January’s Sip of Serenity, Remembering the Keys We Carry

I am the builder of my own prisons,

but I also hold the keys.

I just keep forgetting.

~Suzanne Dudley Schon

Greetings!

Welcome to 2026. I wish peace and joy for you and your loved ones.

What you may not know about me is that one of my strengths is my ability to really see people. It’s always been easy for me.

But it’s been far less easy to see myself, and thus allow you to see me. Fear, doubt, and shame built walls around me. Originally constructed to protect, they ultimately barricaded and blurred my presentation.

The key message I want to share with you is my candid under-standing:

I am the builder of my own prisons,

but I also hold the keys.

I just keep forgetting.

If you recognize this as true for you in any way—then I send you immense love. May that love fracture the walls that hold you back from your own divinity and rattle the keys you hold so that you remember you have them. That you can access your freedom and stand fearless in the truth of your own goodness and beauty.

So, rather than a more typical resolution such as achieving an external goal, my resolve this year is to be more myself. The “me” that I see so easily in others: their beauty and goodness, their pure love and essence as a dram—the teardrop in the ocean of love, the thread in the fabric of all life.

For many years I have known about the benefits of handwriting. How it opens different neuro- biological gateways to creativity and memory. It also returns us to our physical selves and creates a sense of intimacy that is just a bit more removed when we type into a machine.

Recently I listened to Garrison Keillor implore people to get real and step away from AI- constructed writing--to embrace the quirks and unexpected turns that only happen from a human heart and mind working together.

Today I took the risk. The existential dare to be more “me” in this newsletter instead of who I imagine I should be, or who I imagine you want me to be. From my own commitment to truth and honesty-to the all-too-common word authenticity--I returned to the handwritten word.

With my pen scratching symbols across a yellow legal pad, I wrote about “my prison” and the ongoing struggle to remember. My words felt underscored by the very lines meant to keep them marching straight from left to right. Real and honest.

I hope you can feel it too, and I hope you find that sense of yourself as well.

Below in the Sip of Serenity, are a few ways to remember your keys– to get out of your head and into the truth of you.

With love and light,

Suzanne

Sip of Serenity from Oasis in the Overwhelm™: Be More Yourself

When you find yourself feeling “locked-in” – here are three steps options for freedom.

When you are in a funk, get funky! Put on a favorite upbeat song that you love, love, love--one that makes you want to move. Turn up the volume. Feel it move through you, and then move. The movement can create a kind of magic, unlocking you from your thoughts and bringing you back into your body.
Engage your senses.
Use the 5-4-3-2-1 method:
Notice 5 things you can see.
4 things you can touch.
3 things you can hear.
2 things you can smell.
1. thing you can taste.
This technique helps anchor you in the present moment and align your mind with your body.
Return to inner stillness, your inner oasis. Use the 1-Stone Method (from creator of the Oasis in the Overwhelm strategies, Millie Grenough). Take a stone or small object. Observe it carefully as if you were a scientist-its shape, weight, texture, color. As you observe, take ten slow breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth.

If something in this resonates, and you find yourself wanting support in remembering your own keys, you're welcome to reach out.

Email me at Suzanne@oasisintheoverwhelm.com. I'd be glad to hear from you.

Since 2009, Suzanne has inspired transformation as a coach, author, and speaker. With over 25 years of research and training, her custom-tailored approach combines science-based strategies, somatic practices, and creative collaboration. She catalyzes peace and personal growth for a wide range of clients—from artists and stay-at-home moms to business leaders, empowering them to reimagine their "stories" and achieve freedom, joy, and success as they define it.

Born to a Dominican mother and a father raised in New England, Suzanne grew up as the youngest of six children, which gave her a deep appreciation for diverse perspectives. She excels at connecting with others, bridging generational, cultural, and linguistic divides, fostering inner harmony and inspiring greater understanding in relationships.

Oasis in the Overwhelm™ is a registered trademark.

If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission of this newsletter,

you may reach Suzanne by clicking here.