37 Comments

Another great post and thanks for the recs--I subscribed to all of them. Will pay for them later when I land a job.

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Gayla! You are so kind to shout-out our Strong Sense of Place Patreon — and we're delighted to have you in our bookish community. Your newsletter is a jolt of joy in my email. Grateful for you!

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Love SSoP and can't wait for the new season to start soon. :)

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So awesome to see you here, Melissa! I discovered Strong Sense of Place two years ago and it's genuinely one of my happy places. I wish I'd known about it when my husband and I lived in Prague for a month. I'm not saying I would've stalked you guys, but... LOL.

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Hello, hello! Thank you for this lovely note! I'm so glad you're enjoying the show. Shhhh... we're moving our SSoP newsletter here this month, and I'm excited to connect with all the excellent bookish, travelish Substackery.

Please, if/when you come back to Prague, let us know so we can take you to our favorite places!

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Will do. And just sent you a private message.

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So glad you are making the move to Substack. Let me know when so I can link to your newsletter. :)

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I will! Should be in the next two weeks or so. Thank you! :-)

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Another great read. Thank you.

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It sounds like you've adjusted to retirement very well! Writing, volunteering, reading, connection - perfect!

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I have adjusted and it's everything I thought it would be and more. Thanks for reading!

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We read a lot of the same substacks :)

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I've seen you in the comments section of a few that I read. I don't make many comments in the non-bookish newsletters.

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I love the fact that you revised the title when you realized it wasn't matching what you were after — and sourdough bread! Oh, I am a mission to find anything that matches what I used to get in the Bay Area :-)

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The Bay area has the best sourdough bread, and I can't find anything close. Izzio's is a good substitute when you can't get the real thing.

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I bet it's still better than what's available in the Boston area.

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Great to see you embracing retirement. Enjoy!

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It's everything I was hoping for!

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Gayla, your letters always bring me joy and a longer list of things to follow up on. Thank you (I think?)

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Thanks for reading, Jill. Treat my newsletter (and any that you read) as a buffet. Read the ones that have something interesting and don't fret if you can't read all of them all the time.

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I'm a sourdough fan, and living near San Francisco has always made it possible to have the best...until the past few years. Now, finding a really good sourdough is a challenge. Glad you've found some in your new locale.

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What's happened to all the good sourdough in SF? That makes me sad. :(

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Congrats on making such a successful transition to retirement, Gayla. It’s actually pretty hard to do for many people. I never thought of asking or googling the question, “What’s saving my life?” Seems you’ve found some good answers.

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Thanks, Ruth. I guess I'm fortunate then that it hasn't been hard for me.

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During the first year of Covid, we happened to be living in Georgetown, TX. Going for early morning walks was a wonderful way to stay sane. And once the wildflowers started blooming, it was absolutely amazing.

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Walking and sanity--add in listening to podcasts and I love starting my day this way. It's almost getting to warm to walk in the morning, so I don't know what I'll do until the fall when I can walk again, but I'm sure I'll find something. :)

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May 1Liked by Gayla Gray

Retirement is amazing and I'm baffled by those who are 'afraid' to retire. Their fear is they won't have anything to do! I've managed to fill up my days with all the things I never had time for: writing, reading, volunteering, dabbling in multi-media art projects, sitting quietly and contemplating life, ...heck, I'm running out of time trying to fit it all in! And it ALL brings me joy! Glad you're finding happiness in your own!

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Thankfully, I haven't had any fear. My job since 2020 had been so hard because of Covid, PPP loans and just general dissatisfaction with everything that I couldn't wait to retire; I haven't looked back since then. Thanks for reading!

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Loved this round-up, Gayla. We all need things that keep us sane and happy, may they be big or small. I sincerely wish I could subscribe to more paid content, there are creators on Substack and Patreon crushing it!

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I wish I had an unlimited pot of gold that is supposed to be at the end of the rainbow to subscribe to all the content that makes me happy and I want to read. But until then, I pick and choose and rotate subscriptions and make do that way. :)

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May 1Liked by Gayla Gray

Isn't it interesting what happens when housework shifts place to an hour a day during the week? It's such a great and simple solution but when you work full-time it's impossible. I only recently started doing this. I'm glad for this list. It's reminded me of things that give me joy - walks in nearby parks and trails are right up there.

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Housework, or lack thereof, was really stressing me out, but doing a little bit every day has been a lifesaver. The simple things in life sometimes mean the most.

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love to hear about everything bringing you calm and joy. here's to loving where you are at in life!

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Thanks for reading, Kristen!

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May 3Liked by Gayla Gray

Good morning! I’m also a retired person. It is coming up 3 years in June and I share so many of your sentiments. I am new to your Substack but will be back to read some more. I especially enjoyed reading that you are enjoying the small things in life and how you’ve connected back to your community. It’s wonderful to feel the relaxation and joy to be able to prioritize reading and outdoor life instead of putting them on the back burner. Thank you for your post!!!

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It sounds like you've also made the most of your retirement so far. What a great feeling! Thanks for reading.

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May 4Liked by Gayla Gray

I’ll continue to stay tuned for your posts.

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