Sunday, November 20th 2022
DEAR FRIEND,
Cross-County Skiing by Lake Frances in Valier, Montana
It’s the Sunday before Thanksgiving and it feels more like Christmas here. We’ve had lots of snow and cold weather (but not as much as Buffalo!) and I’m so grateful to have been able to ski from our house almost every day down to Lake Frances and back again.
A friend asked me how I survive winter here, and I told her that I go outside. It’s important to get morning sunlight first thing, so I wake up before 7:00 and then take Loki for a sunrise walk (sometimes Mystery joins too). This helps my body go to sleep better at night and lifts my spirits during the rest of the day.
Then in the afternoon Doug and I go for an hour ski, and sweat outside so that when I get back inside I’m hot and it doesn’t feel cold indoors. I also take Loki for a sunset walk. It’s a beautiful thing to be outside for both the sunrise and the sunset.
This week was a big week for me in my career and life. I made some decisions about what makes me really happy and joyful, and decided to make that the core of my working life. It’s not an easy financial decision but one that feels true for me.
Our move to Portugal is on hold. I’ve started to have second thoughts about selling our house here in Montana, and feel like the timing just isn’t right. Loki may not be able to make the journey because he is a senior dog, and I don’t want to leave without him or Mystery. Plus, I think there may be other options we can pursue for us to spend time there besides moving wholesale. Putting the house on the market made us truly clear out almost all clutter, and make some needed repairs on the house, so I consider it a positive experience (in the whole).
In terms of writing and creative work I’ve “shipped” this week (thank you Seth Godin for creating this word for getting your writing or creative work done), here’s where you can find it:
Writing
The Rudest Thing You Can Ask An American
Why Don’t Most Course Creators Do This?
Thanks for reading, and for being a friend!
Love,
Janelle
P.S. If you’d like to be the first one to buy me a coffee to support my work, then you can go here to do that.