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Hi Katie.

I will be turning 58 next week. So I’ve got another 20 years on you!

Weirdly, I’ve been feeling a sense of opening doors again. It’s as if, after your 30’s/40’s raising kids, climbing career ladders etc, you pop out the other side and find yourself wondering the same thing--is this it? But with a whole different perspective. You start to dream of what this next quarter century can look like and there are possibilities of getting back to what your 20-something self loved. Or chapters you never even could’ve imagined for yourself when you were that younger self. Here’s to living this one beautiful life we have.

Thanks for your wonderful writing. I look forward to your newsletters each week.

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This is wonderful to hear! I'm so glad you feel like doors are opening once more. (And happy early birthday!)

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Apr 25, 2023Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

Wow. It’s rare that I devour a newsletter edition so quickly, and identify with so much of it. Thank you for writing this. This quote, in particular, hit me hard: “She didn’t yet know how much grief and sadness life could hold. She didn’t know the weight of true adult responsibilities. She didn’t know what it would feel like to look around and see doors of possibility, once wide open, now shut for good.”

Thank you for your vulnerability.

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I’m glad it resonated. Thank you, Tim!

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Apr 25, 2023Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

Infinity scarves: the perfect metaphor

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Hahaha. Tune in for my next essay: Lessons I learned from wearing one too many infinity scarves 😂

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Apr 26, 2023Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

I'm 72. My sane life didn't start until I was 50. Hang in there. The world seems in chaos now, but from the viewpoint of one kid who believed the A-Bomb was going to drop, it is no more chaotic. Despite the craziness we see around us, there is still so much goodness and beauty.

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Thank you for this reminder ❤️

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Beautiful essay, Katie. Thanks for sharing your heart. I've had you on my mind since I wrote this post. https://waywardyogini.substack.com/p/another-reminder a few weeks back.

One of the nicest things about aging, I'm 67, is letting go of the worry about my perceived shortcomings and celebrating my strengths. You are an incredibly strong woman and will have much to celebrate reflecting back on your life. Keep doing what you're doing. "THIS IS IT!" And IT is pretty amazing! 💜

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Thank you, Sue! And I am so sorry to hear about that tragic, tragic loss. I'm glad you gave yourself room to feel exactly what you needed to.

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Happy Birthday Katie. You should feel proud of who you are because of all that you went through.

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Thank you, Pennie!

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Apr 25, 2023Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

~Happy Birthday!~

I'm 31, turning 32 this year, and am feeling like I'm grasping at whispy possibilities for my life. I was so much more into the sustainable side of manifestation until mom passed and I.... *lost my orbit* (My newsletter name--buh-dum-dum-tiiiissss)

But I'm slowly working my way back into mindfulness again and rewiring my mind, if nothing else, to help me get even a flicker of the fire I once had for life.

We'll see what happens! Cheers to 38! <3

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Thank you! And here’s to rekindling your fire! I was 31, soon to be 32, when my husband died and I’ve packed in SO much life since then.

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May 14, 2023Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

Thank YOU! It hasn't even been half a year and I've traveled more, done more, and experienced more in this 5 months than I have in even a decade of my life. It's very wild and quite the journey to be on!

Thank you for sharing the ebbs and flows of your life! It's always so grounding.

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❤️❤️❤️

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Thank you so much for this! I was a 23 year-old bride just last year. It's wonderful to get the perspective of someone who knows so much more and somehow also just as much as me. We're all trying.

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We are all trying!!!

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last year I was asked to come up with a statement about my true self, and the one I found to be the most true was: I am a person who tries. And aren't we all? It ties us together in the best way.

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I’m entering my late twenties and I’m starting to feel the begging of doors swinging toward close rather than open. My mind has started to sort of grasp at things - trying to open as many doors as I can.

This newsletter was a nice grounded reminder to be grateful and be proud of yourself. Thank you for sharing, you are a talented writer.

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Thank you, Wesley! That's so kind.

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Absolutely stunning, this post connects with every 8 to 80 year old.

And a book recommendation, read Oliver Burkeman's "Four Thousand Weeks".

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Thank you! And I loved Four Thousand Weeks! I wrote an essay about it a while back: https://mysweetdumbbrain.substack.com/p/four-thousand-wild-and-precious-weeks

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May 13, 2023Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

Hey,

A touching text! I often feel similar (i am 35, a father of 2) although the recent health issues (including a VERY long COVID) has forced me to accept the limitations of my being… yes, i am losing energy, getting weaker, many doors have closed. but it feels i can sometimes spot open windows :)

Take care!

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Thanks, AZ. Keep looking for those windows!

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Apr 30, 2023Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

This captures so much of what I've struggled with and where I've come in the last couple of years. 💕

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I’m glad it resonated!

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Apr 28, 2023Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

My God 😭😭

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❤️❤️❤️

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Apr 28, 2023Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

When we're young, everything is new, everything is something we have to learn. Everything is uncertain. There's so many ways life could be structured, so many ways things could go.

Then we gain experiences and see how life is structured, and we lose sight of the endless possibilities. Not of what we could be, but of what life itself could be. It's not as concrete and solid as we've been told to believe.

When you're not sure how the world works, the possibilities are equally endless and overwhelming without a frame of reference. When you do know how it works, you can embrace the possibilities again by creating a world that works differently than the one you grew to accept as fact.

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Love this perspective!

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Apr 27, 2023Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

As a current twenty-something asking the Big Questions about what my life will look like, I appreciate this perspective so much. One of the more difficult lessons of this season has been that life is actually very hard and full of disappointment... but something about persevering and choosing to find joy when we can, even in the smallest of ways, makes it so beautiful and meaningful. Thank you for these words!

And happy 38 to you - celebrate well!

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Thank you, Caroline!

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Apr 26, 2023Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

This really resonates with me, even if I am a little older. It shows a real breadth and depth to life. Thank you

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Thank you, Jon! That's so kind.

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