I am immersed in a depth year as we speak. It’s now been 11-weeks since I visited Fort Collins, Colorado intending to stay two nights. But shockingly, my two night stand here turned into a decision to move here for good. In other words, I never left. And I couldn’t be happier.
I can't wait to hear more about this—I saw you mention this shift on Notes recently, and I was totally intrigued by the "why" behind the change! The "couldn't be happier" part is amazing to hear. 🤩
I love the concept of a depth year. I immediately have FOMO imagining it! Id have to give up new newsletter subscriptions, say no to the labor I take on “because it’ll be an interesting learning experience…” and stop browsing social media that *occasionally* surfaces a useful idea. I can also imagine the immense value — and peace! — you can gain from that focus, and that makes me crave it.
Dana, are you in my brain?! It sure feels that way from...oh, every single example you listed here. 🤣 Also, "value" and "peace" are the same things I'm hoping to get from this experiment. I'll keep you updated along the way, so no FOMO necessary!
Ohhhh friend... I'll save most of my comments for an email/convo. Just wanted to say I could not love this more—not least because David is an old friend, and one of the most interesting people I know. (I'm also of the belief that his idea would make for an EXCELLENT book...) There's so much openness and opportunity here. I wonder where your year will go, and what you might feel like sharing with us along the way... time will tell 🍕
Also, I'm definitely in a bit of an acquisition phase of life (started with the lawnmower!). But I tend to take a LONG time to make most purchases. It's usually only once I feel the pain of NOT owning it that I finally hit the buy button, haha.
You're friends with David?! I shouldn't be surprised, but what a lovely coincidence! Not surprised to hear that he's wonderful IRL.
And I agree: all of this depth + acquisition stuff will be fodder for a future conversation, not least of which because of a) your own depth journey into your first book that you announced today, and b) all the fascinating issues related to acquisition and letting go that you already have, and will continue to, write about along the way.
FWIW: I'll definitely be sharing more of my pizza-themed Depth Year. And I would absolutely buy a book on this subject if David chose to write one!
Great food for thought, Maddie! My stained cookbook is Sarah Adler's Simply Real Eating, aka the first book that inspired me to cook again after the birth of my daughter. There's nothing like offspring that challenges your approach to food, especially when you want micronutrient variety and they could eat the same thing over and over 😂
Ooh, Sophia, I'm looking this up as we speak—the recipe titles and photos are mouthwatering! I can't even imagine the shift that happens with your relationship to cooking when you introduce a little one into the mix, but I'm so glad you found a cookbook that helped you rediscover the joy of cooking.
I love this idea and crave more depth in my days and in my ways. A narrower yet deeper experience feels necessary right now. Especially where/when there is soooo much to consume.
I also have the Merlin bird app and the amount of joy it has brought me is ridiculous, actually. The fact that I can now identify birdsongs while laying in bed or while sipping my coffee - when the birds are out of sight, brings a kind of awe I didn’t even know I needed. Who knew?! 🐦✨
Ahh, a fellow Merlin lover—I'm so happy that I'm not alone, Allison! The way you describe the app connecting you to a sense of awe by virtue of your attention is exactly the same feeling I get when I use it.
Cheers to seeking narrower, deeper experiences. Glad I'm not alone in that one, either!
I love your pizza recipe plan for going deep. I’m going to give this one some thought. I’m reading so many different books from the library at the moment. I’m working my way through a reading list of recommended essays. Doing a mini English degree refresh.
Kim, this is an *incredible* Depth Year project, whether you think of it in exactly those terms or not. I'll be so curious to hear what lessons you glean from it! (BTW, my herb garden was totally inspired by your recent newsletter.)
Luisa, I'm so delighted to hear this, because I absolutely love your writing! Your "burning things down" approach reminds me of the prescribed burns that happen here in advance of wildfire season: not destructive, in fact, but rather quite necessary.
Cheers to your year ahead: one of depth and rebuilding!
"cultivating dormant value" - a beautiful line that i will be chewing on now. i am excited to see what you cook up! your herb box looks pretty tempting already. if you find yourself down the rabbit hole of herb spirals at some point during your cooking or harvesting adventures...game on!
No way—what a fun coincidence! I'm pretty sure I've read all of Laura's books, so this is especially delightful. (I actually didn't know she was on Substack until I read your comment.)
Cheers to depth and substance in this era of algorithms!
I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for anything you share, Monia—I *especially* love the idea of cooking through this book with others! And I'll definitely be sharing more about this experiment in these pages. 🤗
I want to come over for pizza! 😉 But seriously: I love the idea of a Depth Year and I hope you'll allow us to follow your journey here. In the past, I've done something similar (but different) that I call a "Me Project" where I've committed to shutting out and quitting distractions and chasing "shoulds" to focus on figuring out what I need and yearn for most. I'm cheering you on, Maddie!
Thank you, Amelia! Anytime you want to take a five-and-a-half hour flight to the West Coast, you are *absolutely* welcome to hang out in my backyard while I make you copious amounts of pizza 😅 FWIW, I'm totally obsessed with the idea of a "Me Project" and hope to hear more about your experience next time we chat!
I’m curious: what does the balance between depth and breadth look like in your life right now?
I am immersed in a depth year as we speak. It’s now been 11-weeks since I visited Fort Collins, Colorado intending to stay two nights. But shockingly, my two night stand here turned into a decision to move here for good. In other words, I never left. And I couldn’t be happier.
I can't wait to hear more about this—I saw you mention this shift on Notes recently, and I was totally intrigued by the "why" behind the change! The "couldn't be happier" part is amazing to hear. 🤩
I love the concept of a depth year. I immediately have FOMO imagining it! Id have to give up new newsletter subscriptions, say no to the labor I take on “because it’ll be an interesting learning experience…” and stop browsing social media that *occasionally* surfaces a useful idea. I can also imagine the immense value — and peace! — you can gain from that focus, and that makes me crave it.
Dana, are you in my brain?! It sure feels that way from...oh, every single example you listed here. 🤣 Also, "value" and "peace" are the same things I'm hoping to get from this experiment. I'll keep you updated along the way, so no FOMO necessary!
Loved this Maddie - thanks for introducing a new concept to me! I love everything about this. ❤️
I'm so happy to have introduced you to the Depth Year idea, Sue...it was a lightbulb moment when I stumbled across it, too! ❤️
Ohhhh friend... I'll save most of my comments for an email/convo. Just wanted to say I could not love this more—not least because David is an old friend, and one of the most interesting people I know. (I'm also of the belief that his idea would make for an EXCELLENT book...) There's so much openness and opportunity here. I wonder where your year will go, and what you might feel like sharing with us along the way... time will tell 🍕
Also, I'm definitely in a bit of an acquisition phase of life (started with the lawnmower!). But I tend to take a LONG time to make most purchases. It's usually only once I feel the pain of NOT owning it that I finally hit the buy button, haha.
You're friends with David?! I shouldn't be surprised, but what a lovely coincidence! Not surprised to hear that he's wonderful IRL.
And I agree: all of this depth + acquisition stuff will be fodder for a future conversation, not least of which because of a) your own depth journey into your first book that you announced today, and b) all the fascinating issues related to acquisition and letting go that you already have, and will continue to, write about along the way.
FWIW: I'll definitely be sharing more of my pizza-themed Depth Year. And I would absolutely buy a book on this subject if David chose to write one!
Great food for thought, Maddie! My stained cookbook is Sarah Adler's Simply Real Eating, aka the first book that inspired me to cook again after the birth of my daughter. There's nothing like offspring that challenges your approach to food, especially when you want micronutrient variety and they could eat the same thing over and over 😂
Ooh, Sophia, I'm looking this up as we speak—the recipe titles and photos are mouthwatering! I can't even imagine the shift that happens with your relationship to cooking when you introduce a little one into the mix, but I'm so glad you found a cookbook that helped you rediscover the joy of cooking.
I love this idea and crave more depth in my days and in my ways. A narrower yet deeper experience feels necessary right now. Especially where/when there is soooo much to consume.
I also have the Merlin bird app and the amount of joy it has brought me is ridiculous, actually. The fact that I can now identify birdsongs while laying in bed or while sipping my coffee - when the birds are out of sight, brings a kind of awe I didn’t even know I needed. Who knew?! 🐦✨
Ahh, a fellow Merlin lover—I'm so happy that I'm not alone, Allison! The way you describe the app connecting you to a sense of awe by virtue of your attention is exactly the same feeling I get when I use it.
Cheers to seeking narrower, deeper experiences. Glad I'm not alone in that one, either!
I love your pizza recipe plan for going deep. I’m going to give this one some thought. I’m reading so many different books from the library at the moment. I’m working my way through a reading list of recommended essays. Doing a mini English degree refresh.
Kim, this is an *incredible* Depth Year project, whether you think of it in exactly those terms or not. I'll be so curious to hear what lessons you glean from it! (BTW, my herb garden was totally inspired by your recent newsletter.)
❤️❤️🪴
Maddie, I adore this.
I am eternally 'burning things down' to make way for the new. Sometimes, just to make way...
I've already named 2024 (silently, to myself) a 'rebuild' year. But maybe 'depth' suits it better.
Gorgeous! Thank you 🖤
Luisa, I'm so delighted to hear this, because I absolutely love your writing! Your "burning things down" approach reminds me of the prescribed burns that happen here in advance of wildfire season: not destructive, in fact, but rather quite necessary.
Cheers to your year ahead: one of depth and rebuilding!
"cultivating dormant value" - a beautiful line that i will be chewing on now. i am excited to see what you cook up! your herb box looks pretty tempting already. if you find yourself down the rabbit hole of herb spirals at some point during your cooking or harvesting adventures...game on!
Don't you love that phrase?! It was one of my favorites in David's piece, too.
And: thank you! I'm currently scheming about the best way to bring folks into this depth experiment. To be continued! 👀
ok, i love this. can't wait to hear about it!
Love this idea! I think the algorithms have us all craving depth and substance. Coincidentally, Laura Vanderkam just shared a post today in which she ALSO mentioned Julie and Julia: https://open.substack.com/pub/vanderhacks/p/complete-the-set?r=22i17y&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web.
No way—what a fun coincidence! I'm pretty sure I've read all of Laura's books, so this is especially delightful. (I actually didn't know she was on Substack until I read your comment.)
Cheers to depth and substance in this era of algorithms!
Can’t wait to follow along and will be cooking through my copy of her pizza book as well! 🍕
I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for anything you share, Monia—I *especially* love the idea of cooking through this book with others! And I'll definitely be sharing more about this experiment in these pages. 🤗
I love the idea of cooking through a cookbook. I’m putting it on my sabbatical bucket list.
Okay, now I'm super curious about both your sabbatical (having just been through one myself) *and* the accompanying bucket list! 👀
Wait you did a sabbatical year ?!? Did I not realize this ??
I did! After my layoff, I was ready for a career change, but needed time “off” (I mean, while writing here) to figure out what next looked like.
I’ve finally figured it out, mostly thanks to the sabbatical! If you ever want to chat about your own, don’t hesitate to hit me up ☺️
I want to come over for pizza! 😉 But seriously: I love the idea of a Depth Year and I hope you'll allow us to follow your journey here. In the past, I've done something similar (but different) that I call a "Me Project" where I've committed to shutting out and quitting distractions and chasing "shoulds" to focus on figuring out what I need and yearn for most. I'm cheering you on, Maddie!
Thank you, Amelia! Anytime you want to take a five-and-a-half hour flight to the West Coast, you are *absolutely* welcome to hang out in my backyard while I make you copious amounts of pizza 😅 FWIW, I'm totally obsessed with the idea of a "Me Project" and hope to hear more about your experience next time we chat!
oh wow my friend just recommended Merlin to me on our beach day this weekend! amazing to see it here again, I got chills.
going deeper is harder but i always find treasure buried beneath the dirt.
Isn’t Merlin the best?! I find myself paying much closer attention to the little guys in my yard now, even when the app isn’t fired up.
Cheers to the treasure buried beneath the dirt!
Ahhhhhhh this hits close to home, but in a good way. Going deep goes against my nature, and yet, it's what I need to do.
I feel you on that front, Chris!