Guten Tag, Reader,

As our four boats descended deeper and deeper into Lodore Canyon, I heard something. A strong message without a clear meaning. It took me by surprise.

In the weeks since my return, I have been talking, walking, and journaling in order to decipher the wordless.* And while I still don’t quite know what the message is, I have discovered something that I do know.

Space, time, creative work, trees, and creeks will help me figure it out. Eventually. When it’s time for me to know.

Hiding in busyness, emails, or outrageous headlines might soothe the discomfort of not-knowing. But they will never get me to the Knowing.

And holy canyon, am I proud and relieved that I created Midlife Wilderness Basecamp right now.

The prompts, practices, and invitations I put into it are helping me. Right now.

They help me return to me and what’s important every day, in small but potent doses:

Creative joy. Calming nature. Connective conversations.

Reader, the truth is, you don’t have to disappear into the wilderness for a week to hear yourself again.**

You can return to the basics.

• Notice and regulate your nervous system.
• Have fun creating things.
• Go outside without needing to accomplish anything.
• Pay attention to the season you’re in and what your body needs.
• Connect meaningfully with other humans.
• Again and again.

Speaking of seasons: Here in the North, the fall equinox is close. You may have noticed the beginning shift from yang to yin, from light to dark, from outward to inward.

So let me ask you: What do you want to make room for in the season ahead?

And if the answer encompasses more than cute sweaters and pumpkin-spiced*** everything, perhaps you are ready for guided fall practices. This season, we'll focus a bit more on journaling at Midlife Wilderness Basecamp. (Have you ever kept a Senses Journal???) But there will still be plenty of invitations for playing, sitting, and noticing.

And there are (almost) weekly live campfire sessions, too, where we can chat about what’s happening inside and outside of Basecamp. I used to think that I needed to deal with midlife asshatteries (like dudes commenting on my hiking footwear, estrogen patch shortages, or crusty creative doubts) by myself.

And while there will always be a place for processing stuff like that in my journal, it’s just more fun to do it together.

​Learn more here.​

I hope to see you at Basecamp, but either way, I will be back in your inbox in two weeks (there are a few more exciting things I want to share with you in the coming months).

Curiously yours,

P.S. What I invite you to play with at Basecamp fits into small pockets of time. 5 minutes a day, even. Or an hour a week. That doesn’t make it any less meaningful or impactful. It may make it more so, because you’ll actually say “yes, I can do that right now.”

Here is an example from the Equinox Zine that you’ll receive immediately as you register.

* My air-dominated star chart won’t let me just sit with the not-understanding. I have to give it something, which has resulted in lots of ink on journal pages and fingers.

** Although I would recommend it for a longer culture detox. I can tell you about wildHER 2027 soon.

*** I don’t even drink the infamous concoction, but I still can’t find a way around its omnipresence.

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 or Venmo me @sylke-laine.