I’ve been on vacation lately, and I’ve only had time to read the news between flights and over breakfast. There’s so much happening in the world while I can barely keep track of what day it is (and honestly, what a privilege!).

I’ve never mentioned this here before, but sometimes I catch myself thinking, “My God, there’s so much going on — what should I write about? What matters most?” In the beginning, that used to give me a bit of anxiety. I wanted to cover everything. Say everything. Have a take on everything.

But then I learned a big lesson — one that writing this newsletter has taught me more than I could’ve imagined: You don’t need to react to everything. You don’t need to have an opinion about everything. You don’t need to hold everything.

Sometimes, you just need to simplify.

• And simplifying isn’t easy. It takes clarity. It takes detachment. It takes humility — and a kind of emotional maturity as well. I remember the very first edition of this newsletter, when we had not three but five sections, and it was almost 40% longer (and let’s be honest, most people barely make it to the end now — imagine back then!).

It’s the same in life. How often do we try to do everything at once? We want to start running, but also swimming, crocheting, cooking... and the world makes us feel like we need a strong opinion about absolutely everything. But the more we grow, the more we mature — and with maturity comes wisdom. And wisdom, among many other things, is:

• Knowing when to stay silent.

• Knowing how to observe without absorbing.

• Knowing to give time some time, to pause before reacting.

• Knowing to question instead of just accepting.

• Knowing to listen to learn, not just to reply.

Wisdom is also knowing how to simplify.

So that’s what I’ve been trying to do — in what I write here, in what I take on daily, and in how I spend my energy. Maybe it’s the vacation mindset talking, but today’s message is simple: Sometimes, you just need to simplify.

With love,
M.