What I've Learned

Winter in New Hampshire-the Means House

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I wrote this in my newsletter to my students in 2023, and it’s all still relevant today!

1 Love is the answer to every question.

2 I can move past anxiety.

3 Reading brings me happiness.

4 The world will break my heart….sometimes daily.

5 Jigsaw puzzles calm my jangled nerves.

6 I need an audience to write for. (Jana, Tricia & Ann-let’s do summer!)

7 Friends that call you ‘just because’ are the best kind.

8 People love to receive notes and handwritten letters.

9 No one is trying to be a jerk (addict, thief, etc).

10 Everyone just wants to know that they mean something.

11 Being an HSP and an empath is a thing.

12 I already have everything I need.

13 There are secrets in my ancestors’ stories that help me understand myself.

14 Mary Oliver wrote Wild Geese for me.

15 Watching a baby emerge from its mother’s body is astounding.

16 Reading romance novels is ok.

17 Gardening makes me feel like the Goddess.

18 Boundaries are necessary.

19 I can survive other peoples’ poor treatment of me.

20 I am an A class knitter.

21 I must create every day.

22 Dogs make me profoundly happy.

23 You can count your real friends from your entire life on the fingers of 1 hand.

24 I must spend some time outdoors every day.

25 I must bring a green plant part indoors and put it in a small vase every day.

26 I express my gratitude to my belongings, the earth and people every day.

27 Take care of little things (burnt out light bulbs, missing buttons) now.

28 My body knows how much sleep it needs- no more alarms.

29 Enough water and vegetables really will change your life.

30 Self-care is crucial to my sanity.

31 Knitting keeps me sane.

32 TO notice what I notice-to pay attention.

33 I am enough. I do enough. I have enough.

34 To take excellent care of myself: Dress warmly, rest often.

35 That I am wildly creative, and I can do ANYTHING.

36 No one has loved me like my mother. I miss her.

37 I cannot live without a dog.

38 Sometimes forgiveness comes and sometimes it doesn’t.

39 I am a writer.

40 Music is essential.

41 Blue is the most beautiful color.

42 All is well & all will be well.

43 One must wake up excited for the day and go to bed satisfied with the day.

44 I need flowers every day.

45 I require periods of silence in every day.

46 Art feeds my soul.

47 Do less & feel more.

48 Happiness is a choice.

49 You don’t like your life? Change it!

50 All pain comes from a lack of space.

51 Accept the moment as if you had chosen it.

52 My worth is not based on my productivity.

53 No one has the right to ruin my life.

54 I can do anything I need to.

55 There are no mistakes, only outcomes.

56 Taking long walks while allowing my mind to wander soothes my soul.

57 It’s now, or never.

58 Just say ‘No’. I don’t have to say yes if I want to say no.

59 Stop and rest before I am tired.

60 Some temptations must be removed from my vicinity!

61 I don’t have to explain myself.

62 I open my heart to how things are right now.

63 How I breathe is how I live.

64 I prioritize myself over others.

65 Affirmations change my life.

66 All beings require praise/encouragement, including me.

67 Once a kid becomes a teen, a parent has no control.

68 Keep my to-do list short each day

And two new ones-

69 small wins are big wins.

70 win-win is the best perspective.

As 2025 comes to a conclusion, perhaps you’d like to make a list of what you know for sure too. I’d love to hear about it!