Hey there, friend!

When we moved back to Minnesota in the middle of one of the snowiest winters of all time, my worries went beyond typical moving anxiety. After spending the better part of 8 winters in the D.C. area, I lost all my ability to walk confidently on snow or ice. (My family would argue that I never had any skill, but compared to my people in D.C., I was an expert.)

For the first three weeks, I lived in fear of the first fall. I waddled around so slow, Noah would usually be half a block ahead of me by the time I got over an ice patch. For the most part, I knew I was being over the top — I’ve never seriously gotten hurt from slipping on ice. But with 8 years since my last slip, I was absolutely terrified for that first fall.

Then, it finally happened — in the dark, while taking the trash out, I did a comical, feet-above-my-head fall, right into our alleyway.

And it was over.

Sure, I had a bruise and was a little sore, but I survived. I didn’t break anything. I didn’t hit my head. I learned a valuable lesson about not wearing crocs on ice. Everything was literally fine.

After that, I walked freely around our icy neighborhood. Well, not completely, but with a lot less stress than before! As I continue to address my own issues with perfectionism and fear of failure (which I, of course, will be exploring in future newsletters), I’m keeping this experience in mind. The first fall is the worst.

Sending love,

Emily

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The Recipe Breakdown

Lemon: Fear of falling. Doing all you can to not fall (literally or metaphorically), despite any irrationality tied to that.

Ingredient #1: Acceptance. I need to accept that sometimes I’m going to fall, fail, and flop. Of course, easier said than done. But to continue the story, it was a lot easier to accept that I would fall after that first fall — it happened and would likely happen again. I wouldn’t say it made the following falls easier, but it made the recovery more reasonable.

Ingredient #2: Getting back up. There are endless metaphors I could start this section with, but I’ll just say this: No matter how long it takes or how hard it is, we need to get back up. It doesn’t matter if you jump back up or move slowly and ask for a hand. As long as we do it, we can keep on moving.

Ingredient #3: Staying grounded. When I feel like my perfectionism or fear of failure is getting in the way, I often find I need to ground myself in reality, whether that’s through mindfulness or talking to others. In this instance, it’s sharing the story of the fall and having others share back that they fell recently, too. It’s being reminded that it happens to everyone, it’s not a failing on your part.

☕ If you’d like to support my work and Making Lemonade, consider buying me a coffee or sending a few dollars my way via Venmo: @emmyfromminny ☕

🍋 Lemon Zest 🍋

The Little Things that help make my days a bit brighter 💕

💪 Movement Genius is Alyson Stoner’s movement and mindfulness membership platform. This isn’t a referral link or #sponcon, I just really enjoy the authenticity and accessibility of their courses.

📝 This weekly planner from Target doesn’t have my favorite layout, but I love it’s seasonal goals, monthly themes, and aesthetic page design.

💭 I’m recommending to everyone the Time cover story on John Fetterman.

🏃 I want to run a 5K this fall, but I want a fun incentive, too. Twin Cities friends, do you have a favorite? Or if you’re not in the Twin Cities, do you have a fav 5K you’ve run? I always get ads for the Hot Cider Hustle but I would love to know if folks have had good or bad experiences with them.

💛 I completed my 40-hour certification course with Porchlight Wellness to teach trauma-informed breathwork, meditation, and gentle movement workshops! Reply to this email if you’re interested in attending an in-person or virtual workshop, or would be interested in working with me in a different way.

Want to talk about your own lemons, ingredients, or lemonade recipes? Feel free to reply to this email!