💬 Sunday Reflections #62 (good things)
Homemade skincare, nesting wrens, special moments, spring de-cluttering, this time last year and the April round-up
Hi! This is Leyla from A Day Well Spent, a newsletter seeking pathways to more purposeful living.
May 🌷
I know we’re not quite there yet, but we almost are. May and June are my favourite months of the year because for me, it’s when Nature is at its most magnificent.
It’s the crossover point between late spring and early summer. The pace of life and growth is rampant, my garden is full of newly fledged chicks and everything starts coming into flower. Cow parsley froths, elderflower blooms and the days stretch out into increasingly warmer evenings.
And yet, it’s still just the beginning. That’s why this time of year is so magical to me — because it’s already achingly beautiful and yet, the glory of summer is all still yet to come.
What abundance!
On a personal level, I couldn’t be more excited about this upcoming month — I’ll be sharing why with you all soon.
Welcome to Sunday Reflections ☕
On two Sundays each month I pose a prompt or question which we discuss (and say hi) in the comments. This is our intimate and friendly space for community and accountability.
Topics tend to cover self-empowerment and personal growth and these regular check-ins allow us to share our wisdoms and get to know ourselves and the other members of the A Day Well Spent community better.
Feel free to have a browse through previous Sunday Reflections to get an idea of the stuff we talk about.
But first…
A beautiful and unique book launch
My dear and good friend
has just had her eighth book published: welcome to the world Table for One!As someone who rarely reads novels (see point 53), at about three chapters into the proof copy I was lucky enough to receive, I messaged Emma with ‘I am enjoying Table For One 🤗🌠’
Table for One is Emma’s second novel and it’s a must read for anyone who appreciates their independence and solitude, as well as for those who crave a little more of either of those but are feeling a bit stuck.
I don’t know how Emma does it, but she’s done it again. I felt like I had a seat at the table in all of the conversations in this book, that I had already met the characters at some point in my life. Congratulations Emma, on another beautiful novel, and a literal page-turner!
Emma treated 25 of her writer friends to a swish dinner at an intimate book launch last week. What an absolute delight. An evening of amazing conversation, celebrating this one’s new definitions of success and a doggy bag that fed me for three days after.
And what a thrill and honour it was to spot my name in the acknowledgements; a first for me!
A bit of IRL Substack magic ✨
When one of your most engaged and supportive subscribers from Italy (who you’ve never met) tells you they're visiting London for a couple of days and asks if you might be free for a coffee, you make yourself available because it's the incredibly lovely Laura.
We brought each other gifts too 🥹
The April round-up
In case you missed them, here are all the published pieces from April in one handy list.
1. 57 things I know about myself
Some of the results from two hours of self-analysis as part of an interview I did, which felt a bit like therapy. Just in case anyone is remotely interested in reading them!
2. How communicating with Nature re-enchanted my life
Written by Saskia von Diest, who believes that because humans are Nature, all of us have the capacity to communicate with Nature – we’ve just forgotten how to use this ancient skill.
This way of being exists beyond all languages, and has been known and practised by indigenous peoples worldwide for millennia.
I recently read a book that completely reflects and legitimises the way I live my life.
It lead me onto writing this piece about how much expensive tat we buy (the most deceitful kind of tat) and how this is one of the reasons why many people’s ample earnings seem to vanish into thin air each month.
If you are human, there’s a fair chance you entered April with that thing you wanted to start in 2025 but haven’t quite got around to yet, nagging on your conscience.
Start it before June 1st, the year’s halfway point.
This time last year
Here are the pieces I published in May last year you might also enjoy this coming month:
The rural life of self-sufficiency: why I want it
This is how — and what — I eat
Things I've learnt from 1 year on Substack
Sunday reflections: routines and rituals
A big WELCOME to new community members
Should you join this community and leave a message when doing so, it would be a lovely thing to read and I’ll be sure to share it in these monthly round-ups.
Hearing that someone has actively recommend my writing to a friend has to be one of the nicest and most meaningful compliments.
A big welcome to Lizzie and all other April new joiners!
Sunday is for awakening the mind, body and spirit 🧘
Now let’s begin.