you for the reminder to be gentle with ourselves and to keep taking those quiet steps in the direction of self-care. 🩵
Thank you for this, Alex. I am trying to be brave and as honest as I can in my work, without sharing too much that involves other people. It's a tricky balance, but I do not know any other way forward. For a long time I held back in my writing, and something has shifted that has given me the wings to not hold back anymore. We authentically connect when we are real, right? Thank for seeing it, acknowledging it, and sharing in it with me. It really means a lot.
I am feeling nourished having paused to read and reflect upon your beautiful words. A phrase that comes to mind is ‘a choosing of kindness’ to oneself as well as to those around. Thank you.
It's a mission, isn't it? Let's keep choosing kindness. First for ourselves, and then it flows outward toward others, and again back to us...a lovely spiral of kindness. xo
So many times our wavelengths are the same. This goes along with what I saw today and I sent it to you. So worth the time. I find more and more that nature nourishes me more than anything. Your feeling really spills out in this my precious daughter.
The words that stuck out to me: "Letting my wellness be slow. Letting care be imperfect. Letting nourishment begin again in the smallest of ways." and "I just have to be willing to say—I want to come back to myself." had my soul all aflutter! I wrote those sentences in my journal to ponder more later. I get this tingle or inside cheer when I say, "I want to come back to myself". I'm not sure what that means in this moment but I feel like I want to find out! How long have I been missing?!
Our society seems to cherish the rough harried path and it is a little too easy to slide into that when we want to fix something. After nursing several feet and ankle injuries these past (gasp) six months wondering if there will be an end in sight I ask myself, "What would it look like if I let it be slow?". What if I didn't press myself to heal more quickly or do extra? But just do each step as it arrives? We are always in a hurry to get from a state we don't particularly like, usually one of some sort of suffering, to one we think will be better with energy and stamina. This new state is usually accomplished in a stressful manner either by withholding or forcing something to happen. Maybe if we slow down as you say with attention, patience, and presence we can make better choices in the moment for our nourishment and well-being so each day we are in a easy balanced state. Choosing kindness. As always thank you for your words.
I'm with you Ari. I'm trying, so hard, to let my healing take its time and not to have these expectations of getting over it right away, and most importantly...to feel joy and experience beauty all along the way. I am noticing (and trying to listen more and carefully) that when I do allow things to be as they are right here and now, that I suffer far less and healing starts again. Who knows. I just know that I want to come back to myself feeling well! And we will do that...in our sweet time, finding moments of pure joy along with the hard parts, all along the way. Thank you, Ari. Much love to you!
“…not in the way of breakthroughs, but in the steady accumulation of small gestures. Like layers of lichen on stone, like the lull between waves…” This is so meaningful Kateri. Savouring every moment is a form of self care that’s easily overlooked. Loved reading your post.
Such a lovely authentic voice you have dared to publish in this article on true nourishment not just for your soul, but I dare wager for those who have the courage to acknowledge their own hunger!
Many thanks to you, dear Kateri, sharing your vulnerability and viewpoints that over time morphed to find within yourself the essence of what truly mattered then and matters most now🥰
So, what pulls us out of the dust? Sometimes it feels like we’ve suddenly stumbled upon the poppy fields of the wizard of oz and fall asleep to the quiet voices trying to bring us back to balance. But I realize that I am not only trying to hold the extreme dichotomy of these times, but I am also monitoring my own transformation. It requires a tremendous amount of spiritual and physical energy. There are things rumbling beneath me even on good days. Like you said, these lulls require slow revivals, because maybe they are sort of a digestion process or an incubation. All I know is I come out of them minutely altered, with a feeling that I’m growing into another mental/spiritual context. Ever feel like you need to be re-done, re-baked, re-put together again?
It's so fascinating, your last question... I tell Rick all the the time that I just was not put together very well....physically. I'm okay with my spirit, but I wouldn't mind a re-do-bake-put-together-again for my body ;) I agree with you about the intense amount of energy. I kept meaning to get here to respond to these lovely comments and after work I just keep crashing into oblivion and my mornings are solely for writing. I wouldn't mind a poppy field either 🙃 My friend, I think the smallest glimmers of beauty pull us out. At least I think so today. 🩵
This is beautiful and reminds me we can find the greatest joy, the greatest abundance, the greatest gratitude in the small things. Settling into the ‘smallness’ of life, taking a minutes to breathe it all in is what will nourish us. I live a quiet life, I work part time, I paint with watercolor, I play the harp, I spend time with my precious family. For a long time I felt bad because I wasn’t living BiG - wrote a book!! Perform in public!!! Work harder harder harder to get to the top of the ‘rung’!!! Feeling like I wasn’t contributing enough to our world. BUT I have come to realize the peace that comes from watching paint on paper do its magic, the quiet sounds on the harp, the joy I feel when enjoying being with my family DOES contribute to the world in ways we may not be able to see and understand but it is there all the same. Thank you for your beautiful writing. It is the first thing I read this morning and it lifted me up.
Leanne what you wrote is so very true. I so believe this. Living big is not sustainable anyway. We see that all the time, don't we? We must keep on finding the peace. Over and over in the smallest, most ordinary of ways. 🌿 ✨
I’m sitting on my deck listening to the birds, feeling the sun and wind, my mind is quiet. I’m so grateful to have this. Then reality comes flooding back in, hitting me like a ton of bricks. The overwhelm, the sorrow, the total transformation that has happened to all of us in a few short months. We are collectively feeling the same thing. We are reacting differently, but it’s still the same. It’s so hard to feel the joy of life in its simplest moments. Nourishment is a good word. We need to feel nourished and nourishing, not just with food.
The sitting, the listening, the feel of the wind and the little helicopters spinning in the wind it all comes back to the quiet of nature. I love to read your essays. They make me think which,in turn, helps me understand and grow. 😍😍
I am so glad you are here, Sue, and that you take the time to comment. And I am so glad you have your deck and your beautiful yard, and the birds, and the peace. Reality will keep coming, right? But we can nourish our awareness with the lovely things to take the edge off the rest. It really does feel like a collective unease, doesn't it? ❤️
This weekend I stumbled across another Substack that used the word nourishment, and after reading that one, and then reading this one, I'm seeing more clearly that what I've been calling my new Plan had everything in it but 'nourishment'. I was nourished by what I was creating, or thought I was, and now I'm wondering if what I need is the quiet you talk about. I had been scrolling through Substack with a notebook and a cup of coffee. Then it somehow turned into work, where notetaking was required and I had to keep track and then do something with it, and nourishing time turned into a work time...which would be okay from a systemic point of view, but I found myself in an empty well again. Thankfully life is cyclical and not linear so I can loop back, regroup, adjust...chill.
I don't know about you, but my whole adult life has been filled with re-evaluating what I thought was nourishing me. 🙃 Sounds like sitting with a notebook and a cup coffee would do me fine most days. Just the thought of it nourishes me. Cyclical, indeed. Thank you so much for being here and for your thoughtful comment. 🩵 ✨
I always enjoy what you write, but today as I took in how you are struggling with doing what you know works I feel Iwould like to share a little of what works for me. There are times when I’m low and struggling with everything and anything. As soon as I open my eyes it all comes flooding back, the fear being scared of it all, no matter how normal. These are times When I feel alone, when it’s hard to tell anyone how I feel. But I know the best way to slowly return to my happy self it with the very basics of life. Get out of bed, always, clean my teeth and shower, even if I’m scared of getting in the shower. Just moving forward through the day can be exhausting, especially if need petrol or have an appointment somewhere. By the time the evening comes I’m so exhausted I find that I don’t feel the stress so much as it’s eaten all of my energy and there isn’t ant yo spare. So that’s what keeps me going just the basics of life, although sometimes even eating is hard, no appetite but I encourage myself, as we all know it won’t help if I don’t. The road back is long but I always have he determination to get back to my own normal. Kateri, wishing you well, wishing you back to your better place. Michelle xxx
One of the most beautiful things about what you wrote here is that you shared it! I think so often we feel alone in our struggles and think that other people have it all figured out and then we feel even more afraid to speak about it. Just. Moving. Forward. With. My. Day. YES! And... allowing ourselves to notice and reach for the tiny pockets of beauty that are always around us. I know you do that, too. Sending you much love. We are doing our best, and it's a beautiful thing. xoxo
Your openness in admitting, “I am not nourishing myself. Not in the ways that matter most,” is incredibly brave and resonates deeply with me today. It’s something many of us feel but rarely voice. We’re so often the ones who pour into others that we neglect our own needs. Your vulnerability is a reminder that even those who are strong pillars for others need to take time to refill their own wells.
I am so proud of you for honoring that and writing about it. It's encouraging to see you emulate that when we stumble, even when we forget, we can always "come back" to ourselves. Thank you for the reminder to be gentle with ourselves and to keep taking those quiet steps in the direction of self-care. 🩵
Thank you for this, Alex. I am trying to be brave and as honest as I can in my work, without sharing too much that involves other people. It's a tricky balance, but I do not know any other way forward. For a long time I held back in my writing, and something has shifted that has given me the wings to not hold back anymore. We authentically connect when we are real, right? Thank for seeing it, acknowledging it, and sharing in it with me. It really means a lot.
I am feeling nourished having paused to read and reflect upon your beautiful words. A phrase that comes to mind is ‘a choosing of kindness’ to oneself as well as to those around. Thank you.
It's a mission, isn't it? Let's keep choosing kindness. First for ourselves, and then it flows outward toward others, and again back to us...a lovely spiral of kindness. xo
So many times our wavelengths are the same. This goes along with what I saw today and I sent it to you. So worth the time. I find more and more that nature nourishes me more than anything. Your feeling really spills out in this my precious daughter.
I still have to watch it. Saving it for a quiet moment. Thank you, mom 💖
Your writing is as beautiful as your artwork. Lovely, just so lovely. ❤️
thank you, always, Dawn, for being here and for your encouragement xo
The words that stuck out to me: "Letting my wellness be slow. Letting care be imperfect. Letting nourishment begin again in the smallest of ways." and "I just have to be willing to say—I want to come back to myself." had my soul all aflutter! I wrote those sentences in my journal to ponder more later. I get this tingle or inside cheer when I say, "I want to come back to myself". I'm not sure what that means in this moment but I feel like I want to find out! How long have I been missing?!
Our society seems to cherish the rough harried path and it is a little too easy to slide into that when we want to fix something. After nursing several feet and ankle injuries these past (gasp) six months wondering if there will be an end in sight I ask myself, "What would it look like if I let it be slow?". What if I didn't press myself to heal more quickly or do extra? But just do each step as it arrives? We are always in a hurry to get from a state we don't particularly like, usually one of some sort of suffering, to one we think will be better with energy and stamina. This new state is usually accomplished in a stressful manner either by withholding or forcing something to happen. Maybe if we slow down as you say with attention, patience, and presence we can make better choices in the moment for our nourishment and well-being so each day we are in a easy balanced state. Choosing kindness. As always thank you for your words.
I'm with you Ari. I'm trying, so hard, to let my healing take its time and not to have these expectations of getting over it right away, and most importantly...to feel joy and experience beauty all along the way. I am noticing (and trying to listen more and carefully) that when I do allow things to be as they are right here and now, that I suffer far less and healing starts again. Who knows. I just know that I want to come back to myself feeling well! And we will do that...in our sweet time, finding moments of pure joy along with the hard parts, all along the way. Thank you, Ari. Much love to you!
“…not in the way of breakthroughs, but in the steady accumulation of small gestures. Like layers of lichen on stone, like the lull between waves…” This is so meaningful Kateri. Savouring every moment is a form of self care that’s easily overlooked. Loved reading your post.
I am so grateful. Even savouring a few moments :) ✨
Such a lovely authentic voice you have dared to publish in this article on true nourishment not just for your soul, but I dare wager for those who have the courage to acknowledge their own hunger!
Many thanks to you, dear Kateri, sharing your vulnerability and viewpoints that over time morphed to find within yourself the essence of what truly mattered then and matters most now🥰
Thank you dear friend. I am so grateful to see you here! Thank you. ✨
So, what pulls us out of the dust? Sometimes it feels like we’ve suddenly stumbled upon the poppy fields of the wizard of oz and fall asleep to the quiet voices trying to bring us back to balance. But I realize that I am not only trying to hold the extreme dichotomy of these times, but I am also monitoring my own transformation. It requires a tremendous amount of spiritual and physical energy. There are things rumbling beneath me even on good days. Like you said, these lulls require slow revivals, because maybe they are sort of a digestion process or an incubation. All I know is I come out of them minutely altered, with a feeling that I’m growing into another mental/spiritual context. Ever feel like you need to be re-done, re-baked, re-put together again?
It's so fascinating, your last question... I tell Rick all the the time that I just was not put together very well....physically. I'm okay with my spirit, but I wouldn't mind a re-do-bake-put-together-again for my body ;) I agree with you about the intense amount of energy. I kept meaning to get here to respond to these lovely comments and after work I just keep crashing into oblivion and my mornings are solely for writing. I wouldn't mind a poppy field either 🙃 My friend, I think the smallest glimmers of beauty pull us out. At least I think so today. 🩵
This is beautiful and reminds me we can find the greatest joy, the greatest abundance, the greatest gratitude in the small things. Settling into the ‘smallness’ of life, taking a minutes to breathe it all in is what will nourish us. I live a quiet life, I work part time, I paint with watercolor, I play the harp, I spend time with my precious family. For a long time I felt bad because I wasn’t living BiG - wrote a book!! Perform in public!!! Work harder harder harder to get to the top of the ‘rung’!!! Feeling like I wasn’t contributing enough to our world. BUT I have come to realize the peace that comes from watching paint on paper do its magic, the quiet sounds on the harp, the joy I feel when enjoying being with my family DOES contribute to the world in ways we may not be able to see and understand but it is there all the same. Thank you for your beautiful writing. It is the first thing I read this morning and it lifted me up.
Leanne what you wrote is so very true. I so believe this. Living big is not sustainable anyway. We see that all the time, don't we? We must keep on finding the peace. Over and over in the smallest, most ordinary of ways. 🌿 ✨
I’m sitting on my deck listening to the birds, feeling the sun and wind, my mind is quiet. I’m so grateful to have this. Then reality comes flooding back in, hitting me like a ton of bricks. The overwhelm, the sorrow, the total transformation that has happened to all of us in a few short months. We are collectively feeling the same thing. We are reacting differently, but it’s still the same. It’s so hard to feel the joy of life in its simplest moments. Nourishment is a good word. We need to feel nourished and nourishing, not just with food.
The sitting, the listening, the feel of the wind and the little helicopters spinning in the wind it all comes back to the quiet of nature. I love to read your essays. They make me think which,in turn, helps me understand and grow. 😍😍
I am so glad you are here, Sue, and that you take the time to comment. And I am so glad you have your deck and your beautiful yard, and the birds, and the peace. Reality will keep coming, right? But we can nourish our awareness with the lovely things to take the edge off the rest. It really does feel like a collective unease, doesn't it? ❤️
This weekend I stumbled across another Substack that used the word nourishment, and after reading that one, and then reading this one, I'm seeing more clearly that what I've been calling my new Plan had everything in it but 'nourishment'. I was nourished by what I was creating, or thought I was, and now I'm wondering if what I need is the quiet you talk about. I had been scrolling through Substack with a notebook and a cup of coffee. Then it somehow turned into work, where notetaking was required and I had to keep track and then do something with it, and nourishing time turned into a work time...which would be okay from a systemic point of view, but I found myself in an empty well again. Thankfully life is cyclical and not linear so I can loop back, regroup, adjust...chill.
I don't know about you, but my whole adult life has been filled with re-evaluating what I thought was nourishing me. 🙃 Sounds like sitting with a notebook and a cup coffee would do me fine most days. Just the thought of it nourishes me. Cyclical, indeed. Thank you so much for being here and for your thoughtful comment. 🩵 ✨
Be well, Kateri. I'm always happy to hear your voice and see your marks.
Thank you, Leslie. It means a lot to me. Thank you for being here! 🤍
I always enjoy what you write, but today as I took in how you are struggling with doing what you know works I feel Iwould like to share a little of what works for me. There are times when I’m low and struggling with everything and anything. As soon as I open my eyes it all comes flooding back, the fear being scared of it all, no matter how normal. These are times When I feel alone, when it’s hard to tell anyone how I feel. But I know the best way to slowly return to my happy self it with the very basics of life. Get out of bed, always, clean my teeth and shower, even if I’m scared of getting in the shower. Just moving forward through the day can be exhausting, especially if need petrol or have an appointment somewhere. By the time the evening comes I’m so exhausted I find that I don’t feel the stress so much as it’s eaten all of my energy and there isn’t ant yo spare. So that’s what keeps me going just the basics of life, although sometimes even eating is hard, no appetite but I encourage myself, as we all know it won’t help if I don’t. The road back is long but I always have he determination to get back to my own normal. Kateri, wishing you well, wishing you back to your better place. Michelle xxx
One of the most beautiful things about what you wrote here is that you shared it! I think so often we feel alone in our struggles and think that other people have it all figured out and then we feel even more afraid to speak about it. Just. Moving. Forward. With. My. Day. YES! And... allowing ourselves to notice and reach for the tiny pockets of beauty that are always around us. I know you do that, too. Sending you much love. We are doing our best, and it's a beautiful thing. xoxo