Image by dewling from pixabay (Canva)

A while ago, I was driving back home after visiting family across the border. Somewhere along the freeway, a large bird suddenly swooped down in front of my car. My heart skipped. For a moment I felt awful, thinking I might have hit it. But the bird was fast, fearless, almost deliberate. It was a buzzard.

Subscribe now

We used to have buzzards in my old neighborhood. They would circle high above us, watchful and calm, as if keeping an eye on everything below. A neighbor once told me she believes one of them waits for her. That when she comes home, it swoops over as if welcoming her back. It appeared after her father passed away, and ever since, she feels protected by it.

Back on the freeway, that moment stayed with me.

Image by Colin Dalton from Pexels (Canva)

A few weeks later, I drove the same road again to visit my family. This time, my daughter and her partner were with me. I told them about the buzzard and said we should keep an eye out on the way back. I had seen it twice already near the same stretch of road - once in that almost reckless dive in front of my car and another time perched on a pole overlooking the highway, like a quiet guardian of the road.

On our way home, I nearly forgot to look.

And then suddenly… there he was. Sitting on the pole, just like before.

“He’s there, he’s there!” I called out, almost childlike in my excitement. I could feel their surprise filling the car, that quiet disbelief you feel when something small and unlikely happens right in front of you.

And I don’t know why, but in that moment I felt deeply happy. Glowing, even. A little in awe. As if I had just witnessed a tiny miracle tucked into an ordinary day.

Maybe that’s how it works.

Maybe these moments are always around us… small, gentle signs waiting for us to notice them.

I like to believe this:
Keep your heart open and they will appear.

Writing inspiration:

What has made you feel that there might be more out there lately? How did that make you feel and what meaning, if any, did you give it?

If you feel like sharing, I’d love to hear your stories in the comments. I have a feeling many of us experience these small miracles more often than we realize.

Love,

As we near the end of the month, let’s honour both the weather outside and the emotional weather within.

Write a “weather report” for your inner world today include the climate, the conditions, the warnings, and the beauty.

Subscribe now

Quote:

“No feeling is final.” - Rainer Maria Rilke

This is one of my favourite things to write in my journal. It’s playful and honest. Today’s forecast: 70% scattered thoughts, low pressure, but clear skies on the horizon. What’s the weather like over there? - Mies xxx

Before winter begins, let’s step outside for just a moment — even if only in our imagination.

Describe a late-autumn walk as if it were the last time the earth would look this way. What do you see, smell, touch, carry home with you?

Subscribe now

Quote:

“The wind shows us how close to the edge we are.” - Joan Didion

I often take walks just before dusk. The way the light changes everything… it’s like the world exhales and says, Look, one last time & I always do. - Mies xxx

Clouds aren’t always grey. Sometimes they’re blankets, sometimes they’re mirrors.

Write a reflection beginning with: “Today I am a sky full of…”

Subscribe now

Quote:

“There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.” - Gilbert K. Chesterton

When I’m feeling scattered or dreamy, I write as if I am the weather. It gives shape to the shapeless and sometimes surprises me with how accurate it feels. - Mies xxx

Rain can be a nuisance or a balm. Sometimes it’s both.

Describe a rainy day in as much sensory detail as possible. Then write what the rain is “trying to say” to you.

Subscribe now

Quote:

“Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.” - Bob Marley

Rainy days make me poetic, even melancholic. I find they ask me to pause, to listen more closely, to write without rushing. What does rain unlock in you? Do tell! - Mies xxx

Cold days call for warmth, inside and out.

Write a cozy scene that brings comfort. Think tea, candles, firelight, thick socks, laughter or someone quietly reading next to you. Let it feel like a safe place.

Subscribe now

Quote:

“Happiness is a warm blanket.” - Charles M. Schulz

I find such peace in writing quiet comfort scenes, they often include a window seat, the scent of cinnamon and a dog curled nearby. Even imagining it slows my breath. - Mies xxx

Windows are more than glass, they are frames of perspective.

Write about something you’ve been “looking at” for a long time, a situation, a relationship, a part of yourself and describe what changes when you shift your view.

Subscribe now

Quote:

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” - Anaïs Nin

I recently realised that I’d been looking at my past like a burden, until I reframed it as a source of power. The past didn’t change, but I did. Sometimes the window is you. - Mies xxx

This week, we write from inside: inside our homes, our thoughts, our changing selves. The weather outside begins to shift: winds rise, skies darken early and we find ourselves watching the world through windows, both real and metaphorical. Let’s explore the seasons of the self through weather, light, and inner landscapes.

The weather outside often mirrors what’s happening inside or sometimes, it reminds us of something we forgot.

Describe today’s weather as if it were a reflection of your emotional state. Make it vivid, sensory, and symbolic.

Quote:

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” - Anthony J. D’Angelo

I love writing weather like it’s a character. Some days I feel like a storm is building in me; other days, I’m a patch of pale sunlight. What’s your forecast today? - Mies xxx

Let’s close this quiet week by turning inward, but with gentleness.

Write a quiet mantra for yourself, then expand it into a short letter or poem you’d send to someone else who needs peace.

Subscribe now

Quote:

“With life as short as a half-taken breath, don’t plant anything but love.” - Rumi

I whisper certain phrases to myself when I’m anxious.

You’re allowed to rest.

You don’t have to rush.

You are safe here.

Sometimes I write them down just to feel them in my deeper self.

xxx Mies

Sometimes the quiet season is the best time to imagine something new.

Describe a dream you’ve had recently, literal or metaphorical, and write what you think it might be trying to tell you.

Subscribe now

Quote:

“Dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions.” - Edgar Cayce

I keep a little dream log, and sometimes a single image will stay with me for days. The subconscious knows things before I do. I’ve learned to pay attention to what these dreams come to tell me… xxx Mies

Stillness is healing. It isn’t empty it’s sacred space.

Reflect on something your body or heart is still healing from. How can stillness support that healing today?

Subscribe now

Quote:

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you.” - Anne Lamott

I used to think rest had to be earned. Now I think it’s wisdom. And sometimes, healing looks like doing nothing at all on purpose. xxx Mies

Let’s let poetry do the speaking today but quietly.

Write a haiku (5-7-5) that captures your mood today, using seasonal imagery.

Subscribe now

Quote:

“Poetry is the silence between the words.” - Jeanette Winterson

I often write haikus when I don’t know what I’m feeling. The form holds me, like a soft little bowl for whatever’s rising. - please feel free to share yours with me here on Substack or on Instagram. xxx Mies

There is beauty in the ordinary especially when you move slowly enough to see it.

Choose one very small thing you noticed today: a smell, a shadow, a sound and write about it like it matters. Because it does.

Subscribe now

Quote:

“Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” - Mary Oliver

The way steam curls from my mug on cold mornings feels like a poem waiting to be written. I try not to miss those details anymore. They hold so much. xxx Mies

When things slow down, emotions rise. The quiet has a way of bringing up what’s been buried.

Write about something that only shows up when the world goes quiet: a feeling, a memory, a realization.

Subscribe now

Quote:

“There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.” - Rumi.

My loneliest moments have often led to the deepest insights. It’s like something had been waiting for me to slow down enough to feel it. Maybe you’ve had that too? If so, I’d love to connect - you are not alone. xxx Mies

There’s a silence in mid-November that asks for your attention. It’s the season between stories, between harvest and hibernation. This week, we explore what happens when we stop striving, slow down, and listen to what the quiet is really saying. Let this be a week of exhale, of noticing, of being.

Quiet is not the absence of sound, it’s the presence of something deeper.

Describe your ideal day of silence. Where would you go, what would you do (or not do), and how would it change you?

Quote:

“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.” - Albert Camus

I often crave silence not because I’m overwhelmed, but because I’m ready. Ready to listen to myself again. In those moments, even the smallest sounds become sacred. xx Mies

Today marks Armistice Day, a time of solemn remembrance. The fire today is quieter… a candle in the window, a moment of silence, a heart still beating.

Write a piece that begins with the words: Even after everything, the light still…

Quote:

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” - Desmond Tutu

Every year on this day, I light a candle and think of resilience.. not the loud kind, but the kind that endures. What light do you carry that won’t go out? Write about it… Mies xx

Sometimes anger is fire and sometimes it’s clarity.

Write about something that makes you burn in frustration, injustice, or sacred defiance and explore how that fire could be turned into purposeful action.

Quote:

“Our rage is sacred. It is our right. It is our power.” - Audre Lorde (paraphrased)

I’ve learned not to fear my anger anymore. When I listen to it, it becomes fuel, not destruction. What’s your fire asking you to protect? - Mies xxx

Let’s write a warmth spell today.

Write a 5-line poem that feels like a flame - something you could say to yourself on a cold or lonely day.

Quote:

“If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you.” - William Ewart Gladstone

Mine usually include a cup of tea, a woolen sweater, a flicker of hope. Let your words wrap around you like a soft, glowing scarf. - have sun with it! Love, Mies xxx

Subscribe now

Interested in my Autumn booklet? Get it now on sale! I’ve had lovely feedback about it and encourage you to give it a try. Ten days of ‘Autumn Tones’ writing pleasure!

Get your copy here!

When was the last time you followed a spark without overthinking it?

Write a list of things you feel secretly curious or passionate about, even if you haven’t acted on them yet. Then choose one and explore what it might look like to pursue it.

Subscribe now

Quote:

“Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” - Jennifer Lee

Curiosity is often the match that lights my next fire. I don’t always know where it’s leading. I just know it feels alive. - Mies xxx

Interested in my Autumn booklet? Get it now on sale! I’ve had lovely feedback about it and encourage you to give it a try. Ten days of ‘Autumn Tones’ writing pleasure!

Get your copy here!

There’s fire in romance, too and not just the physical kind. There’s warmth in longing, boldness in affection, beauty in vulnerability.

Write a romantic scene, real or imagined, that radiates warmth, connection, and slow-burning tension.

Subscribe now

Quote:

“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” - Emily Brontë

Sometimes I write tiny scenes between people who’ve never met and by the end, they feel like old lovers. It’s one of my favourite writing games. Try it. - Mies xxx