Hello Reader,

Anyone else feeling totally depleted about now? *raises hand*

I know, I know, I run a business that's all around slaying doubt demons, creating with confidence, [insert a zillion uplifting and positive statments here]. But the truth is, I ran out of gas sometime last week and have been struggling ever since.

There are all kinds of valid reasons to feel depleted at this time of year. The days are short and dark (unless you're in the southern hemisphere and if you are, please send me some sunlight), schedules are busy, and society tends to put a lot of pressure and expectation on creating the perfect holiday even when we might rather hibernate.

Those of you who know me in real life know I'm a fairly high energy person. My typical ethos is somewhere between enthusiastic fairy godmother and 12-year-old boy hopped up on sugar and Red Bull. And yet, last weekend, I lay in bed seriously plotting how I could bail on my choir's holiday performance later that day. Ultimately, a mix of FOMO and fear of disappointing my choirmates spurred me to get out of bed and pull on my concert attire.

An hour before the show, I stepped on stage for our final run-through, still feeling nervous about being in poor voice, lamenting the rehearsals I'd missed due to illness and work travel this fall, and still feeling like I might rather be in bed. Then the piano started and a crackle of energy worked its way through everyone on stage.

I started off softly, unsure whether my ear, my voice, my mind was ready to perform. But by the end of our run-through, as the music swelled and the power of everyone around me replenished what I'd been missing, tears streamed down my cheeks (thank goodness I pulled myself together before the actual show).

It wasn't a silver bullet cure. I'm still tired and worn down. But it was enough to break me out of my overwhelm paralysis. I realized in that moment on stage that I needed a break to replenish the creative well, to prioritize rest, to acknowledge how much I've been hustling this fall and how exhausted I am. And I recommitted to being gentle with myself as I navigate the rest of this year.

If you're feeling that way too, you're not alone. Whether it's music, or a good book, a knitting project, baking your favorite cookies, or something else entirely, try to make some space to relax, replenish, and restore as the year, and the light, dwindle in the coming weeks.

And if you want to hear the song that made me cry last weekend, here's the tear-free version of the performance (my silver hair really pops if you want to find me there on the left in the Alto section). I hope you enjoy it.

My wish for you this month comes from the lyrics to this beautiful song:

Warmly,

Julie