The beginning of a new year can feel loud. Everywhere you look, someone is setting goals, declaring intentions, or mapping out a version of themselves they’re supposed to become overnight.
This year, instead of making promises I can’t keep, I’m trying something quieter.
I’m paying attention to how I talk to myself.
How I frame a hard day.
How quickly I label something as behind, late, or not enough.
What if the real work isn’t setting better goals, but choosing better language?
What if “I’m behind” becomes “I’m still becoming.”
What if “I don’t have time” becomes “this season requires something different.”
What if we stopped asking ourselves to do more—and started asking ourselves to see differently?
Designing a flourishing life doesn’t start with a checklist.
It starts with how we think, how we speak, and what we give ourselves permission to tend slowly. Pull up a chair. There’s no rush here.
Let’s dream it, design it, and live it—together.
With love,
Lane + Jules
Looking for the letter that fits the season you’re in? Take the quick quiz and find it here, along with free worksheets for designing what’s next.
This letter first went out to our readers in the Country Living Connoisseur on January 9, 2026. The full issue has the garden and farm kitchen sections too. Want the next one? Pull up a chair and join us here.
Written by
Lane and Jules Morris
Authors and University of Tennessee faculty writing from our farm in East Tennessee about gardening, the farm kitchen, faith and designing a flourishing life at any age. More about us
