nesting for my soul (erin jean warde)
I’m curious: How have you thought of moving/nesting as a spiritual practice? Are there any ways you have intentionally set up your space to be restful?
nesting for my soul
I worry y’all are sick of me talking about moving, but considering I am only five weeks away from it, it’s truly the most front of mind thing in my life. (And my apologies in advance if it shows up in every reflection between now and then, lol.)
Weeks ago, I began to think about how I want to set up my new space, yet another apartment, this time in Nashville. And it hit me — in a way that it has never hit me before, even though I’ve moved quite a bit — how much I want to very intentionally set up my space.
Most of my moves have been very chaotic, especially given the times I strategically moved during the weekend so I didn’t have to miss a day of work. In the past, I’ve had fleeting thoughts of how I want to make the act of unpacking an act of setting up my home in a way that I love, but those fleeting thoughts never survived the reality of finally getting to place where I just gave up, put things wherever, and said, “I’ll do this later.” (Narrator: She did not do this later.)
But this time, again, I was struck by how important this feels now. I realize I don’t want to just organize the space, I want to think about nesting as a spiritual practice.
It’s been years and years — at least 3 — since I went on a vacation. (Like, not a staycation.) I actually can’t even remember the last retreat I went on. And that’s life, it happens, it’s really hard to find the time and money to get away. But instead of just yearning for this big, seemingly impossible experience of rest, I’m trying to think of ways that each of my days can become restful. Instead of confining rest to a vacation or retreat that I can’t seem to make happen, what if I invited rest into my home?
I think that’s why nesting, this time, feels so important — because I want to set my home up in a way that at least TRIES to invite me into rest in my day to day life.
I keep thinking about the experience of walking into a spa. Immediately, I smell incredible, fresh and earthy aromatherapy. The space is tidy. There might be some inspirational art, but the vibe is quite minimal. I can’t explain it well, but I just feel different when I walk in.
I’m not going to be able to turn my home into a spa exactly, especially because if my home is going to be right for me, it’s going to have some fun art. But there’s something about the experience of walking into a spa that I want to capture and infuse into the place I call home — the place I call my safe haven.
I’m not sure how things will end up! I know the first step is to DONATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE to reduce clutter. (Unfortunately I do feel better with less things. For all the jokes about Marie Kondo, she was correct, lol.) Then, the real magic will happen once I’m there.
Today, I’m hoping to crowdsource some thoughts on this, as I prepare to leave this place and land in the next. So I’m curious:
How have you thought of moving/nesting as a spiritual practice?
Are there any ways you have intentionally set up your space to be restful?
Any other tips you have about moving and/or setting up your home?
I’d love to learn from your wisdom in the comments. <3
With love & care,
EJW
June book club starts THIS WEEK!
We’ll be reading Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chödrön. I’ll send out the first reflection — on pages 1-46! — later this week.
Book club is for paid subscribers — $7/month — but if you need this right now and don’t have the cash, reply to this email and we can figure it out. 💛
If you want to join us, go ahead & subscribe!
We’ll be knocking it out in 4 weeks and if you don’t have time to read along entirely, the essays will be written with quotes, so you can still receive insight from the reflections. <3
healing moment
This week I’m doing a series on How to Turn Coping Into Care on Instagram! This series started on Monday and will end on Friday — so keep checking back in to explore the 5 posts. Check it out & share your thoughts so we can heal together.
A Generous Path to Sobriety (The Living Church)
Grateful to see The Living Church featured Sober Spirituality in their TLC Book Club! I truly appreciate this review from Kelly Wilson.
Warde offers a succinct list of reasons to think more critically about alcohol, sketches a generous and forgiving path for sobriety, and provides practical advice for communities to better support those who wish to be more mindful about their drinking. There are some bumps along the road, which may cause discomfort for those who find their drinking culture challenged by the sobering statistics and stories here, but these challenges are delivered fairly and non-judgmentally.
recovery coaching
I have spots open for coaching! Recovery coaching provides practical support and encouragement as you change your relationship with alcohol or quit drinking. Coaching with me means crafting a journey that is unique to you and your life!
Did you know you can put your coaching package on a payment plan? PayPal has a “Pay Later” function — you can access it at checkout! I know what it’s like to need support on a payment plan, so I want to make sure you know this is available for you! <3
Have questions? Just reply to this email & let’s talk it out!