NOTHING IS...

..MISSING. Let me type that again for the people ready to scroll right to the next email in their cue. Everything may feel wrong. Everything may seem right. But NOTHING IS MISSING. This was the key message which stayed with me since I finished listening to the audiobook of Nicole Walters’ memoir a couple of weeks ago. I now repeat that to myself every few days as a “gratitude trigger.” As humans, there is literally no limit on our ability to “want,” yet many of us already have an abundance of time, health, love, success etc. So I am trying to approach each day from this perspective. I am hyper-aware of my heart’s ‘ever-evolving’ desires. However I actively choose to redirect my consciousness to ALL the soul-filling people and activities already present in my life.

My ability to live an active lifestyle is high on the top of this list for me. I ran my fourth marathon this November and logged my second fastest time for that distance (so far). It felt GOOD to have such a strong race, especially with how much I struggled (and barely finished) the previous one I did in April 2023. My dedication to keep writing I equally value — even if that means working on multiple books, articles and poems simultaneously — because few things mentally soothe me than having a creative project to pour myself into.

Following such writing sprints, authors frequently wait YEARS for our ‘book babies’ to fully arrive in the world. Which is why I am thankful Capstone was as eager for my next picture book “The Glam World Tour” to be released as I was. It officially comes out January 1, but you can pre-order it now from Target, Amazon, B&N, or a local independent bookstore. Want a sneak peek??? Send a reply to this e-newsletter and I will mail you a FREE poster, sticker sheet and a personal holiday greeting from me.

On the flip side, two “goodies” I’ll be holding on to, yet highly recommend getting ASAP are the Daybreak Moisturizing Cream (by Indigenous-owned brand N8iV Beauty), as well as this super cozy and CUTE Edara sweatshirt (because it’s never a bad idea to support a women-owned, small business). I’ll be sending more gift recs in my last e-newsletter of the year along with my 2024 holiday playlist. Although if you are already trying to keep the festive vibes flowing, simply cue up of last year’s mix to tide you over.

Happy Advent! ~Rachel