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Me at 42

September 16, 2021 By Jodi

I celebrated my 42nd birthday last weekend. And despite all the popular culture and conventional wisdom informing me that I shouldn't admit to that—42—I just did. Because I am not ashamed of the woman I have become, and that woman has been 42 years in the making.

How it Went: Month 1 of the Happiness Project

May 16, 2021 By Jodi

Spending a month getting reacquainted with myself, while trite, was incredibly meaningful.

Do You Have Any Family Sayings?

April 20, 2021 By Jodi

Several months ago, I was scrolling the Instagram very late at night—as one does—and came across a post by a dear friend that stopped me in my tracks, stopped me in my scrolling, stopped my breathing, maybe even made my heart stop for a beat or two.

Solitary cabin in winter, we are all islands

Happiness Project: January: Self-knowledge resolutions

March 30, 2021 By Jodi

Starting a happiness project is all the easier when someone does the legwork for you. Freed from having to think too much about it, it was easy to get started on January's theme of self-knowledge by picking up a handful of suggestions from Gretchen and throwing in a couple resolutions of my own. The idea...

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Happiness Project Redux

March 23, 2021 By Jodi

In my previous post, I mentioned that I'm endeavoring a Happiness Project again. I've written a lot of background about happiness projects, and why I find the idea meaningful—as opposed to mere frivolity––so I won't go into that again now. This time, though, due to some Black Friday margarita drinking*, I'm actually doing the official...

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A Soft Restart

March 8, 2021 By Jodi

Well. Here we go again. A confluence of minor life events—a card we sent out, a drunken email I wrote to a popular website, the launching of a new happiness project—led to the unbearable, inevitable sentiment that I have to start doing this again. I want to start doing this again.

What Have You Been Thinking About Lately?

December 13, 2019 By Jodi

Dear readers—I wonder, what have you been thinking about lately? What is on your mind, what are the questions you keep coming back to? What are the situations you can’t solve? Who are the people you’re loving? Do you find yourself pondering different questions in the darkness of winter?

Missing My Dad, Three Years Later

October 13, 2019 By Jodi

My dad passed away three years ago today. We were still living in Sweden; I was five months pregnant with Zoë. It was late evening when my mother called, the sea and sky outside our windows dark. I felt helpless, and so far away from everything that mattered.

A Life-Changing Way to Create Community

May 30, 2019 By Jodi

Years ago, when I was in the midst of an impromptu solo road trip around the West Coast, I was Couchsurfing (that's a real thing!) in Vancouver, B.C. at the home of a wonderful man called Simon. Simon is a life coach and a magnificent person, and he had this knack for flipping my world...

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Watercolor flatlay

The Surprising Uses of Melancholy: Watercolor Painting and Reading Poetry

April 9, 2019 By Jodi

I may have mentioned that I went through a spate of melancholy recently. 😉 The good news it that I'm through it; the better news is that I got a lot out of it.

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About Jodi

I just repatriated from Sweden to the US with my British husband and three young kids. I started this site while living in Sweden to build the conversations and community we've had with loved ones around the world, and to create a space to share thoughts about life, beauty, motherhood, and everything else. read more →

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Recent Posts

Have You Ever Written to an Author?

June 13, 2016 By Jodi 8 Comments

David-James-Duncan-writing

A few years ago I was sitting in a cafe in Santa Barbara and felt an overwhelming urge to write to David James Duncan. I had just read a piece by him in The Best American Essays 2009 about birds and extinction and disintegrating marriage, which left me weeping at my table.

Why September is Great for Projects

September 5, 2016 By Jodi Leave a Comment

autumn-leaves-falling

While I'm preparing tomorrow's post about making resolutions for my happiness project, I wanted to share this wonderful, timely piece with you. It comes from The Pool, a smart web publication from Britain that my friend Sophia turned me on to. (It's definitely worth subscribing to their email list!).

Getting Ready for Spain

January 11, 2017 By Jodi 5 Comments

Nerja sea and landscape

We're off to Spain tomorrow morning! We're staying in a small town on the Mediterranean called Nerja, where we've rented an apartment for the two weeks we'll be there. We're looking forward to sunlight (!), warm afternoons spent at playgrounds, and yummy fresh food (and, of course, cava).

Merry Christmas, and Some Thoughts On Gift Giving

December 23, 2016 By Jodi 4 Comments

Red star ornament on our Christmas tree

Merry Christmas everyone! How are you celebrating? I hope you'll be surrounded by loved ones with a tummy full of tasty food. Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, we're celebrating the traditional Swedish way with our neighbors. In Sweden, Christmas is celebrate on Christmas Eve, julafton. (Our neighbor told me that when she was a girl, she felt so sad for all...

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About Dear Sabrina

Welcome! Dear Sabrina is a lifestyle blog for the thinking woman (and man, if men read lifestyle blogs). I hope that visiting this site gives you something to think about, makes you laugh, or shows you something new. If you want to further connect, find me on one of networks below or send an email.
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