Amelia, here. It’s been quite a while since I’ve written to you. Sure, I’ve sent you a few emails, but I haven’t actually written to you. I haven’t opened the sacred space of address that I like to cultivate on this list.

 

In the time that I haven’t been writing you, many more people have signed up to hear from me. Most of you landed here because of what I practice (and preach) about leaving social media.

 

It’s true. I’ve been off Instagram since April 2022, and it’s felt like a revelation.

 

It’s also felt lonely at times. I’m not in constant conversation with my community any more, so I’ve had to cultivate new habits of keeping in touch. That’s been enriching, but also exhausting. It relies on me being more intentional and others returning the effort. It’s not easy and I’m trying to sit with the discomfort of the process.

 

As I’ve been sitting with that discomfort, I’ve been reading a lot. Lately I’ve read:

I've also been reading lots of fantasy and romance. I devoured all 11 books of The Fever Series this summer, and I read Love on the Brain in one sitting last weekend. 

 

When I was a kid, I often turned to books when I felt lonely. Nancy Drew and Anne of Green Gables weren't just fictional characters to me. They were my friends. I loved escaping into their worlds for an evening or a weekend. 

 

Now, decades later, I find myself doing the same thing. I've gone back to fiction to enter other worlds. I've coped with loneliness by making books my friends. I track them in my little reading app. See our group photo below. ♡

 

 

As I wrote this email, I realized that taking a moment to write to you also makes me feel more connected and less lonely. It has me reflecting on how often my loneliness is cured by a good book or a simple hello.

 

So, hello! If you're also a reader, I'd love to connect with you on Literal, my favorite non-Amazon-owned app for tracking what I read. 

 

I'll also share my Bookshop page, where you can see books I recommend on topics from leaving social media to learning about tarot to improving your podcast.

 

And if you're not a reader, that's ok too. There are so many amazing ways to share stories and escape into other worlds. I wish you much beloved music, podcasts, movies, movement or however you transcend space and time.

 

 

 

Fall is always a high-motivation & high-output season for me, so you can expect a few more emails in the upcoming months.

 

Next week is my four-year anniversary of breaking up with diet culture, and I'm working on an essay reflecting on four years of no diets, no exercise, and no body-shaming. It'll land gently in your inbox soon.

 

After the Fall Equinox, I'll also be bringing back my tiny tarot practice podcast. There's a tiny episode for all the wands cards now, and I'll be exploring the pentacles in season two. Click here to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

 

I hope that September brings you lots of joy, rest or whatever nourishment you need. And that you're as happy or peaceful as sweet Flo in her purple cone (photos below).

 

 

Thanks for reading! 

This newsletter is free, but you can support my work by

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or referring me for a podcast or speaking engagement.

 

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I work and live on the land of the Pawnee people.