First day fully back in SubstackLand, and this was the perfect piece to welcome me in. I wish I could join you - not only in your corner of that coffee shop, but also in that precious time out of time, which you describe so perfectly. I don’t feel like I found my way there this year. Not really. And I’m not ready to turn back now. But time goes on, doesn’t it. We’ll have to find ways to create our own oases of peace and harmony. 💜
I would happily snuggle into a corner of a coffee shop with you and fabricate a time out whenever you'd like! It's interesting. I'm dragging this morning myself, which is odd because I really did recharge, but now I'm wondering if its because I just prefer that slower pace. The simplicity, the kindness, the togetherness. Maybe that's just a nicer space in which to exist, so my sluggishness is less actual fatigue and more just resistance to leaving that nook in the coffee shop. Things to think about...🤔
I definitely feel that. It’s like the holidays give us a tiny taste of a saner pace (after all the chaos, of course), and then we start to wonder why life isn’t like that more often.
For most of my adulthood up to this point, I knew why life wasn’t like that all the time, and I had very little agency to change that if I wanted to keep my house, my job, etc. I’m in a different place now, and I’m starting to wonder why I can’t create some of that more often and what it would take to do that. Big questions for the new year, for sure.
Jess, you are right: everything counts. So many emotions related to the holidays. Your coffee shop is beautiful; I can see why you want to write there.
Have a wonderful New Year, and may 2026 be one of health and joy for you and your loved ones.
We all need a cozy corner somewhere where we can be alone, gather our thoughts, make sense of our emotions. Yours looks very inviting! Wishing you the happiest of holidays and a truly wonderful 2026!
First day fully back in SubstackLand, and this was the perfect piece to welcome me in. I wish I could join you - not only in your corner of that coffee shop, but also in that precious time out of time, which you describe so perfectly. I don’t feel like I found my way there this year. Not really. And I’m not ready to turn back now. But time goes on, doesn’t it. We’ll have to find ways to create our own oases of peace and harmony. 💜
I would happily snuggle into a corner of a coffee shop with you and fabricate a time out whenever you'd like! It's interesting. I'm dragging this morning myself, which is odd because I really did recharge, but now I'm wondering if its because I just prefer that slower pace. The simplicity, the kindness, the togetherness. Maybe that's just a nicer space in which to exist, so my sluggishness is less actual fatigue and more just resistance to leaving that nook in the coffee shop. Things to think about...🤔
I definitely feel that. It’s like the holidays give us a tiny taste of a saner pace (after all the chaos, of course), and then we start to wonder why life isn’t like that more often.
For most of my adulthood up to this point, I knew why life wasn’t like that all the time, and I had very little agency to change that if I wanted to keep my house, my job, etc. I’m in a different place now, and I’m starting to wonder why I can’t create some of that more often and what it would take to do that. Big questions for the new year, for sure.
Jess, you are right: everything counts. So many emotions related to the holidays. Your coffee shop is beautiful; I can see why you want to write there.
Have a wonderful New Year, and may 2026 be one of health and joy for you and your loved ones.
We all need a cozy corner somewhere where we can be alone, gather our thoughts, make sense of our emotions. Yours looks very inviting! Wishing you the happiest of holidays and a truly wonderful 2026!