Happy Sunday! ☀️
Welcome (or welcome back) to the Positively Pebbles newsletter. As most of you may know, after 37 incredible years, I made the decision to leave my career in radio. It was an unexpected life-changing decision, and I am adjusting, and embracing all of it. The good AND the challenging.
As I’m navigating my way through all of this, so many thoughts and feelings have come to the surface that I want to share with you, in the hopes that it might be helpful to you at some point.
Trust yourself - I can’t tell you how many times in this process I questioned everything, was scared out of my mind, and prayed for someone to make this decision for me. But when I listened to myself, and trusted that I knew the right thing to do for myself, a calm washed over me. Sure, talk things through with trusted family and friends, but in the end, trust yourself.
Dream about the possibility- It is so easy to think about all the things that can go wrong when making a big decision. But what if we thought about and dreamed of all the things that could go right? That was the point when things started turning around for me. When I though about what this new life could mean for me, my relationships with family and friends, my creativity. It became tough to ignore the freedom to create and build a different life.
Allow people to give you your flowers - This has always been a tough one for me because I don’t like being the center of attention. When I was asked what type of send-off I wanted, all I could think of was that I wanted a BTS cake. But because I have such incredible people around me, they gave me that, and more. All this to say, if it’s something big like a send-off, or something seemingly small like a compliment, listen to it, accept it, and absorb it. Instead of all those negative comments living rent-free in your head, allow the good ones to take their place.
So what’s next for Positively Pebbles? Right now, I’m looking forward to continuing to bring you good news, positivity, and uplifting and heartwarming content with the weekly Sunday newsletter. Please bear with me as I do my best to navigate all the “techy” things I’m learning along the way. If you know someone who you think would enjoy reading the newsletter, be sure to share the subscription link for them to sign up. Just so you know, I’m less concerned about getting a huge number of subscribers, as I am with sharing it with people who would really enjoy it. None of us need another email in our inbox that we don’t really care about.
Other than that, Positively Pebbles is a work in progress, limited only by my imagination. I have so many ideas that I will be slowly putting into action, and I hope you’ll come along for the ride. I’ve been wanting to design some merch, start a new podcast, host community events, and so much more. And I would love your feedback on anything you would like to see included in the newsletter, or through any other Positively Pebbles projects. For me, this is all about us building a community where we put more good and positivity out into the world. I hope you’ll join me. Have a great week!
Positively yours,
Pebbles 💜
Positively Good
🍦How one free ice cream for a child from Maddy’s Ice Cream Truck in Garnder, MA turned into a whole summer of free treats for kids!
🎓College commencement speaker honors his father by paying off final year of loans for graduates.
👨🏻🚒Retired firefighter travels 800 miles to watch the baby he delivered 22 years ago graduate.
☀️A woman shares the childhood memory with her grandparents that reminds her what living a rich life truly means.
👩🏻🎓Ella got her late dad’s named printed on the back of her graduation sash. The president found out and it lead to the tears that you’re about to shed over strangers on the internet.
Positively Booked
With everything going on in the world that feels very disheartening and chaotic, one of the things I have been looking for in the books I read is comfort and hope. An escape. Books have the magical ability to do that. With my growing interest in Korean culture, and the need for books with a cozy feel, I turned to Yoennam-Dong’s Smiley Laundromat by Kim Jiyun.
“This heartwarming Korean bestseller tells the story of how a mysterious diary left in a laundromat brings together patrons from all walks of life.” (Bookshop.org)
This book gave me just what I was looking for. A cozy read that would feel calming, and with great characters and an interesting story. Through this diary left in a laundromat, people in the Yeonnam-dong area of Seoul come to not just wash their clothes, but to feel comforted, and anonymously understood. They leave messages and thoughts about what they’re going through, and get some in response that lead to unexpected (and often life-changing) connections.
Instead of giving a starred rating, I would rather tell you who might like this. Yeonnam-Dong Smiley Laundromat is for anyone looking for a book that looks at how meaningful connection can arrive in surprising ways. How simple connections, and feeling understood when you feel at your lowest, can turn your whole perspective around. It could easily be a quick read, but one that I found I liked to savor by reading a little every day over the course of a week. It’s for anyone who believes that hope can be found in unexpected places and people. I loved it!
Positively Poetic
After announcing that I was retiring from my radio career, I’ve had so many people who I had previously worked with, and for, reach out to me. They’ve offered reassurance, support, and perspective. One of my former bosses, Rob, shared some kind words, told me my best was ahead of me, and encouraged me to read the poem, My Courageous Life by David Whyte. Reading it made me feel encouraged, and yes courageous. I hope it will do the same for you.
MY COURAGEOUS LIFE
has gone ahead
and is looking back,
calling me on.
My courageous life
has seen everything
I have been
and everything
I have not
and has
forgiven me,
day after day.
My courageous life
still wants
my company:
wants me to
understand
my life as witness
and thus
bequeath me
the way ahead.
My courageous life
has the patience
to keep teaching me,
how to invent
my own
disappearance,
and how
once gone,
to reappear again.
My courageous life
wants to stop
being ahead of me
so that it can lie
down and rest
deep inside the body
it has been
calling on.
My courageous life
wants to be
my foundation,
showing me
day after day
even against my will,
how to undo myself,
how to surpass myself,
how to laugh as I go
in the face
of danger,
how to invite
the right kind
of perilous
love,
how to find
a way
to die
of generosity.
