Listening to the sage and powerful advice

...from older women

Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash

Lately I’ve begun a practice outlined by author Elizabeth Gilbert, who recently started a substack focused on her letters from love.

The idea is to write a letter to yourself, but from the voice of love. This voice can be a Divine Creator or God, if that serves you. It can also be from love, or the wisest and most loving and tender voice within you. If you aren’t great at talking kindly to yourself, it could also emulate the voice of a dear friend or a beloved parent.

I often times think of my mother.

But I have my own voice inside, from my own Divine love.

We just don’t listen to it enough.

I spoke to a dear friend yesterday about how—when we call the fuck you radio voice—that so many of us do have (Thank you, Anne Lamott for that well-named reference). You probably know which one I’m talking about—the one that tells you you’re a failure and worthless.

But interestingly, how often we don’t doubt that voice, yet we do doubt the voice of the one that tells us our positive things and successes. Why do we entirely believe the negative one and not the affirming one?

It’s a great question.

But because many of us have such a dire imbalance, then we need to learn ways to balance it out. I know I do.

So, like Gilbert, I have started to write my own letters from love.

The words that pour forth are lovely, and positive and affirming, but what is most interesting is that they come so easily. I don’t know what they would say before I begin.

But I drop down some place deep within me, to a place of calm and peace and love and gentleness, and I write from there. It just comes out easily.

Initially I thought this practice a bit weird, a bit silly. I’ve known for several years that Gilbert has been doing it for 25 years. It sounded not my cup of tea, so I never tried it. But I am glad that I have. It is centering and part of my meditation and mindfulness routine now.

My 2024 goals and resolutions are set: to return to my beloved yoga and a routine exercise regiment, to write more—both for my scholarship and my memoir, and also to be kinder to myself, love and enjoy myself and my own solitude more. To be loving and gentle and affirming to myself. And to continue my therapy and healing.

May your 2024 be just what you need and also some of which you hope for. :)