Becoming a Beauty Collector
Days 12 of 12 :: Standing Expectant On the Edge of Wonder
For some of you, it’s already next year. Here in north Florida, the old year is qiuckly fading into the horizon.
The neighborhood is popping off all the firecrackers in anticipation.
In the Fall this year, I thought: This is my favorite season.
Then came Advent and Christmas. No this is my favorite season.
Now at New Year’s with the calendar page as fresh as new fallen snow, I’ve been walking around today thinking… nope, THIS is my favorite season.
I’m coming to realize I just love the rhythm, stories, and symbols of the seasons as they shift throughout the year.
And tonight we stand at the edge of wonder welcoming us to be curious, connected, courageous, and kind.
To allow our inner child to be free to delight in handpainted skies and homegrown tomatoes.
I have such rising hope for 2025— because of you… and your messages, comments, and enthusiasm for taking 5 minutes a day to notice wonder and record beauty.
I feel like 2025 needs all of us to record the beautiful and the good. I’m not talking about being “good” or becoming good “enough”.
Hear me as I lean in while the steam from my cup of hot tea fogs my glasses.
You are already enough.
I’m convinced chronicling the tiny moments of kindness, the simple goodness in ordinary things, and the bravery of looking for wonder even in the shadows can and will change the world.
Because it changes us.
I’m a beauty collector by heart. Not the fluffy form of beauty or the kind that costs a small fortune in cosmetics or that glosses over loss, pain, and the realities of hard seasons.
I collect the beauty that bravely exists as we begin to embrace the fullness of our own stories.
Wonder as a practice is a bold resistance to all that seeks to destroy our hope and deconstruct our dreams.
As the new year rolls in across our time zones, in all 50 US states and 116 countries present here, I am so grateful we get to go on this adventure together.
I look forward to learning from you. Of celebrating your wins. Of supporting your struggles.
I am so freaking honored and humbled to serve you. So once again, thank you for being here.
A Few Verses from My Favorite New Year’s Eve Poem
Fun fact- poetry is processed in a different part of the brain than narrative, so it is one of the first forms of writing and word finding that came back to me after my brain injury.
My undergrad minor was in the dramatic interpretation of literature. So basically, I wanted an excuse to free my inner Jo March and read Victorian poetry out loud for college credit. 🤣
In Memoriam
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
— Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Wake Up to Wonder — It Starts Tomorrow!
If you want to participate in or are curious about our year-long Wake Up to Wonder project— here is the free guide that explains everything in detail. If you haven’t downloaded it, it’s the place to start.
For those who are new to Substack, I’m working on a quick introductory guide to help you get the most out of the experience at The Wonder Habit®. I recognize Substack is its own (very cool) universe and comes with a learning curve. I’m not tech support, but I want to help lessen that curve and give you a tour of our hangout space.
Tomorrow (or today) take a moment to notice something beautiful… a light beam, the fragrance of your coffee. It does not need to be grand or complicated. The simpler the better.
Then, record it however works best for you. If you are joining me in creating inchies, paint or doodle or put a word down and tuck it away. Or add it to your canvas/notebook/larger piece of paper. All of this and so much more is in the guide above.
Be on the lookout for inbox encouragement from moi. And for some really fun things getting ready to roll out here over the next few weeks. Gah, I am so excited I can’t even tell you how much. 🎉
Of course, I’m sharing my experience with this practice here. Along with encouragement, questions for reflection, prompts, and the like. For free, free-free-free-free.
So, y’all get ready to see my inchies. I didn’t know they had a name until some of you mentioned them on Instagram, and I could not love it more.
If you want more connection through monthly deep dives, our private Q/A podcast, monthly live Zoom check-in calls, and other fun perks. Or if you are just willing and able to support the work I do here, consider upgrading to becoming a paid subscriber. It helps me continue to make this as accessible as I can.
But there is literally no pressure- ever, just an open invitation.
If you’re a paid subscriber, our monthly deep-dive Wonder Drop will be coming out Sunday, January 5.
We’ll talk more in-depth about how to select your word of the year or as I like to put it— your framing word or phrase and what to do with it once you have it. I’ll also cover ways you can integrate a framing word with Wake Up to Wonder. The January Wonder Drop will also include all the information for our monthly live Zoom check-in chat.
Let’s start a wonder movement friends… One tiny priceless moment at a time.
All my love—
