Dear Reader,

The sleepytime tea is steeping. The open journal on your lap. A puzzle in progress.

And yet, you still go to bed feeling... kind of blah.

You don't have to hit a dramatic, collapse-on-the-floor kind of burnout to be soulfully dehydrated. You can be doing everything "right" and still not wake up feeling replenished.

The overculture sells us a one-size-fits-all version of rest (looking at you, 8 hours of perfect sleep). What we actually need to refill our cups… well, that shifts pretty wildly depending on what we are up to.

I believe some seasons of life ask you to move toward the world. Say yes, show up, be seen.

Others ask you to close the door and go quiet. Dive into the darkness of yourself.

Each season is thirsty for a different replenishment.

Try to recover from a venturing-out season with a hunkering-down remedy — or vice versa — and of course you stay parched.

Marie-Louise von Franz offered up dreams as a consistent source of renewal:

Every single night, you can sip from your limitless well.

An inner wisdom that intimately knows your life, your needs, and adapts itself to you the same way a nursing mother's body adapts to her baby.

The exact medicine you need, exactly when you need it.

I'm so curious… are you in a venturing-out season or a hunkering-down season? How's your rest holding up? Reply and let me know!

See you on Sunday, love.

To your second bite,

Brooke

DEPARTMENT OF BEAUTY & MAGIC

I'm Brooke Hofsess.

I'm a Midlife Midwife for women who want to start their next chapter from soul, not fear or ego, so they can finally do the work they're meant to do — and actually enjoy it.

You'll find me in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, where I live with my husband Dustin, our daughter Thea, two clever border collies, and an ever-growing collection of handmade mugs for Egyptian Licorice Mint tea.

You can read about my journey here.​