Each month I create these Journal episodes and posts exclusively for paying members of The Kettle Community. They’re like little care packages full of seasonal observations, reflections, and resources. Enjoy, and thank you for supporting my work!
I’m writing this on Holy Saturday, the day that, in the Christian faith, represents the pause between Christ’s death and resurrection. Whether or not you embrace the Easter story as wholly true, doubt its veracity but appreciate its symbolism, or find yourself skeptical about the whole thing (I’ve found myself doing all three, sometimes in the same five-minute period, so wherever you are, I see you) there is no doubt that we can all relate to the feeling of waiting for a fresh start.
I think what we all long for - always, but maybe especially this time of year - is the idea that we can begin anew; that this crumbling world and we, its corrupted people, aren’t too far gone to find our way. And perhaps learning to sit in the “in between” with hopeful anticipation and even a measure of active participation, instead of just passively dreading what’s to come, is our most important life’s work.
In our Journal episode + newsletter for April, I’m leaning into the quietly watchful energy of Easter weekend. After a hectic start to my year, March brought me some much-needed calm. But how can I lean into a slower season without either trying to solve things that are too far in the future to worry about yet (see: borrowing trouble), or getting stuck in the quieter energy of the moment and letting inertia take over?
At 48, I’m still learning to ride the wave gracefully from peak to trough and back again. In this episode I talk a lot about what that effort looks like right now, from planning an herbal tea garden without over-committing, to making progress on my novel without worrying about what might happen once the draft is done.
I also share a peek at life on our property this time of year, from our plan to add ducklings into the mix and what the bird life (both wild and domesticated) is looking like around here right now. I also talk about the appetizer-only Easter spread I’m planning now that there’s just one child left at home, and I share a couple of upcoming events for members of The Kettle, like a live chat about planning ancestral travel with genealogist Lisa Elvin-Staltari coming up April 19.
All this plus photos + links below the jump.
Happy Easter and welcome to April, friends!
Journal episodes come out at the beginning of each month, and are a benefit for paying members of The Kettle Community. To hear the full episode, see more photos, resources, and links, and find links to community events like our weekly Co-Create sessions on Zoom, our private Discord chat, and more, join us today.
