Hello friends.
As I write this, in the last week of January, a winter storm is raging across the United States. People are without power, lives have been lost, flights cancelled. Mother Nature is gnashing her ferocious teeth. Where I sit in Idaho, there’s only a thin crust of snow on the grass, while the ski lifts sit empty. Businesses that rely on ski season for their bottom line are suffering.
And what can I say about the fear, pain, and suffering unfolding in our country that has not already been said by millions of us outraged by the actions of our government? I’ve read countless worthy tributes to Renee Nicole Good, murdered on Jan. 7, and have watched heartbreaking videos honoring Alex Jeffrey Pretti, murdered on Jan. 24. I’m sure poets will rise to this moment, creating political resistance poems in memory of Pretti and Good — both 37 years old, a poet and an ICU nurse, gunned down by our government. It leaves many of us stunned, speechless. I know people in my community are overwhelmed with rage and grief.
So, what can be done?
After calling and writing our governors, senators, and mayors (they do keep count of calls separately from emails), look for the helpers — those already organized, with good boots on the ground. You can join Zoom calls from organizations like the people behind the No Kings protests, who have been running a Zoom specifically focused on ICE murders, called “Eyes on ICE: Document and Record.” Although this particular Zoom event will have taken place before you receive this newsletter, I encourage you to Google them to learn what they have planned for February.
After taking whatever action helps you feel aligned with your values, tend to your nervous system. I’ve been writing about mindful self-compassion and mindfulness in daily life since this newsletter began in 2014, as tools to help us move from chaos to calm. Please take extra gentle care of yourself. Use your toolbox to find solace, look for glimmers of joy, dig deep for hope — and for faith.
I am doubling down on some of my own tools: meditation, especially Tonglen meditation and Loving-Kindness meditation. If you haven’t already, I invite you to download my free meditation podcast, “Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker.” Each guided meditation ends with a poem.
Yesterday, I made a pot of nourishing soup with a gorgeous variety of colorful vegetables and barley. The cooking and the eating of it was just what “the doctor” ordered. I also reached out by phone to people I love — and who love me back. Connecting with like-minded folks feels good and eases overwhelm. This is common humanity, the third pillar of mindful self-compassion: we are not alone. Just like me, others feel this way. Just like me.
Lastly, reading and writing poetry has been captivating my attention. It distracts me from what’s happening in the world in a healthy way. I’m currently halfway through a 25-week course with Writer’s Inc., which meets on Zoom for three hours every Saturday afternoon and includes a read-and-critique session in the third hour. It’s incredible how much stronger my poems become after incorporating feedback from the group. I wish I could do that with every poem I write.
I also purchased a six-week video course on revision from celebrated poet Ellen Bass. It’s amazing — she walks through six drafts of poems, showing how the final version sometimes bears little resemblance to the first. And this afternoon, I’m participating in a workshop called “Mastering the Epistolary Poem,” with John Sibley Williams, to learn how to craft poems in the form of letters.
This morning, I turned in final corrections for “Gentle Currents: Poems of Pause & Peace”, which will be released on March 2, 2026. I hope you’ll join me and three other poets on Zoom at 4 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, March 14, 2026, for “Poetry Box Live!” Please register for this free event — it’s a Zoom class format (not a webinar), so I’ll be able to see your beautiful faces.
As I sit at my desk in Idaho, looking out at the sun casting glaring white patches across the snow, I’ll leave you with this poem from my upcoming collection.
Please take good care.
With love,
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