Reading this while lying on my bed, willing myself to swim in the majestic blue Pacific… just do it. Did someone else say that? Thank you. I love this.
maybe i should!! hard to describe it, but what was so wonderful about the book is that it’s one of those novels that is deeply constricted by place (sheep farms and small towns in Iceland), but it’s so rich and full of myths that it feels like it encompasses the whole world (and more)
Catching up on my reading after some vacation travel and this was so life-affirming and genuinely motivating to read.
I am about to start revising the first draft of my novel-in-progress and I have been so paralyzed by the negative voices in my head but your note reminds me of what I discovered while writing the thing to begin with - JUST DO THE THING - because DOING it poorly still feels better than THINKING about doing it perfectly.
I just stumbled upon your newsletter when someone I follow posted a photo of your dog waiting for potato chips. Please give him/her a good pet for me! I enjoyed every word and look forward to reading more. Here’s to creating more for ourselves and for others this year!
omg Christina this is so nice, that makes me so happy haha. Riley (my parent’s dog) will be very pleased with this comment. Thanks so much for reading, I appreciate the kind words.
odd to read this again and see the plunge metaphor that i used this morning, it must have stuck in my head when i read it last. happy 2025! can’t wait to read what you write
yes i read your piece (which i loved) and was glad to see that someone else was also *literally* taking the plunge. and likewise, i’m excited to see what you write too :)
Your take on newsletter writing as dress rehearsal resonates. And it's a particularly nice thing to read this time of year, when so much writing about newsletters is about what the algorithm told us was good.
Thanks David! Yeah, the dress rehearsal metaphor has been helpful for me, especially coming from a musical background. I'm glad that the letter was nice to read -- I'm trying my best to resist the magnetic pull of the algorithm!
God this was so beautiful - even several days after New Year’s Eve!! While the thought of ‘nothing matters and no one cares’ can sometimes veer on the existential in a negative way, I think it is more overall positive than negative. I think we all get stuck in our own cages that we have built and forget we have the fucking keys to let ourselves out!!! And too often we think it just is the way it has to be - when it’s not!
<3 i feel very cozy within existentialist thought! You're right that it can start to veer towards nihilism to say things like 'nothing matters', but I also love the liberatory potential of saying that 'nothing *inherently* matters, so i can create my own meaning'! What a gift!
This was the perfect thing to read on the first day of the new year. So much of what you wrote around trying to be spontaneous, trying to just do the thing and access joy now—it really resonated. I hope you had a lovely NYE and that 2025 will be kind to you!!
This made me laugh because I am the same way with water. Even pools where I can see the bottom. It's the shock of the temperature change, even if welcome, even if it's unbearably hot, that keeps me teetering on the edge. I've never been good with transitions or swift change, and I can't help but laugh at how blatant this metaphor is for a much larger issue I struggle with.
I love what you've written here and agree – I want more life! Excited to read more from you in 2025.
lol it really is such a blatant metaphor, isn't it? I kept thinking that about my own water-based woes, 'hmmm, perhaps this is not only about the pool, perhaps this is a sign of a bigger problem...'.
I hope you're able to live more of life this year, and I'm excited to keep reading your work!
Michael, I’m reading this a few hours after learning that my Aunt has died. She was old and had become sick in the last year, and so we were expecting it, and yet I’m finding myself lightheaded and exhausted with grief. I am sad for my dad, and I am sad for myself. And I am so glad to be reading your words. They’ve given me some comfort, as they always do. Thank you for being so thoughtful.
Reading this while lying on my bed, willing myself to swim in the majestic blue Pacific… just do it. Did someone else say that? Thank you. I love this.
thank YOU, Leah!!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
please do write about the Halldór Laxness book - i'm not familiar and would like to know!
maybe i should!! hard to describe it, but what was so wonderful about the book is that it’s one of those novels that is deeply constricted by place (sheep farms and small towns in Iceland), but it’s so rich and full of myths that it feels like it encompasses the whole world (and more)
Catching up on my reading after some vacation travel and this was so life-affirming and genuinely motivating to read.
I am about to start revising the first draft of my novel-in-progress and I have been so paralyzed by the negative voices in my head but your note reminds me of what I discovered while writing the thing to begin with - JUST DO THE THING - because DOING it poorly still feels better than THINKING about doing it perfectly.
honestly I'm so honored that this letter has been halfway useful to you, and I'm super excited for you to keep working on your novel!
I just stumbled upon your newsletter when someone I follow posted a photo of your dog waiting for potato chips. Please give him/her a good pet for me! I enjoyed every word and look forward to reading more. Here’s to creating more for ourselves and for others this year!
omg Christina this is so nice, that makes me so happy haha. Riley (my parent’s dog) will be very pleased with this comment. Thanks so much for reading, I appreciate the kind words.
odd to read this again and see the plunge metaphor that i used this morning, it must have stuck in my head when i read it last. happy 2025! can’t wait to read what you write
yes i read your piece (which i loved) and was glad to see that someone else was also *literally* taking the plunge. and likewise, i’m excited to see what you write too :)
Your take on newsletter writing as dress rehearsal resonates. And it's a particularly nice thing to read this time of year, when so much writing about newsletters is about what the algorithm told us was good.
Thanks David! Yeah, the dress rehearsal metaphor has been helpful for me, especially coming from a musical background. I'm glad that the letter was nice to read -- I'm trying my best to resist the magnetic pull of the algorithm!
God this was so beautiful - even several days after New Year’s Eve!! While the thought of ‘nothing matters and no one cares’ can sometimes veer on the existential in a negative way, I think it is more overall positive than negative. I think we all get stuck in our own cages that we have built and forget we have the fucking keys to let ourselves out!!! And too often we think it just is the way it has to be - when it’s not!
<3 i feel very cozy within existentialist thought! You're right that it can start to veer towards nihilism to say things like 'nothing matters', but I also love the liberatory potential of saying that 'nothing *inherently* matters, so i can create my own meaning'! What a gift!
I love this so much!!!! Thank you for it🙏🏻
I'm glad it resonated!! thanks for reading as always :)
This was the perfect thing to read on the first day of the new year. So much of what you wrote around trying to be spontaneous, trying to just do the thing and access joy now—it really resonated. I hope you had a lovely NYE and that 2025 will be kind to you!!
huzzah!! i'm glad you enjoyed it. And same goes for you -- i'm excited to see what you get up to this year!
Love this so much. Happiest new year friend :)
to you as well!!!
This was my first newsletter of 2025 and what a treat it was. Happy new year, here's to more doing the thing!
ah Naseerah, that's so nice to hear!! Yes, I hope you're able to do the things this year! Will be rooting for you
This made me laugh because I am the same way with water. Even pools where I can see the bottom. It's the shock of the temperature change, even if welcome, even if it's unbearably hot, that keeps me teetering on the edge. I've never been good with transitions or swift change, and I can't help but laugh at how blatant this metaphor is for a much larger issue I struggle with.
I love what you've written here and agree – I want more life! Excited to read more from you in 2025.
lol it really is such a blatant metaphor, isn't it? I kept thinking that about my own water-based woes, 'hmmm, perhaps this is not only about the pool, perhaps this is a sign of a bigger problem...'.
I hope you're able to live more of life this year, and I'm excited to keep reading your work!
Michael, I’m reading this a few hours after learning that my Aunt has died. She was old and had become sick in the last year, and so we were expecting it, and yet I’m finding myself lightheaded and exhausted with grief. I am sad for my dad, and I am sad for myself. And I am so glad to be reading your words. They’ve given me some comfort, as they always do. Thank you for being so thoughtful.
oh Noha, I’m so sorry. I’m sending you a message in a bit. Thinking of you <3
Thank you for this! So much hits home. Enjoy the pool, I can’t walk to see all the things you do next year!
Likewise, i'm really excited to see what you get up to this year! Super thankful for having met you on here!