29 Comments

Have not listened to it yet but listening to it in my walk with Bucky will be the perfect reward to a busy work day.

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Love the idea of going on a walk "with" you and Bucky! 🐶

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It was a wonderful walk.

Congrats to Julia on the exam! I whooped out loud. :)

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I woke up today thinking about the last rose thorn bud pod of the year and then later seeing it on substack today! Made my morning. 🤍 Thank you and Julia for your honest chats.

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The more of these I hear, the more I feel as if I’m in the right place.

Nicole. I’m adoring your explorations around ‘enough’ and the desire to opt out of the capitalism designed pensions system.

I moved my business newsletter (for non profit folx) to Substack in Nov and plan to explore more of these topics in juicer, more honest detail, like how much better would the world be if (some) baby boomers stopped hoarding their resources and redistributed! I do, however realise that commitment to this opinion requires me to reject my potential inheritance and I don’t wanna die in poverty and discomfort. Oof.

Can’t wait to explore this further in 2024.

Julia. Wonderful news on your exam. You must be chuffed x

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"and I don’t wanna die in poverty and discomfort" THIS!

Thanks for sharing how you're feeling, Caroline. It's such an emotional and complex topic and I love knowing that I am not alone in exploring it.

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"It feels a way to me to have money invested for like 65 year old me when there is plenty of people who need that money right now."

THIS THIS THIS is also what I go to sleep thinking about and wake up thinking about and want to talk about and have such a hard time imagining HOW in the world could this change??? HOW? WHY? COMPLICATED FEEEEEELINGSSSSSS....

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I have this feeling too, and yet, as a nurse I see how poverty in both financial and familial ways is devastating to people at the end of their lives. And also! Even if I save and hoard as much as i possibly can, there is no guarantee that something tragic doesn’t wipe it all out before I need it. I also feel like there’s nothing wrong with caring for ourselves, but because of this system we live in, caring for ourselves seems to conflict sometimes with caring for others. Complicated feelings indeed!

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Omg I also don’t drive at night and it feels SO limiting in the winter. I live in an area where it can honestly be dark all day in the winter, which is super frustrating. I don’t even like being the passenger in the car in the dark.

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I was listening to this while driving at night and was like “I hate it too”. Last night was special as a dear friend is in town so she was with it. In my normal life, except the 2 days a week I go into the office and drive there and back in the dark, I try not to have to go out. Glad I am not alone.

Congrats to Julia for the success on her exam.

I very much look forward to enough discussions as it is something that is starting to show up in my life.

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I’m so excited for the enough workshop! And what is it about driving at night? I used to have longer commutes to work and drove in all sorts of conditions. Now I work for myself and don’t make plans in the evening if I can help it (I am very much not a night person). I was out the other evening though, driving home, and thinking about how driving in the dark sucks. And then you talk about it here. Happy to not be alone in this. 😂 Congrats to Julia on passing the exam!!

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One part of driving at night is headlights got too bright. I can’t see what’s coming at me, it’s terrifying! I get wanting brighter lights but blinding each other at 54 mph is beyond my comprehension. I don’t mind my half-mile drive to the grocery store after dark buts that’s about all I can handle!

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Ah yes, the newer headlights! That’s it. They’re so bright and intense.

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I’m sorry that Julia and others who have commented are having trouble with night driving, but OMG I am so so thankful that you shared. I’ve had a horrible time driving (or riding as a passenger) on highways this year, especially at night, and feeling fairly despondent about how limiting it is. I feel less ashamed and alone knowing that, well, I’m not alone in this experience!

Thank you and happy new year 🙏🏼

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Isn't it reassuring how many of us are struggling with this? Team No Night Driving :)

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Minutes 30-35 hit so hard. Thank you for sharing.. I am so eager to hear more of how you are processing this very real tension.

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My greatest wish for 2024 is to have a healthy and happy baby (coming end of May/early June) and as easeful a transition into motherhood as is possible.

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Wishing this for you too, Kelsey!

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Random night driving tip: keep your eyes focused on the lane lines on the right side of the road. There's less glare, you can avert your eyes from direct headlights, and stay in the lane easily. Kinda silly but I've found it helps my eyes adjust to driving in the evenings, hope it helps!

Always appreciate these conversations and just had a really fruitful journaling session in response to the greatest wish question. My gut response to this was to become debt free, then SO MUCH SHAME showed up. I was able to borrow a little bit of Julia's Unconditional Love and bring some compassion to the part of me that feels shame around having debt and wanting to be free of it, especially when there are "better" things I could wish for. To borrow Nicole's word, I can also see where Investing in my financial wellness is actually a really valuable and meaningful goal, and any shame or judgement around debt comes from this screwed up capitalist system we live in. Super grateful to both of you and excited to be debt free in 2024!

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Love how you're processing this, Ginny. I'm positive you aren't the only one here who is wishing for/working toward being debt free!

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Love this reflection, and the optimism for 2024! I just finished Nic’s Word of the Year packet and chose “grounded.” Excited to follow along with this pod and my own word. Thank you for the vulnerability and love you bring to this every month.

Also, my take on driving at night: it’s great when no one else is on the road LOL

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Ha yes, exactly, as long as everyone else stays home it's totally fine 😂

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Oh wow, don’t get me started on so many of us not getting a bit of daylight for a lot of the winter months. I’m lucky that I get to work from home a couple days a week now, but my office has no windows, no access to natural light. It’s so depressing. It’s such a cruelty that we have created a world that’s so unhealthy in so many ways (beyond this). What the hell are we doing?! It’s not our faults individually, it’s those decisions “leaders” make and we all have to suffer for it.

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oh my gosh the how much is enough question is one I think about all the time esp at the intersections of different types of privilege. Ty for speaking to this Nicole!

I used this year to make a big intentional change in taking 1/4 of my net wealth off of Wall Street and redistributing a portion of that to grassroot social movements which brought up lots of feelings, AND felt really good.

I love talking about those questions w folks and have gotten involved in a network of financial planners that are helping folks do this type of thing - it’s called rad planners and I’d be happy to connect you to some folks if that’s something anyone is interested in. although there may not be perfect answers it’s so nice to have community in these challenges.

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oh and “how we show up” by Mia birdsong (I may have seen that already on your newsletter) was helpful in how I am rethinking some things to create deeper relationships and community safety nets which I see as one way to live more in alignment with my values and anti capitalist.

all of that to say -- the grief of having to participate in this society to survive is real & I feel that too ❤️

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Late to the party, and agree that night driving is the worse! I have such a mild prescription that glasses feel mostly unnecessary, but they make me feel much better driving at night. Things are sharper and lights aren’t doing that star thing.

Nic, you and I have the same wish for next year! I’m planning for 2 (maybe more) months of hiking. My husband is on board for my solo trip, now it’s making sure health/time/money align as needed. Good luck on your adventures!

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