If you want to help people in need in Manchester directly, watch this episode, and get involved! Private charity FTW! We need trees, donations, gifts, etc. Please and thank you!
Light at the end of the tunnel! A cliché, yes, but as we enter winter, always a good mindset to carry against the literal darkness.
Figuring out your winter coping strategies is vital to being a well-adjusted Free Stater.
Here are some of mine, AKA “An African in North-East America” 
:
Proper clothing! The Scandinavians say there’s no such thing as cold weather, only improper clothing. Woolen socks, silk undergarments, good gloves and hats all go a long way to making the cold days more toasty.
Get outside! I take almost daily 45+ minute walks. Yeah, you’re not going to feel like it some days, but go do it anyway. Even just around the block but hopefully farther. One of the best reasons to get a dog… built-in accountability partner! If you don’t have a pet, find someone to walk with you or who will check-in to see if you did.
Happy light! Yes, both the orange ball in the sky that you should be looking at intentionally at sunrise and sunset, but also, get an additional boost with a desktop light therapy lamp. Even 5 minutes a day will improve your mood.
Up or start taking Vitamin D. Just do it.
Meditation! A positive mindset in winter can make a massive difference. I used to get depressed when our Overlords decreed that the time change, resulting in it being dark at 4:20pm, but that was before I understood winter doesn’t get worse and worse, darker and darker, for longer and longer, but rather, instead, it starts getting lighter again before Christmas. Then it’s just the home-stretch to Spring!
If you just need a break… get away! Maybe you can’t afford to travel somewhere sunny and warm, but you can fake a summer-like experience at home. Pick your favorite beach movies, make some of your favorite summer foods, and throw a picnic on a blanket in front of the TV.
Socialize! Or nest! Remember, human contact is important, but also, for me, winter is a wonderful time to recharge my batteries, reflect on what I’ve accomplished, get projects that slipped under fresh eyeballs, catch up, cocoon, and contemplate next steps.
What do you want to accomplish in 2024?
What can you get done over the next 2 months to position yourself for success?
Is there something on the 2023 list you can still bang out? (I’m looking at you basement floor project! lol)
Is there one thing you can do for a friend that will make a remarkable difference in their lives?
Is there one lifestyle tweak you can introduce now, that if practiced routinely for the next 45 days will create a new sustainable lifetime habit? (I’m looking at you, HYDRATION.)
When winter comes, it can seem never-ending, but, as the Stoics and my Ma will say: This too shall pass.
How YOU choose to let Winter pass is, well, up to YOU!
Live mindfully free, use tricks to make life better, and thrive!
[Photo: Louis and Obi on Head Pond Trail last Sunday.]
We talk about Right-to-Know and whether updates in the law should be applied ex-post facto (probably not) and whether Human Rights should trump special interest groups that only give “rights” to some people (definitely).
Read more about the case we mention in the Union Leader: Former Claremont cop seeks to keep files secret (paywall)
This just in from the Mercatus Center: NH keeps the lead at #1 in Overall Freedom!
Thank you to all those that work tirelessly to increase the Free State’s lead. If you are a hard working, liberty minded doer, move to NH, roll up your sleeves and get involved! A lot has been accomplished, but there’s much more to still do!
Delve into the NH data HERE.
These two photos were taken THIRTY years apart. What’s my secret?
Not fussing with a beauty routine! Like, I’ve hardly ever had one beyond wearing a hat if I’m in the sun for long–thanks, Ouma! I never used eye creams because constantly pulling at the skin around your eyes seemed dumb to me if you want to avoid wrinkles. I use natural oils as my face cream. I almost never take my makeup off either. And yes, my pillowcases have constant mascara smudges. So what?
Eating right! Even at my heaviest in my late 30s and 40s (50+ pounds ago), I have never been a fan of junk food. If you’re hoping to get healthier, consider this a good yardstick: You are as healthy as the amount of days from your last drive-through fast food order. Yeah, the choices you make on how you fuel your body is like an OSHA accident waiting to (not) happen.
Living positively! Crap happens. How you respond is a choice! I was ten, in boarding school on a different continent than my parents, when I decided I would always try to look on the bright side of life. So yeah, I basically navigate through life like I’m in a Monty Python movie… because… why not?
Earlier this morning, I read the term “Mitochondriac” and I’m embracing this 100%!
When you think about yourself on a deeply cellular level, and think about how to keep your mitochondria healthy–your literal life energy source–good decision like avoiding sugar (carbs, alcohol, candy, etc.) and daily exercise become easier.
The better you treat yourself, the better you feel; the better you feel, the easier it is to treat yourself right.
Want to live free and thrive? It’s up to YOU!
Follow my page for tips on #ketorecipes #wellness and how to #nourish yourself.
BONUS CONTENT!
Not all Free Staters are pro-Independence, but many are. Elected state representative Matthew Santonastaso and I recently sat down with Red State to discuss upcoming secession bills.
CLICK HERE FOR RED STATE CONTENT.
Ours is a peaceful movement to try to get out from under the yoke of the corrupt and immoral federal government.
There are two bills being presented this year: one, similar to CACR32 from last year, but with a trigger this time for secession through a Constitutional amendment if the national federal debt reaches $40 TRILLION, and the second is a study committee to start grappling with the real questions we need to answer in order to make this a feasible play long-term.
In addition, Free Staters are working on a myriad of other issues, including energy independence by augmenting our nuclear power plant with other nuclear options (like small modular reactors) and introducing legal tender bills to put NH on gold/crypto/alternate currency standards, while others are making sure the next generation can actually read and write.
If YOU are demoralized where you are, perhaps it is time to MOVE for LIBERTY IN OUR LIFETIME. Also, can’t lie, it is kind of fun to live in the game of life called: BUILD YOUR OWN COUNTRY. 
Join us and come “Live free and thrive!” with me!
BONUS CONTENT!
Check out this op-ed in NH Journal: DeGRAFF: It’s Time for New Hampshire To Secede.
We discuss the results of City elections, and the good news of a new incoming Republican Mayor.
In what Democrats are calling a “stunning upset,” for the first time in 34 years, Manchester has a Republican Mayor, Jay Ruias, AND a majority on the Board of Mayor and Alderman. This is fantastic news, a backlash against the Democrats disastrous mismanagement of New Hampshire’s largest city, where we have seen rising crime and homelessness for years under former mayor and now gubernatorial candidate, Joyce Craig.
Our new mayor, Jay Ruias, has his work cut out for him because of Democrats mismanagement over many years. But, he will have support on the BOMA for the first time in more than 3 decades, giving limited-government types a massive opportunity to introduce market-driven solutions to problems.
Congrats to Norm Vincent in Ward 11, and all the other Republicans who won in their wards. Thank you to AFP-NH and all the other grassroots organizations who helped make this success happen. Let’s make sure we maximize on this opportunity, and show Granite State voters that smaller government that lets you keep more of your money to spend as you see fit, is the best way to govern.
Just saying, based on this Facebook memory from 8 years ago, I was Mari Kondo-ing before she was sparking joy… Perhaps I should call this ‘The Quickening Method’?
In pregnancy, “the quickening” is the moment you start to feel fetal movement, sometimes described as butterflies or bubbles.
In love, it’s that indescribable excitement that makes your heart beat faster in anticipation.
In life, it’s the moments you feel most alive, which are the moments when your thoughts and actions are aligned.
In order for that alignment to occur, you must know yourself. To know yourself, you must know what excites YOU.
This starts with identifying and writing down those moments.
What makes your heart quicken?
It can be the smallest moment, from spotting an unexpected dandelion pushing through concrete, to stage fright before a big speech, to seeing that person who makes your eyes light up every time.
What makes your heart quicken?
It can be from love, fear, excitement, jealousy, trepidation, anger, joy, any and all emotions… when you experience that quickening, notice it, write it down.
Why?
Because this is where the work lies.
Figure out what *literally* moves your heart, and then decide if this serves you (positive emotions) or robs you (negative emotions).
Yes, I am saying: Mind over matter starts with your heart’s pitter patter. 
***
Need help identifying your feelings? Use this wheel as a general guide.
Carla from Porcupine Real Estate and Brittany of Ledgeview Commercial take a closer look at a few of the properties in our investment newsletter this week, including a turnkey multi-family property in Manchester and a 76 acre campground with lots of options for short-term rentals. Sign up for the list to see all our investment property picks HERE NOW.