Guten Tag, Reader,

An old boyfriend of mine used to say, “Viel hilft viel.” (A lot helps a lot.) He was a baseball player, so he usually referred to batting practice, Bengay, or celebrating wins.

I was reminded of “viel hilft viel” the other day, when my Bamboo Bodies teacher talked to the class about swinging our arms in the early morning sun. “Science is trying to find out how much nature exposure we need to get the positive effects,” she said, “I wonder how little of it already makes a difference.”

“A little helps a little,” my ex might have said.

“A little helps a lot,” has been my experience.

🙆🏼‍♀️ One minute of swinging my arms at sunrise, bare feet on the dewy grass - I have no idea how to quantify or label the effect on my mood, but I can feel it.

🎨 Five minutes of drawing the daily tarot card means five fewer minutes obsessing about the state of the world.

📲 One moment of pausing before I react to the buzzing in my pocket*, asking my Self whether it deserves my attention right now.

💭 A quick “let me think about that,” before agreeing to do something or be somewhere. Or before a default thought of “I don’t have time” makes me decline something that will bring me joy.

🧘🏼 A “sacred pause,” as a yoga teacher once called it, before moving on to the next shape: “Does my body really want that?”

All priceless opportunities to practice listening. Often missed as our days are controlled by inbox notifications, carpool schedules, and reacting to other people’s needs.

But what if we, you and I, had more control over our daily flow than we believe?

Took more control.

What if it began by believing that a little helps a lot?

I believe it.

That’s why I am creating an offer that is different from all the other programs I have created in the past.

They were driven by “viel hilft viel.”

The belief that the more I packed into them, the more the participants would get out of them.

One more lesson. One more concept. One more activity.

And while women certainly got a ton of value from Joy Making, Midlife Wilderness Expeditions, and Midlife Mischief, one piece of feedback I heard over and over was:

“I didn’t really have time to do it all.”

Midlife Wilderness Basecamp will be different.

It believes that one small act of self-trust in a low-stakes, no-pressure environment makes the next one easier.

It trusts that 5 minutes of living beyond the shoulds will light up your whole day.

It might be a tiny spark to begin with, but if you return to tend to it regularly over the season (daily, weekly, every other Tuesday, or even once a month), you will

get better and better at fanning your own flame,
rather than tending other people’s fires all the time.

Midlife Wilderness Basecamp is a practice for women in midlife who feel a little lost, discontent, or simply longing for a sprinkle of joy in their lives.

For women who have arrived in midlife, finding it hard to tell the difference between intuition, obligation, and anxiety sometimes.

I am creating a place for us:

🏕️ A place for remembering who you are (were) beyond the roles.

🏕️ For returning to what matters to YOU. One barefoot sunrise. One ignored notification. One ridiculous crayon drawing at a time.

🏕️ For listening to joy for guidance, rather than anxiety and doubt.

I can't wait to tell you more about it very soon.

Reader, time feels visible in midlife, reminding us that our lives are happening now.

We move at dawn,

P.S. Last time I asked you to notice times when you walked past yourself.

This week, I am encouraging you to imagine what it would be like to stop doing that.

Not in an abrupt, strict, coach-at-the-gym-yelling-at-you-to-stop-slouching kind of way. But gently, curiously, little by little, and with a little mischief on the side.

*I always have my phone on silent, and the only times that’s been a problem have been when I couldn’t find it calling it from my husband’s phone.

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