Go Easy
A poem for anyone holding on
I wrote this a few years ago to calm my heart when the world felt like it had slid off the tracks. Everything felt so unhinged and each day brought new calamity.
When that all eased up, I thought “whew, at least things will calm down now.”
2026 must have heard my sign of relief and decided to remind me that I needed to hold on tight because this wild ride is just beginning.
I am rereading this one every day.
there’s no handbook for 2026, there are no hard and fast rules for times like these ~ you’re doing the best you can holding things together while the world falls apart in this age of fear and fret you don’t need to be perfect; you just need to be gentle ~ with yourself and everyone else because that’s all you can really control, isn’t it? yes, things might unravel a bit more before this is all done ~you might come undone as well and it’s okay if you do because while the world is resetting its router we can take turns deciding who gets to cry on the couch we can take turns becoming a balm for one another we can take turns yelling up into the silent sky we can take turns having insomnia we can take turns being confessionals for one another we can take turns brushing the tears off of each other’s face we can take turn inviting the butterflies to swarm us my love, don’t worry about getting all of this right you won’t don’t worry about making mistakes you will ~ you’re doing the best you can and remember there is only one great commandment for enduring a year like this one - and that commandment is this: go easy, my love, go easy ~ john roedel
(Permission to use this art by the always amazing Lucy Campbell)
In a world gone mad come and write like mad with me!
There’s a simple belief underneath everything I do:
If you bring forth what’s inside you, it helps you.
If you don’t, it starts to work against you.
That’s it.
I’m not here to make you a better writer. Just to help you bring something honest into the light.
This isn’t just for writers. It’s for anyone who feels stuck creatively…or feels that quiet pull to explore the wilds of their own heart.
We write to stay human. To stay connected. To stop carrying things alone.
In these retreats, we slow down, get real, and write without pressure to be good or share anything we’re not ready to.
What I hear most afterward is this:
“I feel like myself again.”
If something in you has been nudging you, you can follow that here:
To book john for your event email him at john@johnroedel.com




I will be saving and sharing this! Thank you for gentle words for a tortured heart.
This is a balm to the soul of this weary traveler. Thank you.❤️🙏🙏🙏