Subject: Warm New Year wishes and a gentle note on boundaries
Dear sister,
Happy New Year. I’m grateful you’re prioritizing your health, and I’m glad you reached out—here’s to a year where health and light stay front and center for all of us. And yes, broccoli sprouts for the win—may we all keep nourishing our bodies with care.
I wasn’t expecting visitors. We were stirred from a midsummer sleep by the door handle, and I was scrambling for my phone, braced for an intrusion, while you circled the property and visited our neighbor. Our security camera app loaded slowly, and as a rule we don’t open the door without verification. It turned out your little one was in the stroller and you were on your way, and I’m not entirely sure who the other person was—perhaps Mum, perhaps someone else. If the moment had escalated, we were fortunate your arrival was peaceful and our daughter happened to notice the doorbell. In the worst-case scenario, welfare checks are there to protect those in imminent distress, and I’m grateful we avoided any trauma that day.
Reading your email last night, seeing our home through your lens was a bit jarring. I’ve invested in our space—our wool curtains, our Venetians—because climate control and a sense of sanctuary matter to us. They aren’t props or disguises; they’re part of how we care for our health and well-being. Our garden is a place of renewal, and we intend to keep it that way. The repeated, unsolicited scrutiny has become something I need to set firm boundaries around. This is a request—one I hope you can hear with the same care you express for your health: I’m choosing space and privacy for our family, and I’d like that respected going forward.
Please know this comes from a place of wanting to protect health, calm, and a peaceful home for my daughter and me. I wish you well on your journey toward health and balance, and I hope the year ahead brings you strength, joy, and light.
Warm wishes to you and yours,
Ally