19 Comments
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Dan's avatar

Hi Brooke, a while back you sent me a copy of “Slow” and I wanted to say it is a wonderful book! I read it twice. My mom read it and loved it and now my sister is reading it. Thank you for all that you share with us.

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Brooke McAlary's avatar

Hey Dan! So great to hear from you, and I'm so thrilled you and your family enjoyed Slow. It's still so close to my heart and knowing that it resonates is genuinely such a thrill. Thank you for letting me know, and thank you for being here too! 💚

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Zoe Carada's avatar

Deep questions should only be acknowledged, then shelved; that's my experience, at least. Searching can be a disruptive mental "state", because focus, logic etc. are in such cases more misleading than helpful. The answer will show itself to us, if we don't fret over it. Great reflection on the anxiety of Not Knowing :)

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Johanna's avatar

My heartminded self is smiling 🙂 as tears well 🥲 as you so beautifully describe some of the complexities of chronic illness that are not spoken of by many

Most grateful 🙏

Kindest

Joh

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Stephanie Jucar Cooley's avatar

To be a better writer, you must stop writing and live life, which is what you did by pulling those weeds! It’s fuel for the next creative spark you need. I appreciate you trusting your gut. It’s pretty much always right!

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Jenna Newell Hiott's avatar

What a beautiful post! Thank you for your vulnerability. I'm so glad you put down your writing and went outside to garden. If answers are to be found, I often find them in parts of myself other than my mind.

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Cathy's avatar

Brooke, you inspire me so much particularly at the moment when I feel it could be all too easy to succumb to the all the fears you said. I will keep curious to all life offers and please keep writing and sharing your wisdom, it means the world.

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Natalie Georgeff's avatar

I sometimes wonder if the downside to being more aware of your thoughts, is that you realise how much self doubt is actually there. But if you are eternally distracted, you are unaware of how much your ego is running the show. Not needing to have all the answers at once, is a way of reining it in, letting things unfold in their own time, until you realise that they are actually happening. Perimenopause can hijack your true self : (

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Blythe Edwards's avatar

I completely agree that self awareness can be harder than remaining oblivious to your inner thoughts. I find that when I’m quiet and still I can access these insights easier.

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Kim Fleming's avatar

Oh that super moon this week...so brilliant!

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Kamala's avatar

That Rilke quote has always helped me, as I have waited in the hospital, or as my daughter took tests after tests for the college admissions, and some other overwhelming periods of life when the uncertainty was so scary and draining ... that quote always always helped.

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dangie's avatar

Rilke’s beautiful quote made me think of humility. I think it takes humility to learn to love the questions themselves and let go of the struggle to want to know the answer/s. This was a great read, thank you <3

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Elizabeth Perkins's avatar

Thanks for writing Brooke. About living the questions, going about life, being a person. My weird brain feels like it has a friend : )

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Carolyn's avatar

Thank you for another beautiful post and from reading the comments it is heartwarming to see that you are not alone. Many of us experience similar doubts, challenges and fears. You have given me (again!!) a new perspective. A new understanding of why I might struggle with ‘not knowing’. Thank you, Brooke and I can’t wait to read next weeks post 🤗😀

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Dawn Gibson-Winder's avatar

You've captured the challenges of living with unpredictable fatigue so well. It's really comforting to know that we're not alone in this experience. And for those who don't have personal experience with it, your words help them understand some of the challenges. So many other gems you share too! Thank you for sharing your story! 🤍

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Blythe Edwards's avatar

Thank you for this beautifully written and insightful post. I have been stuck in this phase of not knowing for a bit. I can’t seem to choose and make decisions. I doubt myself and the value of my work. It can easily spiral 🌀 into not showing up in the way that I want. It’s nice to not feel alone in this space. ❤️

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Kat Fitzpatrick's avatar

Love this!

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Sian's avatar

Love this thank you!

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