Issue # 105 | February 6, 2026 | Previous issues​

Hey Reader,

Friday rolls around again. 😀

So predictable, unlike life (or the weather ☃️).

Usually I write you a neatly themed email with one topic. I try to stay logical and organized.

But today I'm going to break from my tradition.

I'm going to write a hodgepodge of stuff because that is what my brain normally looks like. 🤪🤯🕸️

If you think back on your week, you didn't have just ONE experience, ONE thought, ONE emotion, ONE interaction. You had many. So your thoughts (feelings too) probably bounced around like balls in a pinball machine.

Feelings

Here's something many of us get wrong (especially parents): we take responsibility for how others feel.

For example, a parent denies their child candy or a toy, the child becomes angry or sulks. The parent also feels bad about making the child unhappy or worries they've hurt their feelings or self-worth.

You see the spiral, right?

You set a boundary, stick to it, and then the other person doesn't like you for it and you become uncomfortable. You begin to doubt yourself. Or you worry about that person's reaction or how they're feeling about YOU.

Well, I'm here to tell you...you are NOT responsible for anybody else's feelings. Only your own.

Does this mean you can start stomping on everyone's toes and say "too bad" if they get hurt?

I wouldn't advise it.

There's a difference between intentionally hurting someone (unkind!) and holding a boundary that reflects your values (wise!).

Humility

I've been wanting to tackle the topic of humility for a long time. I think it's more important than talking about love.

It's hard to show love if you don't have the humility piece down.

In fact, I'm boldly declaring that humility is the most important piece of the puzzle, and the whole world is lacking it.

Some people don't like the word humility. They've been taught it equates with weakness or being a pushover. Nope. Not true at all. In fact, the opposite is true. It takes incredible strength to be humble.

Here's my explanation of humility: Humility is not thinking low of yourself; it's having an accurate estimate of who you are and not needing to make others feel less of themselves. A humble person raises others up without putting themselves down.

The truth is—no one is humble all the time. It's not a quality that you ARE; it's a quality you must struggle to hold onto.

Kind of like a wet bar of soap in the shower. Fun, right? Just when you think you've got a grip on it, it slips right out. Same with humility. It's a chase that never ends.

Are you sure?

The older I get, the more I realize how little I know.

I question much these days. Certainty feels kind of like a slippery soap too.

The AI told me that I enjoy 'naming the ache without pretending it's resolved'. It made me sound like a superhero of some sort when it said:

Haha.

Yep, I'm great at asking the tough, unresolved questions people are scared of asking.

I find that people who think they understand everything usually haven’t examined much (possibly out of fear).

Questions like:

Does God care about what you do in a day? Does he guide the choices you make? If you choose wrong, does he punish? Do we project meaning onto randomness?

There are natural consequences to our actions, but also bad things happen to good people, whether you pray about it or not. Does he choose to protect or not?

Even our best-laid out plans can fail. Who is the saboteur?

When making a decision, I like this idea—don't look for signs, look for peace. What settles inside you?

Existential dread

After a few months of getting "to know" me, the AI said my deepest fear is that "you will labor deeply and die unknown."

I guess all creators, writers, or artists have that dread.

But the better response to existential dread is this:

How do I build a life where I’m not constantly fragmented (or depleted)?

This question matters especially if you're one that tends to give and give—until you burn out.

Greatness doesn’t emerge from a scattered nervous system. It emerges from going deep because you've given yourself time and space and rest and repetition.

If I believed my writing (fill in your dream) mattered at a destiny level…what would you rearrange?

I love this question: What would I rearrange if I believed this was destiny-level work?

Not because the work has to matter to anyone else, but it has to matter to me.

Repeat this affirmation whenever you feel yourself slipping into burnout.

“I am not an afterthought.”  

Here's my final persona 😊,

Don't forget to have a little fun this weekend.

With love,

Anna

P.S. Spring is on its way. 🌻🌼🌷

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