Field Notes - December 2025
A thought
You may be reading this in the full chaos of the holidays. The to-do list remains long and family is on the way. But at some point in the next 10 days, I’m optimistic we will all find a quiet moment. A chance to put the phone aside and to simply observe a heartbeat of silence and stillness.
A chance to reflect on the year behind - the good, the bad, perhaps the breathtakingly painful. I pray that you will savor that moment, however fleeting, and observe the simple profundity of the classic refrain, “silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright.”
A quote
We do not belong to those who have ideas only among books, when stimulated by books. It is our habit to think outdoors—walking, leaping, climbing, dancing, preferably on lonely mountains or near the sea where even the trails become thoughtful.
—Nietzsche
A book I’m reading
The Year of Less by Cait Flanders
Flanders takes a year off from consumption - only purchasing things that have worn out or that need replacing. The book is a great reflection on her journey to find what matters most in life.
Flanders reminds me of this quote from Lost Connections - “What you really need is connection. But what you are told you need, in our culture, is stuff and a superior status, and in the gap between those two signals - from yourself and from society - depression and anxiety will grow as your real needs go unmet.”