Friday Musings: An Inspiring Read, a Snore-Free Sleep, and a New EV
Recommendations, reflections, and reviews from my world this week
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Hello, fellow compassionistas! Here is this week’s note where I share a couple things I’m loving right now — books, movies, food, music, podcasts.
What I’m Reading
Gardening with a Wild Heart: Restoring California’s Native Landscapes at Home by Judith Larner Lowry. I mentioned this in my last update about my restoration project, and while I haven’t finished it yet, I am in absolute awe. This book is pure poetry, filled with wisdom and inspiration.
If you are just beginning your journey (or are curious at the very least), I still believe Doug Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope is the best place to start. It offers invaluable general insight into the necessity of bringing back native plants and focusing on our own backyards, which, along with Nancy Lawson’s The Humane Gardener, is what inspired me.
However, if you are in California and have the deep affection for this state that I do, you will love Judith’s book. It contains inspiration for gardeners anywhere, but the fact that it focuses on this incredible place fills me with so much joy.
I checked this out through Libby, and if you don’t know about Libby (or need a reminder about how awesome it is), I’m here to recommend it! All you need is a library card to borrow ebooks and audiobooks. I often find that I’ll borrow a book there, fall in love, and then have to go buy my own copy for my permanent collection. Since Judith’s book is currently out of print, I tracked down a used physical copy—though it is available on Kindle!
What I’m Healing From
As I continue to immerse myself in this incredibly inspiring and expansive journey, apparently I also immersed myself in poison oak—again. This is now the fourth time I’ve contracted it in two years, and as careful as I try to be (or thought I could be), it’s becoming clear that I can’t tend to any of my new native plants without getting exposed.
You might remember from an earlier article that I was fine leaving the poison oak because it is native and supports local pollinators. I thought it remained in a spot I didn’t need to visit, but that just isn’t the case. As we plan another iteration of this restoration project for the fall, I have decided to have the poison oak completely removed. I’ve had to go on prednisone again, which I don’t love, but my system needed help calming everything down, but all is well and I’m on the mend!
What I’m Loving
One of the most exciting things about this journey is watching it unfold organically with my neighbors, especially Ron, our neighbor directly next door. I shared a video the other day (you can watch it below) showing our beautiful California wildflower ‘meadow’, along with the story of how my passion is catching on and inspiring others.
What was especially gratifying and serendipitous is that just after I made that video, he sent me this:
“Hiya… I think your milkweed is working… saw two beautiful orange and black Monarchs on my hillside today 🦋 I’m making good progress getting every blade of grass and other invasives pulled out… should be ready for jute and mulch by this weekend…Yay!! I am really starting to like this idea of working toward returning this area to its original ecosystem.”
He probably has no idea how much he made my day (though of course I praised him and told him he’s amazing). Like so many journeys that require that first hard step because it’s so different from anything you’ve thought about or done before, knowing the why is so vital to internalizing it and making it your own.
If my neighbor were just planting native plants I recommended because he’s getting free help, that’s one thing (and I’d do it anyway), but the fact that he’s starting to “get it” is everything. It means it will become his, which means he’ll enjoy it that much more!
I have no lofty goals of making this a formal project with our entire neighborhood, but the neighbor on the other side of Ron, whom I’m friends with, is also “getting the bug.” She is excited to get my help and access the resources I recommend, and just yesterday, she left me a wonderful message about how we could tackle this as a project together and hopefully inspire more neighbors. So, stay tuned for that!
Today, I am heading back to East Bay Wilds, Oakland’s incredible native plant nursery, for my third weekly trip since returning from Japan.
How I’m Sleeping (Better!)
Switching gears, I recommended the bestseller Breath by James Nestor a while back, and one of the best things that came out of it (other than the permission to practice 4-8-8 breathing rather than 4-7-8!) was learning about a technique that my husband was actually willing to try to stop his snoring.
Following the advice from the book and a recommendation from a friend, David started wearing a mouthpiece called AIRWAAV, and I have to tell you—it’s been amazing. His snoring was starting to really hinder my sleep, which is never a good thing, and I know so many people can relate to this experience with your sleeping partner. I’m so grateful to David for being willing to wear it (which he says takes a little getting used to but is otherwise not uncomfortable), and I’m equally grateful that it’s actually working.
He’s snoring 90% less, and I’m sleeping 100% more.
What I’m Giving (and Receiving)
Finally, I continue to love the Buy Nothing community. (Look up “Buy Nothing Project” for one near you.) We are still (always) in the process of removing things from our home that no longer serve us, but it’s important to me that we do so responsibly. As I define zero waste in A Year of Compassion, it’s about valuing what you own and taking responsibility for the full life cycle of whatever you bring into your life.
This week, using Buy Nothing), we parted with a shag rug we’ve had for 15 years (not the best match for kitties with hairballs!), a floor lamp, a hair dryer, and even some sealed saline solution. I love knowing these items are going directly to someone who needs them makes letting go feel like a gift—and of course it means they don’t wind up in a landfill.
Speaking of giving away—but also receiving—we just traded in our 2021 Tesla for the 2026 model. We were quite happy to get a decent trade-in price, and with the improvements for this new model, it was worth it. It’s an exciting time for the industry; battery costs and EV prices are lower than ever, making electric vehicles more accessible for everyone.
I know Tesla is a polarizing topic because of its leadership, but at the end of the day, it truly is a fantastic car. There are so many incredible electric vehicles on the market now, but for us, nothing beats the ease of the Supercharger network, and we’re excited about the improvements in this new model, which we’ll keep for a long time.
And since you name your Tesla (it’s a thing on the app), we’ve said goodbye to Prince and hello to Flashheart (Flash, for short). My UK friends will know the reference. 😊
Those are my Friday musings. Tell me about yours, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Additional Resources
👉 Connect with me 1:1 – Get personalized guidance whatever you are looking for. (One one-on-one connection is also a perk of the Founding Member/VIP level here on Substack.)
👉 Read A Year of Compassion – Daily inspiration to help you live with intention, kindness, and clarity.
👉 Travel with me! I host animal-friendly, luxury, all-inclusive vegan trips around the world, specifically curated to ensure high-quality, high-touch premium experiences. Check out our upcoming trips, and let me know if you have any questions. Please remember when booking to mention you heard about the trips from COLLEEN PATRICK-GOUDREAU. 😊
👉 Check out my Recipe E-Books and my library of On-Demand Cooking Classes for recipes.
My Favorite Supplements
Even with a nutrient-rich plant-based diet, we can thrive even more with thoughtful support. That’s where Complement comes in, I take Complement Essential as my daily multivitamin for B12, D3, iodine, zinc, and magnesium; Omega Complex for essential fats; and as part of my strength-training and muscle-building routine, I fuel up with their clean Organic Protein. With Complement and my nutrient-rich diet, I have everything I need to fuel my body, support my strength, and thrive so I can do my work in the world for animals — both human and non-human.