Sips of Cha

Sips

Savour ideas, images, reflections, and stories. Feel free to browse and get inspired.

Chopping Wood, Carrying Water

My favorite newsletters of the moment, reflection on New Year resolutions and goal lists, and photos from my morning walk today…

The End of the Experiment, Not the Crossing

Today, my experiment of writing every day for 21 days comes to an end...

Four Lessons from 2025

Here are four lessons that solidified in me this year...

An Unexpected Reminder

Today my father and I went to Wellington. We walked along Cuba Street, rode the cable car, and strolled through the botanical gardens. Everything beautiful, everything expected. The unexpected came at the end...

To Care For

Today my father, Pokie, and I went to Castlepoint Beach. The idea was simple: to climb Castlepoint Rock, that hill at the edge of the beach where you can see everything…

The Complexity of Simplicity

Simplicity is not about having little content or adopting aesthetic or material minimalism. Simplicity is the ability to reduce complexity without losing what is essential…

Waiting for the Rain

The weather forecast today predicted rain for the afternoon. It said it would begin around two o’clock, and indeed everything suggested it was on its way…

Christmas

My first Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in New Zealand were difficult. It was impossible not to feel the cultural shock of the celebrations…

Versions of Me

Today, when I think of the Charlottes of the past, I feel only pride and compassion. They didn’t know what I know today — and yet, they kept going…

Life, Bring Me People with This Superpower

There is an abyss between what I understand, what I want to say, what I actually say — and what you want to hear, how you listen, and what you understand...

Placebo and Nocebo Effects

Everything we do is supported by something invisible: an internal conviction – whether it works in our favor or against us...

My Dad arrives in New Zealand

My father arrived in New Zealand last night. The last time he was here was in March 2020...