A New Years Love Letter

Well hey there stranger! It's been a time since we last spoke, how have you been? You may or may not have noticed my long time absence from your inbox. I've been on a bit of a hiatus in recent months (years!)

Once we started homeschooling, I began to unofficially scale back on my workload. I stopped posting and sharing online for the most part, and I spent very little time using or utilizing social media. There's plenty of good reasons for this, but one of the main ones is my kids.

So while this disconnection does have its many benefits, it also has a bit of an isolating effect and might inadvertently create more distance between old friends and family. An introvert like myself can easily become all too comfortable in an environment like this, and I've recently wrestled with some regrets and guilt over potential missed connections and meaningful conversations.

So in seeking a solution to this double edged sword, I remembered that social media wasn't my only option for online connection and community. I (gratefully) recalled that I have an email list filled with friends and family that I haven't spoken to in a while. So here I am, saying a long overdue hello, how are ya! Hoping you've been well, and I'm looking forward to getting back to sending some notes online!

what's

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If I could quickly (without spending too much time thinking on it) sum up the last year in ten words, I might say something like …

Family, homeschool, photography, yoga, Ayurveda, garden, learning, expanding, nature, loss.

While today it feels like so much has changed, on the whole things are also still very much the same.

We're in our fourth year homeschooling, with Kindergarten on the horizon for Frankie. I'm still taking photos now and again, and I've got so many sessions I've yet share. I'm still loving my oils and practicing yoga as often as I can (maybe I've seen you at Cornerstone? or maybe on the Rare Method?) I'm still fully immersed in all things wellness, learning and growing.

But in late October last year, I lost my cousin Michael, who was like a brother to me. The grief that has followed is still very much overshadowing my every day existence. Navigating normal life these past few months has been challenging to say the least. But perhaps more on this another day.

If you've made it this far, you're awesome! Thanks for reading, and I'm looking forward to sharing more with you in this coming year. If you're interested in any of those 10 things I listed above, then I think you'll enjoy what I have planned.

With love,

Ashley

(This post originally written as a newsletter sent out to the VIP list January 24th 2023)