Dear Self – August 2024

My Instagram feed has been full of photographs and thoughts from August 2024, but this is an end of month review that I’ve been posting here for several months now.

Dear Self

This month you chose to be intentionally present in the now. And for the most part, you succeeded. But this has been a mixed month, hasn’t it? You started the month excitedly looking forward to a long overdue holiday. And the break didn’t disappoint. In fact, short though it was, it far exceeded your expectations.

While you have been to Pondicherry before, the location of the resort was a surprise for you. You were five minutes away from the beach! For you, a beach has always been a spiritual experience. There’s just something about the vastness of the ocean, sunrises and sunsets and the horizon stretching forever that gives you the feels 😉 ! You feel that the Universe and the One who created it are so large that your life pales in comparison. Yet, you feel a oneness with the Universe and experience a deep knowing that you are loved.

• You decided to just be present in the present and stop worrying about all that had been troubling you.
• You rested.
• You relaxed.
• You enjoyed and celebrated the quiet and small moments and your birthday!

This month was one of growing in companionship – lots of deep conversations with José and some decisions reached that made the rest of the month much easier.

Lost After The Break

Sadly, when you got back from holiday, you heard the horrific news of the rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata.This really rattled you brought back a lot of experiences of sexual offences that you had suppressed. You couldn’t focus on anything else. Writing freely was difficult. Your morning rituals went out the window. Social media became an escape.

Towards the end of the month, you pushed yourself to do this as regularly as possible. You showed up on Substack. You are learning to see and share the shards of light amid the darkness. Taking some decisions about your writing brought clarity.

In August, you made some significant investments of time and money in books and subscribing to some inspiring Substack accounts. Also, taking time to write with others and meet up with some allies were good investments too.

As you come closer to the end of 2024, remember you are still becoming and that’s a beautiful thing!

Love

Me

My Four Words for August 2024

I’ve been following this practice which I picked up from Sarah E Westfall for the last three months. Here’s what she says about the practice : The practice is simple: Choose four words that encapsulate the month. No explanation needed. No judgment. You can write your words here or tell a friend or jot them in a journal. The words are not magic. But I hope their smallness gives way to substance, as we reflect and remember the granular details of our lives and mark these moments together.

These are my four words from August – which I’ve incorporated into my letter above.

“If you must look back, do so forgivingly. 
If you will look forward, do so prayerfully.
But the wisest course would be present
in the present gratefully.”

Maya angelou

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