A year ago today I started this publication. After 101 posts and 485,000 views, I need to step back from the regular rhythm, and build out the resources for what lies ahead.
I am infinitely grateful that you are making this shift to care for your self and tend to your care. It has been a gift to be on this journey with you for this past year. Please hold very dear that it is more than ok that you are finding a new rhythm that reflects your own humanity. Love and solidarity, always <3.
Wow, and Yes, Dr. SeeLou! Lori, I can't agree more!
It has been obvious to me, that you are following your calling and purpose, in this work, that you do, in the world. Yes: it is not ostentatious, to term it no less than a divine mission.
Since you have recurring problems, Lori, with putting these highly valuable issues out, here is a suggestion, for you to consider. Change your official description of this publication, to it being intermittent.
That takes the pressure off of adhering to a rigid schedule, that doesn't match your capacity, from day to day. Your 2,300 plus subscribers absolutely know you are committed. Not a one of us would think you were slacking off.
Thank you, Aleithia. This was such a generous and thoughtful thing to say, and I’m sorry for the delay in fully responding — I simply haven’t been well enough to engage in online conversation.
It means a great deal that you see this work that way, and that you understand so clearly the tension between the value of the work and the limits of my capacity. Your suggestion is a very wise one. I can feel the care in it, because it comes from wanting to take pressure off rather than add to it.
And thank you for saying so plainly that this community knows my commitment. That reassurance lands deeply. It helps more than I can say to be reminded that consistency of care is not always the same thing as consistency of output.
I’m very grateful for your understanding, and for the steadiness and goodwill behind your words.
Thank you Dr SeeLou. Your words feel very tender, and I am receiving them that way.
It has been a gift to share this past year with you too, and I do not take that love, care, or solidarity lightly. Thank you for meeting this shift with such understanding, and for reminding me so gently that finding a new rhythm is not a failure, but part of being human.
Love and solidarity, always ❤️
PS PS I’m sorry for the delay in responding — I haven’t been well enough to engage in online conversation, but I’m taking a little time today to read through these comments and messages of support.
I'm replying to your comment because I think you expressed it better than I ever could. Lori, I love you like a sister, and I want nothing but the best for you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support during my hard times. Sending love and light to you all day every day.
So glad to learn you were ahead of me, on this one, Lori!
3rd Fleece: The work you do is so sacred, so needed worldwide. The disconcerting trend, online, is for the valuable stuff to become paywalled. So only the privileged, are able to access it.
So here is another suggestion: Over the course of this year, put in an invitation to read this particular issue, followed by an invitation to pay for a subscription, in each and every issue of this newsletter. TV shows run ads, sprinkled throughout their programing. So do all print media. Other writers invite payments with each subscription, in each newsletter issue, as well. "To see the effect of YOUR paid subscription, you can read:
I really appreciate the care and thought behind your suggestion, Aleithia. You are right that more and more valuable work is being placed behind paywalls, and I share your concern about what that means for people who most need access to it. That matters to me very deeply.
And thank you as well for this practical idea. I can see the sense in making the invitation to support the work a more regular and visible part of each issue, rather than something left unspoken or only mentioned occasionally. You framed it in a very grounded way, and that was helpful.
More than anything, I’m grateful for the spirit in which you offered this: not as pressure, but as support for the work and for its future. That kind of encouragement means a great deal to me.
Ann, thank you — and I’m sorry for the delay in responding. I haven’t been well enough to engage in online conversation, but I wanted to take a moment to answer you.
Your words moved me very deeply. And the love has gone both ways — I have held you in my heart through your hard times too. Thank you for your tenderness, your steadfastness, and for loving me so generously. I love you right back, dear sister.
Thank you for your work and words of wisdom in these troubling times. You have offered a comforting blanket at times, especially for someone like myself, suffering from GAD while living in a country whose current mission is to rule the world, consequences be damned.
Thank you W.J. — and I’m sorry for the long delay in responding. I haven’t been well enough to engage in online conversation, but I really wanted to say how much your words touched me.
I’m very moved that this work has brought you some comfort, especially while you are carrying that kind of anxiety in these deeply unsettling times. That is no small thing to live with. Thank you for being here, and for letting me know that the writing has felt like some kind of shelter.
Sending you care, and hoping you are finding moments of steadiness where you can. I look forward to being back with you here, as soon as I can.
I acquired POTS and chronic fatigue syndrome after being infected with covid. I barely even recognize myself anymore. I used to be sharp, quick (and accurate) at my work, and deeply dedicated to that work. Now, I can't read books. I struggle through articles. I can't remember things that were said just a couple minutes ago. Writing comments is even difficult because I can't stay on track. I put my foot in my mouth all the time because I can't find the right words. I can't figure out how to explain my thoughts. I'm almost bed bound so my life has become somewhat of a prison. All this to say I'm with you in solidarity. I hear you and I understand you.
I had to leave my job because of the cognitive difficulties (outcomes of my work can result in life or death situations). I am incredibly saddened that I no longer have anything tangible to offer society. I used to volunteer every weekend, helping to clean up our forests, remove invasive plants, etc. Now I don't have the energy or the motivation to even try because I know trying would lead to more suffering.
I had to make the conscious decision to think of myself first, just so I could be present for my husband, daughter, and my dog. My hope is that all of us disabled people learn to prioritize our health first and then work with the energy we have left over (if there even is leftover energy). Your work is very important, but your health is more important. Take care of yourself. If you decide to come back later to this work, we'll be here. If not, that's perfectly fine as well. Do whatever you need to do to support yourself physically and mentally. Thank you for your work. It has been incredibly comforting to me. But I don't want that comfort in exchange for yours.
Thank you for sharing this so openly Francesca. I recognise so much of what you describe, and I am deeply sorry that you, too, are living inside this kind of loss. It is not only the exhaustion or the restriction. It is the shock of no longer being able to move, think, work, and speak in the ways that once felt natural to us. That grief is real.
What you said about having to choose yourself, so that you can still be present for your husband, daughter, and dog, landed very deeply. There is so much wisdom in that, even though it comes at such a hard price. So many of us disabled people are forced into learning this the brutal way (myself included), but survival has to come first, and whatever remains has to be treated with care.
I would like to gently push back on one part of what you said. You do still have something tangible to offer. Not because you can produce in the old ways, and not because you owe anyone usefulness, but because your presence, your love, your endurance, and your clarity matter. This comment mattered deeply to me. It carried understanding, generosity, and solidarity, and that is not nothing. It is a real offering, thank you. And I'm sorry I did not have the capacity to answer with the care it deserved at the time that you made it.
Thank you for seeing me so clearly. And thank you for saying, with such tenderness, that your comfort should not come at the expense of my own wellbeing. That meant a great deal. I am holding the same intention for you: that your health is given the care, protection, and priority it deserves, and that you are met with real gentleness as you move through this. I look forward to being back here with you as soon as I am well enough. 🙏🏼💛
Thank you so much. Please don't apologize for taking time to respond. You should be your #1 priority. We'll still be here if/when you have the energy to keep writing. Sending warmth ♥️
Thank you so much Mary — and I’m sorry for the delay in responding. I haven’t been well enough to engage in online conversation.
I really appreciate your kindness, and I receive your blessings for healing and rest with a grateful heart. May you be blessed in return with strength and peace. I look forward to seeing you here again when I’m able to return. 💛
(A start: congratulations on what you've been able to accomplish under terrifically awful conditions.)
Right from the jump (and I think I must have caught your very first post—somehow), you have been a clear voice in a marketplace of screaming and urgency and simply impossible demands placed upon us, as individuals.
You know you have influenced the way my thinking has evolved over the past year or so. (Printing out posts and highlighting them!)
What I once thought was simply a political crisis has metastasized into a full-blown spiritual, psychological, and cultural breakdown. I stepped back because I needed to understand this better. Just when I did, you started posting things that addressed this. For that, I am deeply grateful.
Please take care of yourself as it seems you are about to do. I can guarantee (well, 99.9% sure 😎) that we will all be here whenever we see something arrive in our Inbox from you.
Ditto to all you've said, John. Lori has taught me so much. Her work has been abundant and thorough. I've printed out and highlighted many of her thoughts and research. I've used her articles to call my representatives, begging them to follow her. I have a Post-it note quote on my bathroom mirror that I found when I first started to read Lori's Substack: "Live without fear of lack. Provisions come when I'm aligned, not when I'm striving." This gentle daily reminder has helped me so much in so many ways. I am glad Lori, that you have gone back to this quote and are taking time to align your health. Abundance will come again, but even (as you have said) "Rest is resistance." We'll be here when you are strong again.
As a world-class "striver" (not something I am proud of), I especially appreciate that quote. And yes, if I started each day with that, I would be a saner person.
Stepping back has been a godsend for me. Of course I will be out there when the time comes (like March 28), but stepping back from the news, from the incessant demands to act, and thinking before I act or say something has made a huge difference.
I hope you have some Sonoran sun today. It's actually snowing (again) where I am.
Even when I take time off, the knowledge of nefarious machinations seeps into my pores. I'm now a once a week (with cheating) kinda gal. I'll be in the heat on 28. Thanks for your kindness.
I don't know if repairing your mitochondria will enable your nerves to communicate and your mind to focus. But you mentioned that the mold toxin damaged your mitochondria, so I thought Dr. Crane's protocols would help.
They made the difference in my being able to breath and sleep, at the same time. Formerly, I was perpetually sleep deprived from Long Covid, and had to think for each breath: inhale, hold, exhale, wait, repeat. Each part was an excruciating struggle. Before Covid, breathing used to be an instinct. I used to give it no thought, unless meditating.
To give yourself more space for needed healing, you may not have to share with us the legal infrastructure which has been quietly in place for 20 years, leading up to current times. Readers might appreciate Sarah Kendzior's exposures of it. One can access her past newsletters, detailing much of this, and hit the, "Subscribe" button, here:
Your work is Great and much appreciated but, your health is more important. It is that “spirit” that is been very helpful to each of us to try and make the best of what’s going on And take care of ourselves. And yes, tRUMP is a dark excuse for a HUman- 💩
I’m so sorry I didn’t acknowledge your upgrade, F&C — I genuinely didn’t know. There was no notification from Substack, so I assumed Stripe had made a payment error and I would need to sort it out.
I feel deeply humbled, and honestly a little lost for words — both by your kindness and by what you said. Thank you, dear friend. Your support has touched my life more than I can say. And who knows, perhaps together we may also touch the lives of those who see me in my “whistleblower” T-shirt. 😊
Several years ago I came up with a sneaky way to calm myself on purely random occasions.
Every so often, but not TOO often, my email contains IMPORTANT NEWS.....
About the band ABBA, and current touring information. Truth be told, I'm no more a fan of ABBA than the average older American male, but it's almost impossible to be angry at Trump for those few seconds following.
If it's cheating, that I confess to cheating.
Obviously, anyone wishing to try this needn't necessarily use ABBA touring news, but whatever will act in the same manner for each individual. Perhaps there are similar news feeds for things from childhood that might be calming, or perhaps messages from Ms. Rachel, or similar.
Sending so much love and light. We're holding space for you, Dearest.
As you know, I have a Post-it note quote on my bathroom mirror that I found when I first started to read your Substack: "Live without fear of lack. Provisions come when I'm aligned, not when I'm striving." This gentle daily reminder has helped me so much in so many ways. I am glad Lori, that you have gone back to this quote and are taking time to align your health. No more striving, Friend! Those fleeces can wait. Abundance will come again, but even (as you have said) "Rest is Resistance." We'll be here when you are strong again, as we are here now, holding space for your wellness.
I am infinitely grateful that you are making this shift to care for your self and tend to your care. It has been a gift to be on this journey with you for this past year. Please hold very dear that it is more than ok that you are finding a new rhythm that reflects your own humanity. Love and solidarity, always <3.
Wow, and Yes, Dr. SeeLou! Lori, I can't agree more!
It has been obvious to me, that you are following your calling and purpose, in this work, that you do, in the world. Yes: it is not ostentatious, to term it no less than a divine mission.
Since you have recurring problems, Lori, with putting these highly valuable issues out, here is a suggestion, for you to consider. Change your official description of this publication, to it being intermittent.
That takes the pressure off of adhering to a rigid schedule, that doesn't match your capacity, from day to day. Your 2,300 plus subscribers absolutely know you are committed. Not a one of us would think you were slacking off.
Aleithia, that is exactly what I was planning on doing — thank you for the confirmation. 🙏🏼 😊
You're welcome. :-)
Just so you know: Substack placed my original reply to your comment here, as a reply to Still Learning. They seem to glitch, quite a bit.
Thank you, Aleithia. This was such a generous and thoughtful thing to say, and I’m sorry for the delay in fully responding — I simply haven’t been well enough to engage in online conversation.
It means a great deal that you see this work that way, and that you understand so clearly the tension between the value of the work and the limits of my capacity. Your suggestion is a very wise one. I can feel the care in it, because it comes from wanting to take pressure off rather than add to it.
And thank you for saying so plainly that this community knows my commitment. That reassurance lands deeply. It helps more than I can say to be reminded that consistency of care is not always the same thing as consistency of output.
I’m very grateful for your understanding, and for the steadiness and goodwill behind your words.
Thank you Dr SeeLou. Your words feel very tender, and I am receiving them that way.
It has been a gift to share this past year with you too, and I do not take that love, care, or solidarity lightly. Thank you for meeting this shift with such understanding, and for reminding me so gently that finding a new rhythm is not a failure, but part of being human.
Love and solidarity, always ❤️
PS PS I’m sorry for the delay in responding — I haven’t been well enough to engage in online conversation, but I’m taking a little time today to read through these comments and messages of support.
Dr. SeeLou and Lori,
I'm replying to your comment because I think you expressed it better than I ever could. Lori, I love you like a sister, and I want nothing but the best for you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support during my hard times. Sending love and light to you all day every day.
Love,
Ann
I agree, Still Learning! They are both so very, very, gifted with articulateness. Would that we mere mortals could attain unto their eloquence!
So glad to learn you were ahead of me, on this one, Lori!
3rd Fleece: The work you do is so sacred, so needed worldwide. The disconcerting trend, online, is for the valuable stuff to become paywalled. So only the privileged, are able to access it.
So here is another suggestion: Over the course of this year, put in an invitation to read this particular issue, followed by an invitation to pay for a subscription, in each and every issue of this newsletter. TV shows run ads, sprinkled throughout their programing. So do all print media. Other writers invite payments with each subscription, in each newsletter issue, as well. "To see the effect of YOUR paid subscription, you can read:
https://www.yourtimestartsnow.ch/p/its-our-substack-anniversary?publication_id=4117341&post_id=190426723&isFreemail=false&r=xm2a7&triedRedirect=true
Thank you so much, for your support." You get the idea.
I really appreciate the care and thought behind your suggestion, Aleithia. You are right that more and more valuable work is being placed behind paywalls, and I share your concern about what that means for people who most need access to it. That matters to me very deeply.
And thank you as well for this practical idea. I can see the sense in making the invitation to support the work a more regular and visible part of each issue, rather than something left unspoken or only mentioned occasionally. You framed it in a very grounded way, and that was helpful.
More than anything, I’m grateful for the spirit in which you offered this: not as pressure, but as support for the work and for its future. That kind of encouragement means a great deal to me.
Ann, thank you — and I’m sorry for the delay in responding. I haven’t been well enough to engage in online conversation, but I wanted to take a moment to answer you.
Your words moved me very deeply. And the love has gone both ways — I have held you in my heart through your hard times too. Thank you for your tenderness, your steadfastness, and for loving me so generously. I love you right back, dear sister.
Sending love to you always.
Lori
Thank you for your work and words of wisdom in these troubling times. You have offered a comforting blanket at times, especially for someone like myself, suffering from GAD while living in a country whose current mission is to rule the world, consequences be damned.
Thank you W.J. — and I’m sorry for the long delay in responding. I haven’t been well enough to engage in online conversation, but I really wanted to say how much your words touched me.
I’m very moved that this work has brought you some comfort, especially while you are carrying that kind of anxiety in these deeply unsettling times. That is no small thing to live with. Thank you for being here, and for letting me know that the writing has felt like some kind of shelter.
Sending you care, and hoping you are finding moments of steadiness where you can. I look forward to being back with you here, as soon as I can.
Thank you for your kind response. Take your time and get well. I'll stay tuned for future writings!
I acquired POTS and chronic fatigue syndrome after being infected with covid. I barely even recognize myself anymore. I used to be sharp, quick (and accurate) at my work, and deeply dedicated to that work. Now, I can't read books. I struggle through articles. I can't remember things that were said just a couple minutes ago. Writing comments is even difficult because I can't stay on track. I put my foot in my mouth all the time because I can't find the right words. I can't figure out how to explain my thoughts. I'm almost bed bound so my life has become somewhat of a prison. All this to say I'm with you in solidarity. I hear you and I understand you.
I had to leave my job because of the cognitive difficulties (outcomes of my work can result in life or death situations). I am incredibly saddened that I no longer have anything tangible to offer society. I used to volunteer every weekend, helping to clean up our forests, remove invasive plants, etc. Now I don't have the energy or the motivation to even try because I know trying would lead to more suffering.
I had to make the conscious decision to think of myself first, just so I could be present for my husband, daughter, and my dog. My hope is that all of us disabled people learn to prioritize our health first and then work with the energy we have left over (if there even is leftover energy). Your work is very important, but your health is more important. Take care of yourself. If you decide to come back later to this work, we'll be here. If not, that's perfectly fine as well. Do whatever you need to do to support yourself physically and mentally. Thank you for your work. It has been incredibly comforting to me. But I don't want that comfort in exchange for yours.
Thank you for sharing this so openly Francesca. I recognise so much of what you describe, and I am deeply sorry that you, too, are living inside this kind of loss. It is not only the exhaustion or the restriction. It is the shock of no longer being able to move, think, work, and speak in the ways that once felt natural to us. That grief is real.
What you said about having to choose yourself, so that you can still be present for your husband, daughter, and dog, landed very deeply. There is so much wisdom in that, even though it comes at such a hard price. So many of us disabled people are forced into learning this the brutal way (myself included), but survival has to come first, and whatever remains has to be treated with care.
I would like to gently push back on one part of what you said. You do still have something tangible to offer. Not because you can produce in the old ways, and not because you owe anyone usefulness, but because your presence, your love, your endurance, and your clarity matter. This comment mattered deeply to me. It carried understanding, generosity, and solidarity, and that is not nothing. It is a real offering, thank you. And I'm sorry I did not have the capacity to answer with the care it deserved at the time that you made it.
Thank you for seeing me so clearly. And thank you for saying, with such tenderness, that your comfort should not come at the expense of my own wellbeing. That meant a great deal. I am holding the same intention for you: that your health is given the care, protection, and priority it deserves, and that you are met with real gentleness as you move through this. I look forward to being back here with you as soon as I am well enough. 🙏🏼💛
Thank you so much. Please don't apologize for taking time to respond. You should be your #1 priority. We'll still be here if/when you have the energy to keep writing. Sending warmth ♥️
Congrats beautiful. Proud of you. What a wonderful accomplishment.
Thank you Pasqual.
You’re welcome beautiful. Great job.
May heaven bless and keep you. Your very being radiates love and light.
I’m sorry for the delay in responding to you, Jstein. I haven’t been well enough to engage in much conversation.
Your blessing was received with real tenderness. Thank you for such a generous and loving thing to say. It means more than I can easily express.
May heaven bless and keep you too. 💛
((( hug hug hug )))
Thanks for all that you’ve done. Blessings as you heal and rest.
Thank you so much Mary — and I’m sorry for the delay in responding. I haven’t been well enough to engage in online conversation.
I really appreciate your kindness, and I receive your blessings for healing and rest with a grateful heart. May you be blessed in return with strength and peace. I look forward to seeing you here again when I’m able to return. 💛
We will be right here when you return.
Wow. So many things to say about this.
(A start: congratulations on what you've been able to accomplish under terrifically awful conditions.)
Right from the jump (and I think I must have caught your very first post—somehow), you have been a clear voice in a marketplace of screaming and urgency and simply impossible demands placed upon us, as individuals.
You know you have influenced the way my thinking has evolved over the past year or so. (Printing out posts and highlighting them!)
What I once thought was simply a political crisis has metastasized into a full-blown spiritual, psychological, and cultural breakdown. I stepped back because I needed to understand this better. Just when I did, you started posting things that addressed this. For that, I am deeply grateful.
Please take care of yourself as it seems you are about to do. I can guarantee (well, 99.9% sure 😎) that we will all be here whenever we see something arrive in our Inbox from you.
In solidarity.
Ditto to all you've said, John. Lori has taught me so much. Her work has been abundant and thorough. I've printed out and highlighted many of her thoughts and research. I've used her articles to call my representatives, begging them to follow her. I have a Post-it note quote on my bathroom mirror that I found when I first started to read Lori's Substack: "Live without fear of lack. Provisions come when I'm aligned, not when I'm striving." This gentle daily reminder has helped me so much in so many ways. I am glad Lori, that you have gone back to this quote and are taking time to align your health. Abundance will come again, but even (as you have said) "Rest is resistance." We'll be here when you are strong again.
As a world-class "striver" (not something I am proud of), I especially appreciate that quote. And yes, if I started each day with that, I would be a saner person.
Stepping back has been a godsend for me. Of course I will be out there when the time comes (like March 28), but stepping back from the news, from the incessant demands to act, and thinking before I act or say something has made a huge difference.
I hope you have some Sonoran sun today. It's actually snowing (again) where I am.
You can always make a post-it note :-)
Even when I take time off, the knowledge of nefarious machinations seeps into my pores. I'm now a once a week (with cheating) kinda gal. I'll be in the heat on 28. Thanks for your kindness.
Mitochondrial repair - do you already subscribe to Dr. Crane's newsletter?
https://longcovidjourney2wellness.substack.com/
I don't know if repairing your mitochondria will enable your nerves to communicate and your mind to focus. But you mentioned that the mold toxin damaged your mitochondria, so I thought Dr. Crane's protocols would help.
They made the difference in my being able to breath and sleep, at the same time. Formerly, I was perpetually sleep deprived from Long Covid, and had to think for each breath: inhale, hold, exhale, wait, repeat. Each part was an excruciating struggle. Before Covid, breathing used to be an instinct. I used to give it no thought, unless meditating.
To give yourself more space for needed healing, you may not have to share with us the legal infrastructure which has been quietly in place for 20 years, leading up to current times. Readers might appreciate Sarah Kendzior's exposures of it. One can access her past newsletters, detailing much of this, and hit the, "Subscribe" button, here:
https://substack.com/@sarahkendzior
Of course, if you have insights as to what we can do, about it, by all means, don't let me stop you.
Your work is Great and much appreciated but, your health is more important. It is that “spirit” that is been very helpful to each of us to try and make the best of what’s going on And take care of ourselves. And yes, tRUMP is a dark excuse for a HUman- 💩
In this time period a step back is a good and necessary way to sort through the bull shit and find inner peace and perhaps a different perspective*
Some might consider last week to have been a poor timing to have become a FOUNDING MEMBER of YTSN.
But I don't. Not for an instant!
Thank you, Lori. You've changed my life.
I’m so sorry I didn’t acknowledge your upgrade, F&C — I genuinely didn’t know. There was no notification from Substack, so I assumed Stripe had made a payment error and I would need to sort it out.
I feel deeply humbled, and honestly a little lost for words — both by your kindness and by what you said. Thank you, dear friend. Your support has touched my life more than I can say. And who knows, perhaps together we may also touch the lives of those who see me in my “whistleblower” T-shirt. 😊
Hopefully, most of my gratitude will find its way to you (with zero issues to address beyond what inexpensive thing you may need most!)
Lori,
Several years ago I came up with a sneaky way to calm myself on purely random occasions.
Every so often, but not TOO often, my email contains IMPORTANT NEWS.....
About the band ABBA, and current touring information. Truth be told, I'm no more a fan of ABBA than the average older American male, but it's almost impossible to be angry at Trump for those few seconds following.
If it's cheating, that I confess to cheating.
Obviously, anyone wishing to try this needn't necessarily use ABBA touring news, but whatever will act in the same manner for each individual. Perhaps there are similar news feeds for things from childhood that might be calming, or perhaps messages from Ms. Rachel, or similar.
Stay safe, sane and healthy, EVERYONE!
Love this idea — thank you for sharing it!
Sending so much love and light. We're holding space for you, Dearest.
As you know, I have a Post-it note quote on my bathroom mirror that I found when I first started to read your Substack: "Live without fear of lack. Provisions come when I'm aligned, not when I'm striving." This gentle daily reminder has helped me so much in so many ways. I am glad Lori, that you have gone back to this quote and are taking time to align your health. No more striving, Friend! Those fleeces can wait. Abundance will come again, but even (as you have said) "Rest is Resistance." We'll be here when you are strong again, as we are here now, holding space for your wellness.