A Year of Writing and Reflection
Sharing, growing and embracing the creative process
It’s been a long time since you’ve heard from me. I missed you, seriously! I appreciate how many of you are still here with me and how many newcomers have joined since we last spoke. That fact has filled me with so much joy! I had to take some time to rest and sort through some things within myself before I could come back to you. Though, you’ve been heavy on my mind. I couldn’t let the first anniversary of this newsletter go by without acknowledgment. Here’s to making up for some lost time…
If you’re new here, welcome to Letters from The Safe House, a newsletter about life lately; gardening, mindfulness and divine encounters down at The Safe House.
“… It is hard for me. If I spend weeks and months avoiding my typewriter — and I do, sharpening my pencils, trying to avoid going where I know I’ve got to go — then one has got to use this to learn humility.”
James Baldwin, on “The Artist’s Struggle for Integrity”
A Year of Reflection
One year and two months ago, I started this newsletter, unsure of what I was aiming to do - I just knew that I needed to write and release what was on my heart. I’d made a major life change while simultaneously grieving the loss of my loved ones, the end of a relationship and coming back to myself after a prolonged period of burnout. I found myself embarking on a somewhat delayed pandemic garden, unearthing a hobby that opened up a brand new wellspring of inspiration for me. So much inspiration that it overwhelmed me and I became a bit paralyzed (hence my absence)!
Letters from The Safe House is more than a newsletter to me, it’s a sandbox for my creativity and a launchpad for so many great things I plan to contribute to society. Mark my words as I say that.
What many don’t tell you about creating - in my case, writing, particularly writing about myself - is that you are facing yourself head-on every time you create. James Baldwin put it aptly in the quote I shared above — it’s a constant lesson in humility. It requires vulnerability, a willingness to share without shame and a responsibility to speak truth to power. Tough work!
And I did that often like when I talked about how I struggled with ‘being seen’ or when I shared a poem I had written in the garden after having not written or shared poetry in years. Even telling my stories about my family and community—like my personal favorite about hosting Thanksgiving to impress my 8-year-old cousin—requires a level of bravery I struggled to embrace.
In his speech, The Artist’s Struggle for Integrity, Baldwin goes on to say, “But if I find that hard to do — and I have a weapon which most people don’t have — then one must understand how hard it is for almost anybody else to do it at all.”
There were times when I sent this newsletter to you tearfully and times when I was brimming with joy. But each time I clicked ‘publish’ I did so with a knowing that someone, somewhere was finding value in my words. Like
, who shared that I inspired her to return to her garden in her post, Victimhood and Blaming: Lessons on losing my garden. That’s the peace and reward of letting go of your ego and sharing your creation with others; it opens up another portal in the universe for connection.For that I am deeply grateful, thank you for being a friend of Letters from The Safe House.
An announcement and call to action
Starting December 1st, Letters from The Safe House will have a paid subscription.
As a free subscriber, you’ll continue to receive my occasional posts and they’ll be accessible for 2 weeks before going behind the paywall. Access to my archive of over 20 posts from the past year will be for subscribers only.
I’m firmly committed to doing the consistent yet sometimes difficult work of facing myself each time I come to you. There’s never been a more important time than now to get serious about our art. The call is coming from inside the house!
I’ll continue building on what I’ve shared with you over the past year. In exchange, I ask that you consider giving your paid support to encourage me to keep going. You’ll also help me pay for new tools to make the experience of Letters from The Safe House even more enjoyable (new formats to come!). Here’s what you can expect as a paid subscriber of Letters from The Safe House:
Monthly posts, with the occasional subscriber-only dispatch
Access to my full archive (20+ posts)
Join community discussions in the comments
Join monthly subscriber-only Substack Chats (New!)
To those who pledged their support, thank you so much for showing your love for my little newsletter! I’m finally ready to take the leap of faith!
Next month, I’m sharing an essay on throwing away my tangerine tree and why I think it should matter to you. It’s complicated but I think you’ll enjoy it!
Notes on my life lately…
Honestly, it was too hot to garden this summer! South Florida had sustained temperatures of over 90 degrees for months on end until Hurricane Milton hit. I’m grateful that The Safe House remained safe from the storm.
I did get a small harvest this summer, lots of papayas, some cassava and a few herbs from the garden. This season, I’m focusing on building up the core food forest/side garden - planting beans, some cover crops and another tree or two. I’m excited to start up Substack Chats this week, join me if you want to hear more about what I’m planting or come learn a thing or two!
Overall, I’m maintaining my peace these days. I’d like to offer up this recording of James Baldwin’s speech I referenced here. I hope it gives you food for thought or, for my fellow artists, fire in your belly!
Welcome back! So sorry to hear about your struggles. Your shared experiences are valuable and we are here. Thank you for being vulnerable.