Greetings from Topanga. It rained last night for the first time in a while, so the canyon air this morning was incredible, and our native plants are feeling a little more hydrated. As I have exchanged letters and emails with our BK friends from all over the world this season, I couldn't help smiling to see all of the beautiful autumn foliage everywhere. I also heard multiple stories of abundance in this year's harvest. Sure enough, we also witnessed plenty of acorns scattered all around beloved oak trees in our area as well.
I am observing how mother earth graciously walks through ever-evolving transitions, and I am sitting on the word "metamorphosis." When a caterpillar starts to wrap itself and becomes a chrysalis, does she know that she will experience the unimaginable transformation to emerge into a completely new form as a butterfly? I feel she knows it in her spirit and leans into the change as it happens. The process sometimes might be a little faster and sometimes a little slower... perhaps completely pausing, focused on being the change.
As I mentioned in my past love letter, I have committed to revisiting my past journals. The box of old notebooks is still far away from my personal space, but I am digging through many of them. When I read through the pages, I find my past self leaning into taking one step at a time, just like I would imagine how chrysalis might feel. Through those pages, the change that was happening at the time has grown to become obvious to me today. Perhaps, that is one of the reasons why personal writing in any form can be a catalyst for witnessing the change more objectively. Yes. Using pen and paper to process our thoughts, feelings, and ideas can lead to growth and clarity in the short term. And if we allow time and space to mature, we might experience another kind of growth that can emerge from observing those handwritten pages from the past.
A.C. calls it "breadcrumbs" as they flipped through their past quote notebooks in passport TN and noticed that "a quietly intriguing amount has changed." In Trina's "Notebook People" Interview with Annie Simpson, Trina and Annie explore the idea of revisiting past notebooks. I appreciate hearing another perspective on personal writing and its privacy from them.
As we move into November and December, I send extra gentle warm thoughts to you and your loved ones. Let each celebration, special occasions, and milestones take on their breathing space... and let every day shine through you.
-wakako
always a work in progress...
Topanga, California // November 2nd, 2022
**This is from our BK Love Letter for November 2022. If you would like to see the entire love letter we sent to our community, you can browse it via this link.
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