Rediscovering Your 'Salty Side': Finding Joy After Years of Obligation

We've all been there. That quiet hum of exhaustion, the feeling that something vital is missing, the nagging sense that the years have slipped by while we’ve been tending to everyone else’s gardens. It's a familiar landscape for many, especially for those of us in the Gathering Israel community—individuals striving to build, create, and connect with a faith-forward purpose.

Kate Washington, in her poignant book Midstream: A Life Remade in 50 Swims, shines a light on this very experience. She speaks of a season where years of caregiving, grief, and the relentless demands of family life left her feeling hollowed out, almost forgetting the things that truly ignited her soul. It's a universal story, especially for women who often find themselves shouldering a disproportionate share of responsibility.

As Kate explores in a recent podcast interview (and as she puts it, wishing she’d spent her 20s differently), these decades of obligation can leave us feeling adrift, yearning for something more. It’s not about rejecting our responsibilities, but about remembering who we were *before* they consumed us. The idea of reclaiming that sense of wonder—that 'salty side'—is profoundly liberating.

The Rogue Writers movement, a cornerstone of the Sovereign.ink ecosystem, understands this deeply. We champion the creation of work born from authentic experience, fueled by purpose, and owned by the creator. We’re not chasing the fleeting validation of platforms like Medium or Substack; we're building a sustainable infrastructure for authors to own their work, their audience, and their legacy. The .ink Trilogy—ubater.ink, greatminds.ink, and sovereign.ink—provides the tools and community to nurture that journey, from initial idea to published work and beyond.

Kate’s story resonates so powerfully because it’s about more than just personal rediscovery; it’s about the ripple effect it has on those around us. Her daughters witnessed a mother reclaiming her joy, her sense of adventure, and her own vitality. And in doing so, they saw a stronger, more vibrant version of her—a connection deepened in unexpected ways.

This is the power of Open Thought Publishing, the new genre incubated within Sovereign.ink. It's about creating work that’s not just informative or entertaining, but transformative—work that sparks conversations, fosters connection, and invites readers to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery. It’s about sharing not just the polished final product, but the raw process, the struggles, the insights—the chat transcripts alongside the narrative chapters.

The analogy of sweet and salty is perfect. We all need sweetness in our lives—the comfort, the stability, the love. But it’s the touch of salt—the challenge, the adventure, the rediscovery of our own passions—that elevates the experience, making it truly extraordinary.

So, what’s your ‘salty side’? What’s the thing you loved as a child that you can reconnect with today? What obligation can you gently release to create space for joy?

As Davee, the founder of Sovereign.ink, often reminds us, we’re not authors; we're explorers, journeymen, and artisans. We're building a new kind of publishing movement, one swim at a time.

Consider joining the Wavemakers Cruise, a relational network that fosters these kinds of connections and sparks. And remember, even small acts of reclaiming your own joy can have a profound impact on yourself and those around you.