When was the last time you felt satisfied?

How do you keep your fires burning?

At Heart Leap, I explore how to build a happy, creative, and simple life. At 9 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, I host ‘happy writing hours’ for paid subscribers. It’s for anyone who is trying to write a book, start a substack, or just have a little accountability for their writing practice. We chat for 5 minutes or so, and then we write quietly together for the rest of the hour. It’s strangely comforting and motivational to have a cohort of writers to support you and write alongside you. Subscribe and join us if you want some support. Zoom link at the end of this post

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I am staying at my brother’s house this week to dog-sit for the gorgeous Rosie.

My brother Nik is a chimney sweep.

He walks the talk and has two wood-burning fires.

He’s off on holiday with his girlfriend Jackie, and my instructions were simple: just keep the fires burning. He doesn’t use central heating ever. When I lived on the canal boat, I had a solid-fuel stove that you had to keep alight for cooking and heat. The instructions were the same: just keep the fire burning (or go hungry and freeze!)

I’m remembering this week how satisfying it is to have a simple goal and a simple physical task to do every day before breakfast.

Keep the fires burning.

Today, I had an interview at 9.30am, but before then, I’d coaxed two fires back into life, taken the dogs out into the woods, cleaned the mud off the dogs, and had porridge in front of a roaring fire.

And it felt satisfying.

It set me up to have a really good day.

I remembered how good it felt to feel satisfied.

Satisfaction feels good.

I forgot just how good.

• When was the last time you felt satisfied? (Keep it clean!)

• When was the last time you felt content?

• When was the last time you were not all up in your head, scattered, overwhelmed, empty, and metaphorically hungry?

(In Buddhism, they talk about the hungry ghost—a figure depicted with a scrawny little neck and huge bellies—riddled with powerful desires they can never really satisfy.)

Satisfaction fills you up.

• When did you last feel full?

• How do you keep your inner fires burning?

This morning, I felt content, relaxed, and peaceful.

Keeping the fires burning didn’t feel like a chore.

Keeping the fires burning felt like a metaphor.

• What simple act every morning will keep your inner fires burning?

• What connects you to something primal and real?

• What simple daily act fills you up and satisfies you?

If you want to come to today’s Happy Writing Hour at 9 a.m., here’s the Zoom link:

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Suzy Walker is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Heart Leap Happy Writing Hour

Time: January 11, 2024, 09:00 AM London

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89245642352?pwd=ThmH9qhb5IRBHsRRfNM0MTvGR6GJpI.1

Meeting ID: 892 4564 2352

Passcode: 033994

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