How's Your Inner Self?

Photo credit: Yohan Marion on Unsplash

I have wonderful memories of September from my youth: buying school supplies, laying out clothes for the first day of school, and the crispness and colour as summer morphed into autumn. Even after graduating from university, September remained my favourite month, and Fall my favourite season. 

There was something about the clouds and the light and the cooler temperatures that seemed to press a “creativity” trigger in my brain. Gone was the humid haziness of summer and in its place were hundreds of fresh ideas flooding my system. September brought a new lease on life and an invigorated sense of purpose and possibility.

When I had a child of my own, that feeling altered. Suddenly I was the one responsible for making “back to school” happen. Over the years, September became more busy than magical as I planned, shopped, registered my daughter for Fall programs, and created calendars. 

This September, our family has two out of three kids “back to school” and an additional teenager visiting from Germany, here on his first international adventure. We also have two excavators in our backyard and a porta-potty in the front, as the final pieces of our home rebuild happen. 

More than ever, I find myself longing for my “retro” September, where I had the spaciousness to put on a sweater, stroll down to the Public Gardens, sit on a bench, and write or sketch in my journal.

Can you relate to being so busy with going back to work, getting kids off to school, and starting Fall activities, that there doesn’t seem to be any room for you? And on top of all of the personal to-dos, there is our noisy, demanding, and distracting world to contend with, one that seems increasingly chaotic and unjust. It’s so easy to lose ourselves in the news of the day or social media reels, all while trying to keep our lives running smoothly.

I want to propose we do something together, something that I seem to have to rediscover over and over as life speeds up and becomes more complex. It’s the powerful clearing of a very small amount of time (even 10 minutes) that is just for you each day. You might sit still with a cup of tea and do nothing. You might take yourself on a walk around the block. You might lie down to read a book or listen to a piece of music that soothes and inspires you. You might write in your journal.

Ten minutes doesn’t seem like much but even small periods of intentional time can kickstart amazing things. When you turn your energy and your attention and your care inward for even a few minutes every day, it sends a signal to your innermost self (what you might call your heart, your soul, or your essence) that you want to connect, and that you’re listening. 

Every time I remember to do this, my inner self is quick to make itself known. “I’m right here. I’ve been here all along!” It’s like a clogged drain that suddenly begins to flow or a dark room that erupts into light. Our quiet inner voice is always there, just waiting for a moment of peace to remind us of our most important truths, guide us at a fork in the road, and help pave the way to more contentment, flow, and magic.

So, starting next week, even though there is a digger right outside my writing studio window, and even though the electrician and the arborist are still coming to visit, and even though I need to find time to put posters up around town for my book launch (see below!), I am going to clear 10 minutes every morning, check in with myself, and write.

Want to join me?

Upcoming Events!

Thursday, October 9 (6-8pm)

Solo Camino Book Launch

St. Mary’s Boat Club, Halifax 

Please help me celebrate! So grateful to have scored this gorgeous venue, to have CBC's Louise Renault hosting, MEC co-sponsoring, and a special musical guest Joss MacNeil. Free admission and refreshments, plus MEC giveaways! Bring all the women in your life who dream of walking a Camino!

Saturday, October 11 (11am - 3pm)

Booktoberfest 2025 

Halifax Central Library

This annual literary festival, put on by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, celebrates Nova Scotian authors and publishers. In addition to a massive book fair, there will be creative writing workshops, and free readings (I’m doing one of them!). 

Saturday, October 25th (4pm)

Author Reading 

LaHave River Books

I’ll be reading from Solo Camino in this gorgeous bookstore on the LaHave River. The owner, Andra, has a beautifully curated collection of books, and apparently she makes a cake every time there is a reading. Come listen and eat cake!