Aloha fellow learn-it-all 👋

Greetings from Honolulu, Hawaii

Happy day of thanks, friends 😊

Now, let’s dive into letter 185 from a learn-it-all. Enjoy!

📜🖋 Poetry Corner

I heard a beautiful Pule (prayer in Hawaiian) back in May before my backpacking trip to ask if I was invited to enter the Volcanic lands of Hawaii. Back in April, I was in strongly religious countries of practitioners of Islam and Hinduism, and I saw their prayers and rituals beautifully take place. I said I would eventually create my own prayer, and so I finally came up with this modern-day grace. Enjoy!

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThanksgiving day grace

It’s time to pause for grace
A moment in this space.

Notice life is not a fast race,
It’s more, a warm embrace.

Yummy food near my face,
Thank you to its birthplace
And its creation someplace.

Let’s nourish from our plates.

❓Question to think about

What are 100 things I am grateful for?

🖊️Writing

I am grateful to:

1. The cooing spotted doves that greet me as the sun rises
2. little chicks in the community garden who remind me family can be easy.
3. meeting Ellen Fishbein, who inspires my poetic expression
4. doing athletic Type 2 fun with my friend Alivia like swimming in Barton Springs
5. meeting more Heroic friends in Austin and all the growth alongside my coach Kimmy this year
6. meeting , who inspires my spiritual exploration and creative journey
7. meeting the founders of the writing school that transformed my life in Austin: David Perell and Will Mannon

7. to my cousin Christa, who surfed into Emily, led us to meet, turtle roll, and become journal buddies who live together

8. Crackling candles at night creating cozy vibes

9. Bumble BFF for being the facilitator of friendships with Sara to get scuba certified and with Carter Anne to seek out a spiritual community

10. Quinn xcii and Mike Posner for inspiring me, both being from Michigan where I grew up

11. Keira Knightley for being a successful dyslexic actress

12. Costco for making my budget for groceries in Hawaii more affordable

13. my neighbor who has a Golden Retriever puppy named Daisy that brings me joy even on gloomier days

14. Paul Millerd for tweeting about his 12-hour walk last year that I'm now going to do another this year

15. the banana bread recipe from my sister

16. my brother for inspiring me to do athletic events that feel impossible

17. the United States Postal Service (USPS) who mail my letters

18. the gardenia and plumeria flowers that I slow down while driving by to inhale longer to fill my lungs

19. Fresh ahi fish from Foodland Farms

20. Hannah who I met in a bookstore and is the first writing friend I made on the island

21. the sun and the rain that create rainbows each day that remind me how colorful and magnificent this life is that I live in

22. the bright moon that illuminates the sky

23. the friends who greet me and make the island feel like I belong

24. the Wiliwilinui Ridge trail for being a place where I've nurtured close friendships

    

25. Ke Akua who I am exploring having a relationship with as I read his words each day

26. my dad who taught me to eat the whole apple except for the stem and to ride my bike

27. seeing my mom dance the Jitterbug

28. Amanda my flower face friend who smells the plumeria close and personal often

29. Tara-Leigh Cobble whose program is helping me to read and study the Bible daily

30. my French friend that I speak French with

31. my Dutch family on the other side of the world that I miss but I'm so grateful to be in contact with

32. WhatsApp messages

33. otter.ai for helping me write and transcribe this list and Grammarly for correcting it

34. Substack for its frictionless sharing

35. Jesse Itzler who inspires me to fill my life resume

36. Mark Manson whose audio versions of his blogs in college inspired me to now record my own

37. Julia Cameron, who was my shepherd into introspective journaling

38. Jess, Jaime, Scott, Bronson, Kimmy, Aria, and Uncle Clay for all being a part of the publishing team and creating a book for HOPA this year

39. Maggie Rogers, whose music and newsletters inspire the heck out of me

40. Brené Brown and her research on courage and vulnerability, despite me being frustrated by it sometimes

41. Brian Johnson for creating the Heroic app and helping me feel productive and in alignment with myself

42. Liz Clark for inspiring me to sail the ocean someday

43. the sound of the sprinklers each morning at seven-ish AM

44. the chickens who remind me of my goofy Omi

45. the red Mohawk birds that my parents nicknamed Carol Burnett

46. my habits that enable me to flourish and live my dream lifestyle

47. my friend Sara who affirms me and taught me what it's like to surf on an outrigger canoe

48. Spotify and all its albums of music at my fingertips

49. the barista Sarah for making me my favorite hojicha tea latte just the way I like it at ARS

50. Golden kiwis even if they're fuzzy

51. my dreams that light up me the hell up

52. my memories that make me smile

53. my Tempurpedic pillow that supports my weird neck

54. my Aztec print light blue sarong and its softness that I bought in Bali

55. the Internet to text and call my loved ones and Zoom with Internet friends

56. airplanes that let me fly to loved ones

57. YouTube for teaching me to drive stick shift

58. Madame el-Hosni for drilling verb conjugations into me in French

59. Bonny for teaching me Dutch in Amsterdam

60. my yellow bike Bumblebee, who I had a marvelous six months riding this year before he was stolen

61. Catan and Hearts game nights with friends

    

62. my gezellig lanai and the twinkly lights on it

63. my foam roller that allows me to open my chest and straighten my back

64. my (new) Garmin watch that tracks my sleep, my heart rate, and my menstruation

65. my Brooks running shoes that make running more enjoyable

66. Goodwill and friends for supplying me with clothes in my closet

67. Tiago Forté for teaching me to organize my notes and that projects need end dates

68. Carol Dweck for teaching me the power of the word “yet”

69. the sound of giggling girls

70. Joji for encouraging me to express myself and accept my modifications in my yoga practice

71. Barbara Oakley for teaching me to learn how to learn

72. Meg Jay for showing the way of living twentysomething years more intentionally

73. Steven Pressfield for challenging me to go pro at my writing instead of staying as an amateur

74. the oceans of this world and its beaches

75. the beautiful lakes of Michigan

76. the mountains

77. Marie Andrews in The Sound of Music movie for inspiring me to sing

78. butter mochi

79. broccoli

80. bananas

81. warm hugs

82. postcards

83. Komijne kaas aka spiced Leiden cheese aka the best cheese on this planet

84. Albatross birds for performing elaborate courtship dances to strengthen their bond and pair for life that inspire the hell out of me about Mother Nature

    and love

    

85. the flubby Hawaiian Monk Seals who remind me to chill out on the beach and take a breath

86. Liz Gilbert who inspires me to keep exploring my creative spirit

87. my moped and its effortlessness to go places and its organic form of deodorant with wind beneath my arms

88. kielbasa at Polish parties

89. the solitude of Ka’ena point

90. the barren pages of my journal and its possibilities

91. my Jerry Lopez surfboard that allows me to feel weightless when I glide across a wave

92. my stocks in the market for making money for my future self

93. fried eggs on top of avocado bagels with Tony's spices on top

    

94. the colors pink and blue and how they calm me

95. the eucalyptus leaves on my lanai

96. clean sheets

97. contacts

98. my mouth guard

99. sunscreen

100. smiles of humanity

These are some of the things that I am grateful for. <3

🎬 Watching

Lilo and Stitch. What a Disney classic. The first time I ever heard of the words ohana and aloha " was long ago. My parents honeymooned in Hawaii so this was the 2nd time I ever heard that talked about before.

“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”

🎧Listening

Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler, born in Honolulu and played the red headed witch in spooky movie Hocus Pocus

Did you ever know that you're my hero
And everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle
For you are the wind beneath my wings

It might have appeared to go unnoticed
But I've got it all here in my heart
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it
I would be nothing without you

Special shoutout to Uncle Clay for this song rec and being the wind beneath my wings. I am grateful to you :)

🔍Word to define

Grace: a short prayer of thanks said before or after a meal

 (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

verb: do honor or credit to (someone or something) by one's presence

Etymology

Middle English: via Old French from Latin gratia, from gratus ‘pleasing, thankful’; related to grateful.

🌟Quote to inspire

"We spend a lot of time talking about everything we have to do. You have to finish 10 things at work. You have to exercise today. You have to cook dinner for your family. Now, change one word in each sentence. You don’t “have” to. You “get” to. You get to finish 10 things at work. You get to exercise today. You get to cook dinner for your family. The right perspective transforms your burdens into opportunities."

— James Clear, author of Atomic Habits

📸Photo of the Week

Just a couple of giggling girls playing under a beautiful banyan tree :)

🙏Shoutouts

• to everyone and everything mentioned above and so much more. The list could be endless.

I appreciate you reading this!

If ideas resonate, I’d love you to press the heart button, leave a comment, reply to this email, or reach me at vermetjl@gmail.com. If you forgot who I am, I welcome you to my online home.

Keep on learning 😁

Mahalo 🌺

PS - in case you missed last week’s letter, I wrote a poem called ❤️ Passion is for People

PPS - if anyone knows how to remove the background of my signature, I’ve failed trying to after trying in Figma and Canva for the past half hour

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