Hello, it’s me. It’s been three weeks since my last confession Click. Read. Love. (not that anyone is keeping track?) which might be the longest break I’ve ever taken from writing this series that I started 10 years ago this June (where does the time go though, really?!). Of course the beginning of Click. Read. Love. lived on my blog which now lives on the internet here in a weird sort of purgatory. I don’t want to delete it, but I also don’t want to be a blogger. Some of the travel content is pretty decent, just sayin. For now it stays there and occasionally makes a little money from display ads ($100 if I’m lucky, which barely covers the cost of keeping it up and running).

I’ve been thinking a lot about my blogging and influencing career these last few weeks, and even looking back at some of my old Instagram posts 😅, because I started writing a novel. You can probably kind of guess what the book is about (it’s fiction).

Creatively and spiritually it has been deeply nourishing to finally start working on something I’ve wanted to do for at least a decade. Financially and emotionally it’s a bit terrifying. You don’t get paid for a book you haven’t finished as a first time author with no agent and no editor. It’s also a deeply vulnerable feeling to create something you have no idea if anyone will care about or want to read.

Despite having written on the internet for over 10 years, attempting to write a fiction novel is an entirely different endeavor, though I would argue more exciting and personally gratifying.

I’ve also been trying to take some of my own advice, which is to say I’ve made an effort to really spend more time offline. Summer is painfully short in New England, and especially in Vermont. I’ve been savoring this fleeting season as much as possible to read more books, go for hikes, swim in rivers and lakes, make s’mores, host dinner parties, and just generally enjoy this life I feel blessed to have.

While I’ve been relishing in the sweet joys of summer I’ve also been grappling with the grief and sadness of the state of the world, and quite frankly just the daily onslaught of evil shit this administration unleashes on humanity, and continues to get away with. Not to mention lettuce is giving everyone the shits and air pollution is extremely dangerous for large portions of the country.

I wish I had some prophetic lesson to share here, spoiler alert: I don’t. What I’m holding onto instead is the realization that it’s possible to carry multiple feelings at once.

Spending time offline hasn’t made me more ignorant or disconnected from what’s happening in the world. If anything, it’s given me the space to process it all with more intention. Making space for both acknowledgement and action.

The time I dedicate to curating this newsletter is spent with care and intention. I’m genuinely not interested in getting you to buy anything (other than a subscription 😅). I simply want to share interesting, fun, and meaningful things that make you think, make life easier or better, or help you stay informed (without losing your mind). I hope I can give you a little piece of that with this newsletter. Thank you so much for being here.