There are often deer in our neighborhood. They congregate in groups of four or five on lawns and in clusters beneath the trees. Usually, there are a couple of elder deer—steady and watchful—and then the younger ones, still learning the rhythms of safety.

Last night, there were ten or twelve of these spirits.

And they were all young—skittish, alert. Yet when we stopped our car to let them cross, they walked one by one across the road.

Trusting.

If you follow astrology at all, this week is a big one. We had a solar eclipse in Aquarius on Tuesday, the 17th, and tomorrow we are about to welcome Saturn conjoining Neptune in the sign of Aries.

This matters because Saturn is the planet of structure, responsibility, and reality—the hard edges of life. Neptune is the planet of dreams, spirit, compassion, and collective longing. When they meet, we’re asked to bring the intangible into form: to make ideals real, to test what we believe, to build something lasting out of hope.

And in Aries—the sign of beginnings, courage, and action—this isn’t a quiet spiritual moment. It’s a turning point. A spark. A call to move forward differently. To lead with something deeper than force.

It feels like something is shifting.

And I hope you’ve been seeing it too.

There has been public focus on the monks from Texas and their journey across the South to Washington, D.C.—a pilgrimage of peace in a time of fracture, reminding us that love need not be grand to be powerful. It can be simple and sincere.

This week, the Governor of Illinois said in his State of the State speech, “The hope I have found in a very difficult year is that love is the light that gets you through a long night.”

And James Talarico, a Texas senate candidate, whose recent interview with Stephen Colbert has 7.4 million views on YouTube, is reminding people that what we owe each other is not contempt, but care. That “Love is the strongest force in the universe.”

Then we had Bad Bunny on the Super Bowl stage, saying (in front of 128 million viewers), “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

Love is in the ether.

When else have we seen this in our lifetime?

The idea that we must love more than we hate feels almost novel—uplifting, rebellious. A kind of brave defiance.

Like those deer crossing the road: vulnerable, uncertain, and yet moving forward anyway.

Trusting that something gentler in this night might carry us through.

“When you wake up at 3 AM, your brain isn’t trying to ruin your sleep — it’s trying to protect you. It thinks you’re in danger.”

Have you ever found yourself wide awake staring at the ceiling, wondering why your body won’t just stay asleep?

You’re not alone—and according to sleep expert Julie Wright, these middle-of-the-night wakeups are often your body’s response to stress, anxiety, and hormone imbalance.

In this episode of Bounce Back Stronger, host Donna Ferris speaks with Julie (author of The Natural Sleeper and founder of We Sleep) about what’s really happening inside your brain and nervous system when insomnia strikes in the early morning hours.

If you’ve been Googling:

• Why do I keep waking up at 3AM?
• Is cortisol causing my insomnia?
• How do I calm anxiety at night?
• What should I do when I can’t fall back asleep?

…this episode will give you clarity, comfort, and a toolkit to help you finally rest.

To learn more about Julie’s book, events, and services, please visit wesleep.co.uk.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might want to listen to Julie’s last Episode #31 or Episode #46 “The Art of Being Enough” with Jennifer Schelter.

Also, please consider subscribing to this podcast, leaving a review, and sharing this episode with others. 

Thank you.

I just finished The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong, and it’s the best book I've read so far in 2026.

It follows a young man through a short, intense period of his life, during which he finds family in the most unexpected places.

What struck me most is how much love exists in this story, even when things feel hopeless—how people show up for each other anyway, even when they don’t have much to give.

Plus, the writing is heartbreakingly beautiful. 

Highly recommend.

(And if you have any books you have loved and would recommend, please hit reply and let me know.)

Join us for our next monthly Sunday Morning Writing Group on Sunday, March 8th at 8:30 AM ET. We start by sharing our intentions, then we discuss insights from reading The Artist's Way (no worries if you don't have a copy - not necessary to participate). Then we dive into one or two focused writing sprints, followed by a brief feedback session to celebrate and support each other’s work. 

All writers and all kinds of writing are welcome. If you’d like to join this free gathering, reply to this email, and I will send you the Zoom invitation.

Thank you for reading this far.

The free half-hour centering group continues every Sunday at 4 PM. I was inspired to start this group by Gee Gee Rosell, who died last month. To call her a bookshop owner is not nearly enough—she was an inspiration, her shop a safe place in a roaring world. (More about her next time.)

In this week’s centering group, we’ll be exploring the klesha of raga (the longing to feel good). Please reply to this email if you’d like to receive the weekly reminder along with the Zoom invite (and a meme, of course).

Love,

Donna

P.S. The song for this newsletter is “Hold Onto the Light" by Jack Johnson.

P.S.S. If you would like to read past newsletters, visit this page. If you know anyone who might enjoy this newsletter, please share it with them. If you would like to sign up to receive it in your inbox, please visit donnayferris.com.