The main reason I started writing this newsletter at the beginning of 2025 is that I wanted to confront a deep-seated fear of mine: I’m scared of sharing my point of view, my way of seeing the world. Not necessarily in conversation (as my friends can attest) but certainly in writing. I always worry that I have not chosen the perfect words, that someone will find I’m inconsistent or, god forbid, wrong.

In some ways, The Star Container is an experiment in being wrong twice a month. It’s an experiment in imperfectionism. I’m not building a cathedral, I’m just pottering around in the garden: a heap of earth here, a heap of earth there. Sometimes a flower pushes up through the mud.

In sitting down and gathering my thoughts for these pieces, I’ve learned to trust myself and my words a little more. Thank you for being a part of that, dear reader. I hope that some of what I wrote has helped you to create your own experiments for a more imperfect life.

And speaking of design: January of 2026, especially the first half, is a really good time to create a few good routines for yourself: take that daily dose of magnesium, have that weekly phone call with your best friend. If you hate routines, maybe clear out some cupboards. Why? Because almost all the planets are in Capricorn and Capricorn loves a to-do list, a plan, and a structure.

So, lean into the structures of your life. Update them where needed. And know that, come February, all your great routines (and mine) might fly out the window. But more on that in the next newsletter.

I’ll end with something for your ears: Back in November, musician Daniel Imhof asked me to collaborate on a track for a new album called ‘we’ by the band ali dada. The band had asked various musicians to come together and record songs for this painful, nonsensical moment we find ourselves in. They call their genre ‘hope punk’, which, it turns out, is exactly my thing. I wrote a fairy tale about a pack of wolves and recorded it on my phone one dark evening after work and Daniel added a wintery, gorgeous soundscape. Our track is called ‘wolf mother’. You can listen to and buy the whole album here on Bandcamp. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Until then, stay warm (or cool, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere) and have a Happy Most Imperfect And Yet Beautiful New Year.