One Year of The Snuggle

Let's celebrate with a listicle of lessons learned & schemes for 2024

Hey friend,

Today is the one year anniversary of The Sunday Morning Snuggle. 

I don’t even have words to express my gratitude that one hundred and fifty seven people signed up to read my words over the course of a year. I started with zero subscribers on 3 December 2022. I have not promoted this anywhere but the Exhale Facebook group and Substack, no other social media. It blows my mind that you want to read.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Writing this newsletter is one of the absolute joys of my life. 

So, let me share my learning in a listicle!

Photo by Kimson Doan on Unsplash

7 Things I Learned From Writing The Sunday Morning Snuggle for a Year:

1. It’s fun to do something just for the joy of it. I am amazed to see a handful of women start writing poetry because seeing me learn do it made them think they could do it too. Wow. This makes me so happy.

2. You can change things up. Part way through the year, I was sick and all my potential guests were sick, so I substituted podcast episodes for poetry. It was not in My Plan For The Year. I thought I was playing to my strengths as a psychologist to do interviews. No one was more surprised than me when my weird, angry beginner poems became my most popular content. Go figure 🤷🏼‍♀️

3. Consistency is queen. Other writers may be different, but I thrive with a deadline. I know it is artificial and no one is paying that much attention to me, BUT knowing I had to put something out once a fortnight made me sit down to write. I am genuinely surprised by the sheer amount of work I put out over a year. I produced five interview podcast episodes, published 11 essays and 26 poems (across The Snuggle and Part-Time Poets). I did not think this was possible. I had not written a poem before 2023. 

4. Kindness matters. I have consumed words upon words upon words on the internet, but rarely left a comment or hit reply to tell that person the impact their words had on me. And yet I have been the recipient of abundant generosity from women who comment, email, and text to tell me my words resonated with them. Each issue, 10-25% of my traffic is direct, which means that women are texting it to their friends. It is a joy to wrestle unwieldy thoughts and feelings onto the page and hear they matter to someone else. It is a joy to see someone has taken a moment to share them. It has made me determined to pass this kindness onward.

5. To kill perfectionism, you have to write LOTS. I’ve written SO MANY WORDS no one will ever see. I get through a 193 page journal about once a month with morning pages and prayers. But it means I can write with no pressure, say exactly what I think or feel, and then pull any threads of raw emotion or images into a poem or an essay when I need them. You might be different, but this works for me.

6. Find other women who also really, really love to write. Writing in community is a joy. We cheer each other on, and encourage each other to be brave to put ourselves out there (and sometimes fail). Having women who are for my writing, who help me cull my ten tangents into one coherent whole is a gift. I am so grateful for Exhale Creativity,

   Part-Time Poets
   and my beautiful Mastermind group. Shout out to
   Lindsay Sledge
   Homegrown Haven
   and
   This Joy is Mine
   My words would not be this polished without you all! 

7. The slow, consistent work of showing up to write is echoed in the slow, consistent accrual of subscribers. There have been small bumps when I’ve gotten shout-outs from

   Coffee + Crumbs
   or
   The Second Act
   , or a feature in
   Part-Time Poets
   , but mostly it’s quiet plodding.  

Dreams and Schemes for 2024

So, as anyone in my actual life knows, my schedule is a bit ridiculous. But I plan to be less insane in 2024. I’ve been praying, thinking, and talking to my husband and (very wise) friends about what God has actually asked me to do, and what I can let go.

So far, this includes giving up coordinating two big fundraisers, writing major reports for work, working on a Saturday, and getting up at 5am. But I feel peace about continuing to create for Christian women in Perth. I’d appreciate your prayers for wisdom and humility as I continue to write and pare back my schedule.

At this point, I plan to keep writing essays one fortnight and poetry on the alternating fortnight. I would really like to produce a second season of the podcast, but I am going to let the project breathe for a bit as I increase my hours at work in the new year. But it is something I would love to do.

If you’ve enjoyed THE SUNDAY MORNING SNUGGLE in 2023, could I please make the super awkward request that you share it with another Christian woman in Perth? It seems like (and I could be wrong! Tell me if I am!), there are no publications, online or paper, specifically for Christian women in Perth. And I would love to see that change.

I’m Loving

I bought the RecipeTin Eats cookbook and it is AMAZING. So far, I’ve made the Chicken Gyros, Chicken Tinga Tacos, Greek Chicken and Rice, and the Beef Enchiladas. The latter is my absolute favourite so far.

Thanks to the suggestions of my friends, I am now the proud owner of not one but two pairs of bike shorts. It’s basically my summer Mum uniform with a big tee and slides. I don’t know how I survived summer before.

On the book front, I read Try Softer by Aundi Kolber and immediately text my friends to get them to read it too. It is a solid mix of therapy and Christianity. I have much to think about. I re-read both Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown and Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, because, as I said, I am trying to be less insane in 2024. And they do not disappoint. Let me know if you read, I have thoughts!

I also read The Tresspasser by Tana French in a day because I could not put it down. The woman is a freaking genius. I felt like I was in Dublin Castle in the squad room. I saw that the next Cormoran Strike book is out and I cannot wait to get my hands on this doorstop!

Rachel Thomson sent me this fascinating article about hospitality and cultivating deeper relationships at church.

Issue 8 of Part-Time Poets is out in the world, and I have my first properly rhyming, properly silly piece in there. Check it out!

Let me know in the comments:

1. What are you reading right now?

2. What are you cooking in this terrible 40 degree heat? I want to minimise any time I have to stand over my broken electric stove pumping out heat.

3. Do you know any other publications for Christian women in Perth?

4. What do you plan to stop doing in 2024, is there anything you are putting aside for a season?