I think the word I’ve chosen this month relates directly to my focus in February of going deeper, but lately I find myself longing for more meaning. I feel impatient when I’m doing the busywork of every day living. Something is tugging at the sleeve of my spirit, asking me, “What really matters here? What does any of this mean?”
I’m entering my third month without my two children living here as they are both away at university. For the first six weeks, I swung between excitement for this new stage and a sense of loss, knowing that we won’t ever live as a family of four together again in quite the same way.
Perhaps this renewed questioning on a soul level has led me to search for the meaning in my life right now, here in this new stage. Whenever we cross from one season into another, we experience a period of limbo in the liminal space between the two. I think that’s where I’ve been, and now I hope I’m inching out of it. What is providing meaning for you right now?
One-Word Feeling Check-In
How are you feeling right now, in one word? I’m feeling discontent. I love the process of quieting down the noise so I can listen to my intuition. When I was younger, I would often panic in a season of discontent. I would attempt to solve it quickly, so I could get back to feeling happy.
But now, at the ripe old age of 52, I know that these melancholic feelings come and go. They are there for a purpose. I understand these periods now as ones where my soul is asking me to pay attention. Like in winter, when the trees go dormant to prepare for the explosion of growth coming in the spring, our moods tell us that something is changing. I’m learning to be gentle and nurturing to myself when I feel like this.
How are you feeling?
Library Classes
I’m busy scheduling a number of intro writing and nurture classes this spring at local libraries, plus one of my favourite activities ever: Literary Salons! In the salon, we practice the art of intentional conversation. We get into small groups, create a safe space for sharing, and then we draw open-ended questions from bags and converse with one another about our feelings and experiences. It’s pure joy! Please join us.
So far, I’ve scheduled a Literary Salon at White Rock Library on Friday, March 28 from 10 – 11:30 am, and 2 Nurture Starts with You classes: one at Aldergrove Library on Saturday, April 5 from 2 – 3 pm and one at Port Moody Library on Friday, May 9 from 2 - 3 pm. For the full schedule of classes and salons at libraries this spring, please see my Libraries page.
Book Corner
I’m still having trouble finding new books to sink into and love. I’ve started a bunch of mystery/crime novels and found them too dark or depressing to continue. I’m sure this has more to do with the state of the world (and my own emotional state as a result) than the quality of the books themselves.
I’m longing for comfort and reassurance in the novels I’m reading right now. So I’ve gone back to a few of my favourite authors: Maeve Binchy, John Grisham, and Sophie Kinsella. I did read and love Lisa Genova’s newest, More or Less Maddy, about a young stand-up comic adjusting to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. And I just started Playing Nice by JP Delaney after we watched the TV show starring James Norton adapted from the book, and so far I’m really enjoying it.
Write Your Novel or Memoir Online Class
We are partway through the Continue Section of Write Your Novel or Memoir online, which has four sections: Plan, Start, Continue, Finish. The idea is to write a first draft of your novel or memoir over a 20-week period, in a supportive online community with me and with other writers.
This class is a dream come true. I took all of the elements that I most loved about my MFA and undergrad writing classes, and removed all of the things that I couldn’t stand about workshopping or competing or naval gazing, and designed my own flexible writing class where we could discuss the writing craft, but also focus on our feelings and creative practices to replenish our energy and learn to love the process of writing and have fun while building our own confidence in ourselves and our abilities.
And it’s working. I love it so much. I’ll be sad when our current class comes to an end in mid-May. But I’m starting to look for new writers for the next iteration of the class which begins October 19, 2025! Please see my Classes page for more info and email me if you have questions or would like to sign up!
Intuitive Courage Podcast
For episode 10, I reflected on Wanting Less. I’ve been a minimalist since we moved from Alberta back to BC in 2016, and the concept of It’s better to want less than to have more has really changed my life for the better. Opting out of competition with others for the newest electronics or vehicles or the biggest house has been so freeing for me.
Please have a listen on March 21st. What are some ways you’ve experimented with wanting less in your life?
Nurture Starts with You Online Mini-Class
We are midway through the first ever Nurture Starts with You online mini-class and it’s so much fun to discuss nurture every day for 5 days. Each day, we have a specific nurture focus, a messy emotion, and a creative practice. We do one-word feeling check-ins together. It’s so lovely to do this work in community, where we can learn from each other.
I’ve posted upcoming 2025 mini-class dates on my website under Classes. Have a look at the dates in June, September, and November, and please join me in prioritising your own needs for nurture and self-care in a flexible, drop-in online format.
I’m also continuing to teach The Writing Well classes monthly via zoom through Alexandra Writers’ Centre (they are inspiring, beautiful, and soul-fulfilling each time!) and I’m working one on one with writers for story nurture in the form of supportive, encouraging, cheerleading notes on early work so the writer can shape future drafts with more confidence. If any of this interests you, please reach out and let’s chat!
TV Recs
It’s been a really good month for TV shows! Season 2 of Severance is SO STELLAR that I have to mention it again. We watch it on Thursday night, and then spend a lot of time talking through our individual theories about what’s really going on over at that evil Lumon corporation. The performances, the sets, the cinematography, the writing—it’s all next level TV and I love it so much.
I’m thrilled that White Lotus is back on Sunday nights for season 3, that Fargo seasons 4 and 5 finally came to Crave, and that we can catch up with those Bad Sisters in Dublin for season 2 on Apple TV. On Netflix, we loved the Swedish noir police series The Are Murders, and the dark comedy of Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano in No Good Deed.
The Best Cats in the Universe: Ted & Pippin
It’s a big day around here: Pippin is at the vet for his neuter procedure! (Or, as I wrote on the calendar: Pip Snip.) Earlier this week we took him for his first blood draw, ahead of his surgery, and when we brought him home Teddy hissed at him for the first few hours as Ted reaaaally doesn’t like the smell of the vet on his feline pal.
Thankfully, the hissing stopped fairly quickly and Pippin gave it right back to Teddy, just like he did as a tiny kitten. I’m preparing for more of the same when we get the call later today that Pip is ready to come home. I hate thinking of him at the vet all day without me, but I know they are taking very good care of him and I will be so happy to bring him home and know that this necessary surgery is done.
Other than the neutering, all is well with both of our furry boys. I missed them both while travelling for so much of February, and being away from them made me realise how much I love them and how much joy they add into my life on a daily basis.
Libraries forever,
Julianne and Ruby Finch Books