Guten Tag, Reader,

I don’t want to.

––But you have to.

But I don’t want to.

––Well, you can’t always get what you want.

But I really don’t want to.

––But your readers are looking forward to your letter.

But I don’t WANT to. Time in Mexico is running out. The weather is amazing. I’ve already lost so many days to being sick. We’re going hiking tomorrow. To the beach on Saturday.

––Well, then write it TODAY.

But I want to watch the pelicans while I still can!

Arguments like this happen inside your brain all the time. How do I know? Well, because I know that I send these letters only to humans and some parts of ourselves argue with others all the time. About going for walks or scrolling on the phone. About eating a piece of chocolate cake or a piece of fresh fruit.

About writing my joy letter or hanging out with the pelicans on the beach instead.

Before I knew about parts, brains, and motivation, these internal arguments often left me doing neither what I had to do nor what I wanted to do. Instead, I wound up scrolling, binging, or doing laundry.

Today, I became aware of the dispute quite early. In time to ask my inner coach to intervene.

And the result is a compromise. Between joy (watching the pelicans) and commitment (sending these emails).

I went to the promenade to watch the pelicans. I did not write the strategic, well-planned, and researched letter I wanted to send, but I am sending you this little reminder that if you talk about prioritizing joy, you actually have to prioritize it.

As always, if you liked this letter, do me a favor and forward it to a friend.

Always on your side, truly,

p.s. If you are close to Missoula on Feb 21, you can prioritize joy by attending Cabin Fever Day in Ovando. A free mid-winter immersion into nature through words, lines, and colors.

Information is here: cabin-fever-day-ovando-2026.jpeg​

p.p.s. If you thought, “I don’t even know what prioritizing joy means,” I invite you to consider wildHER 2026.

p.p.p.s. If you found something valuable in today's letter, why not buy me a coffee? I am keeping my writing AI-free, which means a lot of creativity goes into it. You can leave a tip for me here.