What joy are you putting off?

(An audio for this note is coming. Stay tuned.)

Love,

Tenderness is right where you are,
No doubt left to command your whispering heart,
listen with open ears and come,
press your feet into the grass and walk forward.
The prairie is your home,
for here the elements sing your song,
Remember who you are.
Return. Return. Return.

There is no ending nor beginning,
for where there is Hope,
there is Love.

—Soul

April asks, “What joy are you putting off?” This month is a letter to Yourself.

The bag had been sitting there. Filled with pastel markers and 8-pack colored pencils from my Let's Vibe (HQ) days. Five years of creating, collaborating, and being with Soul family in our city of Chicago evoked a creativity in me that I hadn't been able to express so…freely. 

“Decide.” 

As I walked past my sister's fireplace—the same one where my co-founder and sister-in-vibe Karen and I sat for hours coming up with ideas, and my niece drew our very first logo (she was seven; we celebrated her 19th birthday last week)— the word was hand-lettered with a playful precision, lovingly crafted by Karen (a signature of what would become her design studio, Kareracter).  

“Decide.” 

Whenever I'm at a crossroads, a Let's Vibe quote appears and reminds me of who I am and how much I dreamed of myself. It's been a decade. Now this one arises to tell me something I've been running from. Decide what? 

I hadn't picked up a brush in months. Two years in our house. I'd wanted more nature and more space—as my Soul sister-besties gently remind me, “and now you have it!” And now, I have it… The second room we had painted: my studio/office. My creative den. An off-white named Swiss Coffee with a mood of deckled paper that refreshes my sight every morning. Never mind the tiny leak or cracks along the old sheetrock walls. I'm still smitten. 

It takes time to feel at home in where you are—even if that's what you've prayed for, saved for, and moved across towns to find. Even my auntie Deane, who's nearing her 79th, tells me that I have the rest of my life. Twelve years has flown by and here I am trying to decide which project to tackle first, when all I want to do is start.

What joy have I been putting off? 

The unique kind infused with delight and a healthy dose of fear with fairy dust on top… 

Of being a Beginner again.  

There's a book (or several) I have yet to put together. A painting in colorscapes I have yet to channel onto canvas. Letters I have yet to write. My native garden I've been dreaming about and a date with a knotweed that needs to be taken out. Endless tiny dreams of what-ifs and maybe-yes-that's-it's! 

Before I dim my light, there's joy waiting for me to say yes—right where I am. I have my whole life. Rather than waiting, let's just start. Shall we? 

This next decade is devoted to living our most creative life yet…or being alright with the liminal space of a quiet arriving. A soft glow, a shining. 

It's been a while since I picked up a colored pencil. Who knew I could draw? Yes, I'll finally get to work on the Spring journal. More to come.

Welcome to April

April is no stranger to playfulness. Before you try to decide (or make a big decision), allow yourself a moment to enjoy being a beginner again. In your journal, write a letter to your future self. Imagine you'll open it a decade from now and light up as you read it. I wonder what's in it! Here are questions to get you started:

• Where are you when you open your letter? What scent(s) do you smell? Is it bright around you, or in a cozy nook that's dim? Are you in a small town, or on a trip? Wonder about the space and place you're in.
• How does your letter arrive? What wrapping is it in? Does it come in a package, or as a gentle letter by itself? Are dried petals falling out, or is it inked with a quill? Wonder about your experience opening it.
• What makes you smile? How are you addressed? Are you greeted as a long-lost love, or a devoted friend? Is there excitement in the first line, or questions seeking affirmation? Wonder about your impression of the first moments.
• What are you most grateful for? Is it something you did, or a decision you made? Do you feel a sigh of relief, or tears streaming down your cheek? Are you holding your breath, or laughing uncontrollably? Wonder about your experience as you read.
• What do you wish you could thank yourself for? Is it something really big that needed to be released, or something really simple that brought you peace? Did you finally do “the thing,” or give yourself permission to surrender, change, and be? Wonder about your moment that changed everything.
• When you finish reading your letter, do you feel complete? What's feels new, or familiar yet different? Does something arise that you hadn't thought of before, or a spark that now has you wanting to know more? Wonder about the doorway or pathway that opens inside you.
• Where do you place your letter? Do you keep it tucked in your journal or favorite book, or leave it on your nightstand or desk to come back to? Do you have special box to keep it tucked safely away, or do you place in the pocket of your favorite smock and carry it with you throughout your day? Wonder about the way you carry the seeds of your dreams.

What's calling you to listen in?

“I invoke the Grace of New Beginnings.” That soft tingling in your throat is beckoning you to use your voice. This month you grow louder in your life, no longer hiding the Truth you once bottled up inside. When you feel yourself doubt what you truly know, ask your Soul for the Loving Grace of Truth to guide your voice: 

“I invoke the Grace of my Soul, in Truth, guide my Voice.” I believe in you and I know you have courage. You need only the will to trust it. For there's no holding yourself back this month—April's direction is Forward. 

May the Divine Joy of the Beginner guide your choice. This is the month where you use your Creative Voice. (Remember: to speak is an act of Creation.) We'll be exploring this together each week in our morning Grace Notes. 

‘Til next week…Welcome to April and Happy Spring!

Gracefully yours,
Diamond

p.s. Loved this note? What's one word to describe your letter to your future self?