A personal invitation to read a little closer, stay a little longer, and notice the things that linger.
Dear you,
I started Loved by Ellie because there were things I kept thinking about long after everyone else had moved on.
The things we were taught not to ask for. The lives we imagined for ourselves before we understood what they would cost. The small ways our mothers tried to give us more than they had. The things we eventually learned to afford, and the strange feeling of still needing permission to want them.
Some of these thoughts become essays. Others are too small, too unfinished, or too personal to belong anywhere else.
I wanted somewhere for those, too.
That’s what The Circle is.
Not another place where you have to keep up. Not a promise that every letter will teach you something or leave you feeling better than before.
Just a quieter space for the things that stay with us.
I’ll write when I have something worth sharing. Sometimes it will be a thought that hasn’t quite become an essay. Sometimes a small discovery, a beautiful thing, or a question I’ve been carrying around.
And perhaps, somewhere in these letters, you’ll recognize something of your own life.
I’m glad you’re here.
Not everything belongs in an essay. Some thoughts are better shared in smaller ways.
Thoughts that haven’t quite become essays. Things I’m still figuring out, questions I haven’t found answers to, and moments I wanted to remember.
New essays from Loved by Ellie, shared with you when they’re ready. A chance to read a little closer and stay with the words a little longer.
An occasional beautiful thing. Something I’ve read, noticed, worn, or kept coming back to. Not recommendations for the sake of having something to recommend.
Before we knew what things cost, we already had ideas about what we were allowed to want.
Some came from the people who raised us. Others came from watching what they could afford, what they went without, and what they quietly wished for.
What Were You Raised to Want? is a collection of twelve prompts about money, longing, childhood, and the things we carry into adulthood.
There are no right answers. Nothing to finish by a certain date.
Just a little space to think about what you wanted then, what you want now, and how much of it has changed.
It’s yours when you join The Circle.
A letter from Ellie, delivered when there’s something worth sharing.
Join The Circle and receive What Were You Raised to Want?, twelve prompts for reflecting on the things you learned to want, and the things you learned to live without.
Welcome to The Circle. Your first letter from Ellie will find you soon.
Until then, stay awhile. There’s more to read.
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