Let's Launch This Thing, Shall We?

Finally, 2+ years later...

Today is the fall equinox, which seems like an auspicious day to finally stop procrastinating and begin publishing this newsletter. The equinox carries three layers of symbolism:

• A reminder of equilibrium - today is when sunlight and darkness are perfectly balanced everywhere on earth.

• A season of gratitude and harvest - to reap what’s been sown.

• A moment of transition - to release, let go, and accept endings.

So let’s get balanced, get grateful and let go of some stuff.

I set up this newsletter 2.5 years ago, when I was just imagining a mid-life sabbatical I was planning for six months. I thought I’d travel and write essays about leadership and organizational culture. I also planned to return to the world of corporate employment after my hiatus.

Spoiler alert: that’s not happening.

Today I’m standing on the precipice between that old shape of my previous life and this next phase. I don’t know if I’m balanced, but I’m definitely at this unique place inbetween the old and the new. I’m uncomfortable and I’m striving for equilibrium.

I’m grateful for what I’ve experienced over the past two years. I finally figured out how to actually write a book. A whole complete novel! It turns out that time isn’t the biggest challenge, I am my own biggest challenge. But I figured out how to corral my brain into collaborating on something truly creative and meaningful. It’s so surreal to now have real people reading a whole entire story that I wrote!

I’m releasing the shape of my old life and my old self. That shape served me well for many years, but it’s time to let that go, so I can evolve into my truer self. I’m letting go of my old shape so I can expand myself into new possibilities. I’m still me, I’m just becoming more me.

There’s things I won’t be letting go of, like the theme of this newsletter. I named this Appleseeds because I’m the great-grand niece of Johnny Appleseed. He remains an inspiration because he was a pioneer for biodiversity. By planting trees from seeds instead of clones, he contributed to the genetic diversity of American apples. He was also a minimalist who spread appleseeds and kindness to help homesteaders survive.

As his descendant, I want to spread research, ideas and art that can help all of us thrive. I want to cross-pollinate ideas from across psychology, medicine, creativity, leadership, neuroscience, and communication, to see what might grow. I’m not an expert who’s deep in any one field. My strength is my breadth of experience, to connect the dots between different disciplines. Fiction + non-fiction, science + art, left brain + right brain. Mind + body.

You can count on me to explore three broad themes:

• Neurodiversity and the science of high sensitivity

• Creativity and the writing life

• Transformation and reinvention

Oh and I’ll also share my crazy love for libraries and labyrinths. There’s so many things I love to write about and I want to share all that with you.

So thanks for signing up to be on this journey with me.

Happy fall equinox. I’m wishing equilibrium for all of us today.