Hi and happy Sunday! A quick intro if you’re new — I’m Catherine Greer, writer of books, lover of small dogs, compulsive baker, beach walker, mum of two young adult sons, wife to a thoughtful guy who bought me an Ember mug so my coffee stays hot for hours. 💖 You can see a few photos of my world here!

Thanks for reading every Sunday!

Today, here’s what I have for us.

When I feel like I’m stuck or drowning, and I have no idea what to do next, my tendency is to go big. I want to dive in and figure it out. Or I beat myself up over not doing better, or knowing better. (Welcome to my brain: Hello my name is Catherine, and I’m tough on myself. It’s exhausting.)

Lately, I’ve been trying the opposite.

I’ve been going small.

Tiny.

One breath. One idea. One positive thought. One short walk around the back garden. One treat. One stretch right here in my chair.

I’m learning to go small.

Somehow, small is connected to wisdom and contentment. It’s connected to being realistic about our lives, and hopeful that future will get better.

A story for you…this week a friend reached out to say that she’s struggling. And I wanted to offer all the ways to fix it: ideas and strategies, plans and help.

But then I went smaller. I offered a plate of her favourite sweet potato fries at a cafe we love, with a dollop of hummus and sea salt.

That’s the love that landed.

Today, can you walk up to your giant-sized problem, and think of a way to go small?

That’s my plan as I get older and wiser.

Happy Sunday! Thanks for being here.

Love, Catherine x

PS. The fun stuff!

• A beautiful, free 8 minute meditation by Sarah Blondin: Learning to Surrender.

• Oh my goodness, this pasta cooks in one pan — sauce included.

• My Ember mug, to keep coffee hot for a couple of hours. You can change the temp with an app on your phone, if you want to. I keep mine as hot as possible. Pricey, but it works. This dupe might be good?

• If you like the idea of being kinder to yourself, you’ll love Small Steps Are Perfect. Readers say, “Lovely little book, whether you read it from cover to cover, or just a chapter that calls out to you, highly recommended. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️” Find it here in Canada, here in America, here in Australia and here in the UK.