58 Comments
Feb 3Liked by Brooke McAlary

Hi Brooke, first of all I am wishing you all the best for the upcoming surgery. Healing seems like the perfect area for you to focus on, and I'm sure that your 'go-to' list of ideas for post-op recovery will help you on that journey 🤗

My main 'themes' for this year are nature, creativity and inner peace. My area of focus at the moment is daily meditation and creativity. I have so many projects I want to do from knitting, sewing, gardening etc etc that I am loving spending a little time each day on one of them. At the moment it's a knitting project - a cozy throw to give my hubby for his birthday in March. The downside is having a thick wooly blanket on my lap while I knit in the middle of summer 🤣

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Thanks so much Carolyn - healing is where it's at this term, whether I like it or not, so I'm going in glass-half-full 😆

I love your themes for the year, they all sound so holistic and wholesome. And my hat is off to you for having the discipline to work on a project til completion. I have several blankets in various forms of half done. I'm always impressed by things that are finished!!

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Feb 3Liked by Brooke McAlary

Wishing you all the best Brooke. Hopefully you’ll find some joy in the healing and will get a twofer! My 1% this term is self compassion.

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Thanks so much Diane! And I'm totally hoping for a twofer!! I love the focus of self-compassion. Let us know how you progress. 💚💚

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Feb 3Liked by Brooke McAlary

Hi Brooke, wishing you well ahead of your operation . I like the idea of rebelling against a busy Feb and March and just letting the late summer be a chance to heal.

I’m going to add 1% of self care- just taking stock on the little things that need to happen each day that I can do to build myself up, add some self love as well each day.

Take care!

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Thanks so much Julia. I'm definitely going all in on the rebellion 😆 And I love your area of focus this term. Self-care and self-love, they're so important in building a solid foundation in life. I know when those things go missing for me, all my intentions get knocked out of balance and it's not until I spend some time on that gentle, caring inner-work that I get back to some kind of equilibrium. Good luck!! 💚

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Feb 3·edited Feb 3Liked by Brooke McAlary

Hi Brooke - there is much to ponder here and I'm looking forward to sorting out what I'm going to focus on. I'm thinking there might be two areas - one highly practical / instantly visible and the other more nebulous / less tangible but no less important....

But first, all the very best for the op and your recovery. It sounds as though you are planning very thoroughly - remember to have some pre-op rest as well!

Go well 💚

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I promise I'm still resting in the pre-op weeks too. That's all part of healing, I reckon. Thank you as always for your lovely words Winsome. I always love hearing what you're up to and learn a lot from what you share. Here's to an interesting 2024 💚💚

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Feb 4·edited Feb 4Liked by Brooke McAlary

Hi Brooke,

All the best for your op and recovery - I had the same op several years ago and remember experiencing mixed emotions too!

Looking forward to being part of the 1% experiement in 2024 - my word for the year is Release.

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I love Release as a guiding word Deb! Thank you so much for sharing it. It's gentle and kind and strong. Also thank you for your well wishes - I hope your recovery was straightforward, and I'm kind of glad to hear that you experienced mixed emotions ahead of your surgery. It makes me feel less alone as I ride my own rollercoaster 😆

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Hi Brooke - I took my recovery slowly as instructed by my doctor; it wasn't easy as I am a very active person but I got through it. You're definitely not alone but maybe find yourself in a different carriage sometimes!

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Feb 4Liked by Brooke McAlary

That's a great word Deb! It has made me think of all the different interpretations...very powerful!

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Hi Carolyn, it resonated with with on so many levels too :)

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Feb 4Liked by Brooke McAlary

‘We can’t fail, we can only learn’ - what amazing words to live by!

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I find it a really freeing way of approaching change - so glad it resonated with you too Denise 💚💚

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Sending you my best wishes for your procedure and your recovery, Brooke! Thank you for this generous letter today modeling your plans for pre and post care plans. I decided this year that I’ve only got two goals: do yoga and learn to cook. It feels really freeing to be setting non-work goals! I would have to say my 1% term for my process would be curiosity.

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Thank you so much lovely Dr Kate! I am in love with the simplicity and measurability of those goals. Doing yoga or learning to cook can look a million different ways every day, but those efforts are still *doing* them. I love it. The way you approach goals and learning from a place of simplicity always inspires me and this is no different. Thank you a million 💚💚

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Feb 4Liked by Brooke McAlary

All the best with your surgery Brooke. Keep it up with your women’s health advocacy. My themes for the 2024…patience & gratitude ; ) xo

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Thanks so much Natalie! And your words for the year are such a beautiful pairing. Can't wait to see how they unfold for you 💚💚

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Feb 11Liked by Brooke McAlary

Hi Brooke,

Firstly, wishing you all the very best for your surgery and recovery. ❤️‍🩹 My mum had a hysterectomy when she was 40, but unfortunately didn’t have a lot of support during her recovery. I’m so glad you do, and that you have resting at the forefront of your plans. Also - the list of things the kids can do to be extra helpful is such a lovely idea. 😊 I also love your focus on your microbiome and fibre. 💪 In addition to the extra serve of veg, may I also recommend an extra serve of legumes. Even though just adding 1/4 cup can be wonderful. (Dr Michael Gregor has lots more bean info on his non-profit site nutritionfacts.org if you’re interested.)

Secondly, my word for the year is also “joy”! How joyful it is to focus on it. 😅😆 I so enjoyed the audiobook of “Joyful”, written and read by Ingrid Fetell Lee.

Thirdly, the 1% Experiment is great timing. Towards the end of last year I started wanting to make myself a timetable for the afternoon/evening, like my niblings have stuck to their fridge. So my 1% will be something/several things/one overall thing where I ensure I can do more of the things I want/need to do and less of things I don’t. Here’s to more movement, reading, Japanese study, crafting, and more.

Thanks, as always, for everything you do, Brooke. (And please know that you don’t need to worry about preparing things for the Tortoise for your surgery/recovery time.) 🙏❤️‍🩹

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Feb 11Liked by Brooke McAlary

Also, to clarify - mentioning having extra legumes was intended as a friend sharing a tip; but I realise it is actually unsolicited food/health advice, and for that, I apologise. 🙏

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No need to apologise! That's absolutely how it was received! Thank you for thinking of me and sharing that. (I'm a massive fan of legumes and am always happy to chuck an extra serve in to my meals - this was a good reminder).

And thank you for your lovely words, as always. You're the second person to mention Ingrid Fetell Lee to me in recent days - a definite sign to check out her work. So glad to have you along on this joy-seeking adventure this year Melinda. And to have you here 💚💚

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I’m so happy to be here!, for joy, experiments and The Tortoise! 😃 💜💜💜

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This is a lovely letter Brooke, in fact it brought tears to my eyes. To be fair, there’s a lot going on for me right now, but it’s also been a little while ‘between drinks’ of reading your work, and this morning really brought home for me how much I’d missed reading your stuff! And just how much I adore your approach, how much it resonates with me, and how much we need community such as this, when the world feels so heavy so often. So thank you - I’m catching up on your letters this morning over cups of tea, and I’m so grateful as The Tortoise is a real source of joy in my life 🙏💛

My 1%... well, the first thing that comes up is rest. It’s not an area of strength for me, I get too caught up in the doing, but I’m a believer in the power of rest. And I’ve also decided that rest can look very different each day - it doesn’t have to be sleep. Doing a yoga nidra, journaling for 15mins, meditation, or just being alone in divine silence. Yep, I’m committing to rest.

Wishing you all the best for your operation and recovery. Sending healing vibes ❤️‍🩹 x

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Thank you do much for this lovely comment, Thea, and I hope you're able to move through the things going on in your life. I love having you here and genuinely do gain so much positivity from everyone who makes up this community. I hear you on the challenges of rest (I think it's why I talk about it a lot, because it doesn't come easily) and I love that you've broadened the definition of it so that you're able to include it in lots of different ways. Here's to rest, whatever form it takes. 💚💚

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Thanks Brooke 🙏💛☺️

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Feb 11Liked by Brooke McAlary

All the best for the things going on for you, Thea 🙏

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Thanks Melinda 🙂🙏

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Feb 8Liked by Brooke McAlary

Wishing you all the best for your op and recovery. I am trying to incorporate some things such as daily exercise and meditation into life after a big move - I’m finding that writing a list /timetabling things in and just sticking to those times is working well for me. It amazes me how much I have kicked against these kinds of things in the past but actually now it is feeling more like I’m grateful to myself for planning ahead

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Yes! The gratitude to Past You is huge! I think that’s a big part of why this feels different to me too. We’ve done the head-work by scheduling these things in, and showing up to do them allows us to focus more on how it feels, rather than what it looks like. Shifting into that mode has been so important for me and I’m so glad you’ve landed in a similar place Philippa. 💚

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Hello and Happy 2024 in earnest, Brooke! Thank you for the 1% Experiment encouragement and for (as always) transparency regarding your own challenges. I had a hysterectomy 15 years ago at age 39, and given my own health circumstances, it was the best thing I could have done. Wishing you a good recovery, lots of relief, and a sense of peace with your surgery.

I am embracing two 1% activities this year, one physical, one intellectual: 1. Move some way - ANY way - for 15 minutes every day. 2: Read fiction for 15 minutes each day. I'm off to brainstorm my grab and go lists now.

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Thanks so much for your well wishes Megan, and for sharing some of your experience - it really does make me feel better knowing that so many people have gone through similar. And as for your 1% I love the intention and simplicity and grace in your two. It feels freeing and generous all at once and I can’t wait to hear how you go. 💚

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Feb 5Liked by Brooke McAlary

Hi Brooke, all the best for your operation. My sister and close friend both just had a hysterectomy and they both look and feel better afterwards. Hoping the same for you xx

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Me too Nicola! I hope your sister and friend keep healing well 💚💚

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Feb 5Liked by Brooke McAlary

Wishing you all the best with your op Brooke, please don’t pressure yourself to write lots for The Tortoise pre op and when recovering, as much as we love your writing we will still be here when you’re ready to come back.

I love the idea of the 1% experiment, my problem is that I have so many areas I would like to focus on it has been hard to choose! I would really like to focus on my health initially so will work out targets for my day around this, combining them with a bit of joy too!

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Thank you so much for saying that Laura. I know this is the best community on the internet so I shouldn't, but I 100% still do put pressure on myself (as much as I'm learning to release expectations). Your comment was a lovely, gentle release valve. 💚💚

I love that you've been able to work through all those areas of life you want to work on and settled on two. That's hard to do! Let's both try and release our expectations of ourselves and see where we end up. B xx

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Feb 5Liked by Brooke McAlary

A beautiful post Brooke. Wishing you healing in every sense of the word, both pre and post op. 🥰🥰Take as long as you need to recover well. As you know, nothing is as important as your health.

My word of the year is Joy too! I also want to spend more time being creative this year...I find when I do that i feel more in tune with me and more joyful...yes please!!

So term one...1% experiment is joy! Going off to make a list of grab and go's 😊😊🧡🧡🥳🥳

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Oh yay, another joy seeker! I can't wait to hear how your experiment progresses. I'm already doing a lot of thinking about what joy actually is, and it's blowing my mind a little bit to see how it does and doesn't apply. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts too Lynette. And thank you for your lovely well wishes. I appreciate it so much. 💚💚

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Feb 11Liked by Brooke McAlary

Mine is “joy” too! High five and best wishes for finding an abundance of it 🤩

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Hope it’s a solid recovery Brooke 🧡

I love your lists of joy and healing things. The next 6 months are looking pretty full for me, I’m trying to remember to make time for play and enjoyment too, not just doing all the tasks that need to be done. This is a constant lesson for me!!

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Thank you dear Bec. And thank you for sharing your plans for play and enjoyment - I always struggle to make time for those too but invariably feel more joyful and connected when I do. Cant wait to hear how it unfolds xxxx

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