The smallest day of the year
Welcome to the end of the year— we did it, can you believe? In reflecting on this year with friends, it sounded like everyone had a real tough time and is looking forward to the changes that 2026 may bring. Astrologically speaking, 2025 was about turning inward and making internal shifts and releases to prepare us for the movement and change that 2026 will bring. What are you letting go of? What are you ready to move towards?
Today marks the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. I’ve always had a hard time with December, a month that requests so much energy of us for celebrations, gifting, and trying to “squeeze it all in” before the new year all while the darkness, coldness, and short days of the season signal a time for rest and hibernation. As I’ve gotten older I’ve tried to lean further into the energy of the season, participating in the bare minimum of holiday obligations to make more space for holing up in my cocoon.
To all of those dealing with difficult family dynamics this holiday season (and always): I salute you. Remember that you are also a member of whatever dynamic is going on and you get to decide how much you participate or pull away. My family is not the closest, which has its pros and cons, but seasons like these I feel lucky to have kin who don’t demand too much of me. I hope that however you spend your winter you get to make some time for yourself to rest and to reflect on everything you’ve gotten through these last 12 months.
For me, reflecting on this year has been a bit challenging, and I’m realizing that is because so much happened internally that is hard to put on paper. On paper (as you can see here), it looks like I didn’t do much— a few trips, a few milestones, but also lots of blank space. Off paper, though, I know there was a lot going on. My identity has been shifting, my priorities have been reordering, and needs I didn’t know were there have been moving to the surface. When I tried to put these internal shifts on paper in my neat little timeline I couldn’t figure out how because there is no one moment I can point to where things changed, and the change is still happening.
Noticing how fluid and constant my internal shifts are has guided me back to journaling as an important regular practice. Without ongoing reflection and documentation, these changes that feel much more impactful than the vacations in my notebook will slip on by.
This past week, I tried to incorporate the coming winter solstice into my therapy sessions with young clients. When explaining how days get longer or shorter depending on the season to one middle schooler, she became worried and said “oh no, I don’t want the days to get longer! I want time to pass faster!” Can you remember what it was like to want time to pass as quickly as possible so you could be older? Now, I’m sure like me, you’re trying to make each day as long as possible and to remember each moment so it doesn’t slip away like so many before. Writing is like a magic tool that can freeze a moment and enable you to hop through time simply by opening an old notebook.
Here in Oakland, CA, the day has been covered in clouds and rain, bringing even less sunlight to the shortest day of the year. I hope whatever yours looks like that you get to take a moment to enjoy where you’re at and capture a little snapshot of this smallest of small days <3
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Some Little Pictures
(from top left to bottom right)
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Recent Work: Planning
Every time I visit LA my friend angel of a friend Mallory drives me around to every stationary store so we can pine over papers, pens, and planners. Mallory is an expert planner user (she uses a very beautiful leather bound Traveler’s Notebook) and though I’ve gotten a new planner every year since I was in grade school (for the past 5 years it’s been the Moon Planner), I’ve never been able to make it stick. This year I’m determined to be different— I’ve got some goals and I want to complete them and I know myself well enough to know that bite-sized steps with little check boxes and documented deadlines are the only way I’m going to make that happen.
I’m changing things up this year with the Hobonichi Weeks planner— I really like the small size and there are a billion planner afficionados online who have thoughts on how to use this planner so I thought it would be a good next step, and I think I was right! After a night of deep diving on youtube and reddit I’ve figured out a starter format that I think will work for me. The best piece of advice that Mallory gave me and that I read online while trying to figure this out was to just start with something and then change the layout as you go if it isn’t working for you. I think what has gotten me hung up with planners before is that I feel like if I don’t use them “correctly” every day then I’m not doing it right— but this new mindset has given me a lot more freedom and I’ve been finding that I’m wanting to write in there a lot more without that “am I doing it right” pressure!
Mallory also told me that the planner doesn’t need to just be a way to track your daily schedule, which really unlocked something in my brain. I’m a google cal girlie when it comes to work and home events— I essentially live through google cal notifs. My first thought was: if I’m not putting my agenda in there, what the heck am I planning?? It’s been so fun to think about all the other things in my life I want to track and expand on and honestly is helping a lot with work/life balance stuff I’ve been working on. As you can see in these pics there are still lots of to-dos, but there are also colors and water tracking and all kinds of things that are just as important to me as making it to my next appointment. I had always thought my planner was just a duplicate of my google cal but now my world is open (ok lol but seriously it is fun!)
I’m not even going to get into my layout with ya’ll right now because TBD on whether this one will stick or not but for now I’m into it so will share more later. Are you guys using planners?? Here for all your tips, tricks, and thoughts!
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Audio stuff: Field Recordings
I love field recordings (like this) and have been looking for more to listen to in the background while I work. Does anyone know any good sources or creators for this sort of stuff? Honestly it’s so hard these days to tell what is AI— I’m looking for human-recorded sounds only plz! Thanks ya’ll— I will share what you send me here next month!
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Some Other Good Things
I took a tarot workshop from Casey Zabala earlier this month and it was so nice to slow down, reflect on the year, and look forward to the next with the guidance of a super chill human. She’s doing another workshop in northern CA next month that looks like it will be great!
I am on the hunt for good books. Please send me your book recs! Another part of my planner has a spot to list 100 of something and I would like to list 100 books to read this year (I think this year I read maybe 20 so this is potentially too ambitions but a gal’s gotta dream).
Substack recommendation: for anyone who’s into painting, MEPAINTSME delivers a nice little bite sized chunk of inspiration to my inbox every week and I’ve been loving it. Even when I don’t necessarily love the work of the featured artist, I always find something inspiring in what they say. Check it out!
App recommendation: have I already recommended this? (I recommend it often to my therapy clients so can’t remember if I shared it here or not!) Sorry if so, but even still it’s been a few months now and I’m here to say that I still recommend Madrona Meditation for anyone looking to get into mindfulness or even for just a bit of self help outside of traditional therapy. This app is created by therapists and mindfulness experts and you can really tell in the content they put out— I especially like the IFS and anxiety modules. They are not paying me to say this, I just really like this app!
Love this little painting tutorial for warm sunny light <3
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Thanks for reading – see you next month!
Boooooks!
Top three I read this year:
1. Cats Eye, by Margret Atwood. It’s one of those books with really lush writing. A little witchy, with themes about girlhood, family, society.
2. I who have never known men, by Jacquelin Harpman. This one the stuck with me for a while. A girl grows up in captivity and learns about life from the older women she’s held captive with.
3. All Fours, by Miranda July. I loved reading this because it was so wacky. Imagine telling everyone you’re going on an epic roadtrip only to hide out in a motel just out of town. I had so much fun discussing this with friends.