NOW IS GOOD

This audio scrapbook features: * pieces of Paros, a Greek island where Boyfriend and I spent a couple days before he had to clock in for another job * a jump to Bulgaria, where we spend 11 days in the biggest hotel I’ve ever seen * lots of quality time in the hotel while I wrap up a big section of the book and moreeee This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribe...

balloon animal epiphany This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowisgood.substack.com

LA is a notion built on dualities.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowisgood.substack.com

Today, I draw myself over the line of my 20s, into the wide open realm of my 30s.  Now is Good Merch: available at Sunshine Shop https://www.sunshineshop.la/collection/jamesfrancis/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowisgood.substack.com

Happy 2nd Birthday to Now is Good! I love any cause for celebration, but this one hits different. Now is Good is growing up, taking on a new life of its own at sunshineshop.la Thank you so much for being along for the ride. Here’s to another year of Now is Good! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowisgood.subst...

throwing it back to high school love This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowisgood.substack.com

flying in circles and "elfing" This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowisgood.substack.com

let's talk about the ocean This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowisgood.substack.com

are we human or are we aggregator This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowisgood.substack.com

Before we get into it, a reminder that we have calendars ! Find them here . Now is Good for 2023, it’s a mindset, it’s a prayer, it’s a tribute to this very newsletter and all of you who read it. I know thinking about calendars for next year feels very odd during December but somebody’s gotta do it. Right now I’m that somebody. Plus, Now is Good subscribers get a discount code! 20% off with GOOD20...

Before we get started, the first ever Now is Good Calendar is live! I created it as a tribute to this newsletter and to you. It means the world that you show up and read Now is Good week after week, weaving a pocket in the collective consciousness. As a thank you for being along for the ride, use GOOD20 at check out for 20% off your calendar! Just a reminder to paying subscribers, make sure you us...

In honor of the calendar, I wanted to bring you the origin story of Now is Good. If you’re a day one, you may remember this dispatch—I updated it slightly to reflect my current state. As I was creating the calendar, I was thinking a lot about the why of this project. It led me back to this story, which is a comfort and reminder of how I wish to chart my path. I hope you enjoy. If you'd like to sig...

a slow battle fought with small a ritual This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowisgood.substack.com

how I landed myself in the Bulgaria, in the middle of the Sofia Synagogue This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowisgood.substack.com

external affirms the internal in funny ways This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowisgood.substack.com

Helloooo June! Positively unreal that we’ve reached the 6th month of 2022 but sources confirm that we are, in fact, right here. Lately I’ve felt a distinct need to take a breath and assess the next step before leaping. If you’re anything like me, a new project will spring up from your imagination and you’ll tumble into it before even looking around to see if it’s the best use of your time. It’s in...

Hello! Before I do anything else, I want to share something I’ve been excitedly working on for the past couple months. I’ve partnered with The New Moon - a wellness platform based in Hong Kong - to offer a meditation series called Everyday Transcendence. These meditations will available on Spotify, I’ll keep you posted when the first one goes live! I had a lot of fun in this conversation, Shifting...

Hello hi hello! Happy Full Moon, Happy Almost Spring Equinox. This meditation takes inspiration from the worm, as the moon we just experienced is named after the remarkable little creature that is so often overlooked. While I’m winding down the era of subscribers-only dispatches, I plan to offer monthly meditations in the free newsletter. This is just to say: if you enjoy these, they’re not going...

Hello hello and happy Ash Wednesday to all who celebrate. One of my earliest memories was being afraid of the people in church with swatches of grey on their forehead, but today I might seek out a service just to partake in a familiar ceremony. Strange, I know—chalk it up to the past week of world events or this recent round of PMS that has made me cry three times already with no period in sight!...

Hello!! This dispatch is coming in a little bit later than usual—I’ve been quite out of sorts with food poisoning and couldn’t look at my computer until a couple hours ago because I was so nauseous! Due to said affliction, today’s offering is what people in the tv industry call a “re-run”, but a carefully selected (slightly edited) one. I hope you can forgive me, but I really like this meditation...

Hello and happy Friday! As you may have heard, we entered Mercury Retrograde yesterday. I don’t usually write about celestial movements here but if you’ve been in the subscriber’s circle for a minute, you’ll know I have a special place in my heart for Mercury’s infamous dance. The timing of this retrograde hits different, as we are just beginning the year and the concept of January is carried by m...

Hello! The other day I was revisiting one of my favorite books Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. I asked the book for a passage and this is what I opened to: Today’s meditation is a chance to step into the center of peace, so that we may gain perspective on the “hope” that sometimes becomes a blockage. Sending you all the best,James This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this...

Today’s meditation might sound familiar to some of you, as it’s an extended version of the State of Allowing meditation in my guide! After I released the guide, many readers said they would benefit from audio versions of the meditations. So I’m the process of recording each one. Here is one of my favorites, State of Allowing. We jump into an old fashioned race car and zoom into the realm of limitl...

Today’s meditation will give you a chance to release any lingering energies that may have occurred during mercury retrograde.  Any lessons you learned during that time should be allowed to stay with you, but the elements of embarrassment, frustration or regret can be let go. We’re calling in the heat of the Aries full moon to energize this meditation. As an Aries Sun and Moon, this fire sign is al...

Hello hello, The offering today is a meditation and a chance to experience your thoughts in a contained space. Being able to observe your thoughts in a moment of anxiety only comes from practicing when there’s nothing going on. You wouldn’t strap on a pair of sneakers and run a marathon, we have to start with a brisk power walk. Take a thermos of tea! Enjoy the scenery! Before I let you go, I anno...