“It’s a jungle out there.” Understatement of the century. The world is a swirling mix of delight and terror and motion and madness. It’s no wonder we’re experiencing burnout at breakneck pace. Last year it even became an official medical condition recognized by the World Health Organization.

I did a series on my Instagram early 2019 about the daily affirmations I repeat to myself. To be honest, the practice of affirmations is fairly recent for me, and a practice I found awkward and ill-fitting in the beginning.

Several months back I teased out on Facebook and Instagram how I was working on new music for the first time in years. I admit I was thrilled to hear many of you were excited about the prospect, but to be honest, I started working on it because I needed to. It was for me before it was for anyone else. Which is why I think this project might be my favorite one to date.

Whew.
That’s the best summation of the last few months of life. A hearty Whew! and a not-so-fond farewell. Unlike the large majority of people I am hearing from, 2019 for me was not a complete dumpster fire. It had its moments that I’d prefer not to relive thankyouverymuch, but I experienced so much good last year. Growth, easing into more of myself, finding work that pulled me out of my comfort zone and inspired me to dig deeper and become better… these are all part of my 2019, and I am grateful for them.

Here’s the thing: is there a world in which we stop the gifting of things?

Hear me when I say I love a thoughtful gift. LOVE. I also feel an anxiousness around gathering a not-so-small fortune of gadgets and gizmos aplenty for my people when the holidays roll around.

My due date was supposed to be late last week, which means I would have probably been in labor right about now. I am always later than my due date. 

But I am not in labor. I won’t be. I’m only laboring through the days with a heaviness that won’t lessen with a birth. It is the heaviness of early September. I’ve known it for 15 years and, it seems, I’ll know it for a lifetime.