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"You've always had the power, my dear. You had it all along." -Glinda the Good Witch
Hello, friends, Amy Peele, here!
Happy New Year!
I hope your 2026 is off to a safe, healthy, peaceful start.
I seem to have two inclinations at this time of year - I get excited about all the possible ways to expand my world and venture outside my comfort zone (turn things upside down, if you will), while also wanting to feel safe in the familiarity of something beloved.
Lately, I’ve been doing both.
Something Beloved
I mentioned last month how Elf is my favorite holiday movie, but my favorite MOVIE movie has always been The Wizard of Oz.
I recall as a little girl, it would only be shown on the television once a year, and when that time came, you’d find my five siblings and me sitting in front of the television, spellbound.
Still to this day, The Wizard of Oz is so dear to me that I have certain parts of my home decorated with it.
Fun fact: you see me upside down in my headstand helper up above in that photo?
Guess what I’m looking at?
That’s right! A Wizard of Oz pillow, intentionally placed upside-down so I can draw inspiration from it when I’m feet up.
I even have a little “Oz” mantra I repeat as I finish my practice: a heart, the nerve, a brain, a home…
For me, the most meaningful takeaway from the Wizard of Oz has always been wise words of wisdom that the main characters share throughout the film. There’s some good stuff in there.
Did you know?
The original The Wizard of Oz movie premiered in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin (of all places), and the musical Wicked (starring Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda and Idina Menzel as Elphaba) initially opened in San Francisco in June of 2003 before moving to New York’s Broadway later that year.
My husband and I had the great fortune of seeing one of those original 2003 San Francisco shows, and I’ve since watched the new musical movies, Wicked and Wicked For Good, both of which I also think are amazing!
Basically, if it’s The Wizard of Oz adjacent, I’m probably going to be into it.
Fast-forward to the end of last year, and my husband gave me a dream come true - seeing the original Wizard of Oz movie at the Sphere in Las Vegas!
It was incredible - we felt like we were literally inside the story. The movie’s tornado caused leaves to fly around inside the sphere, gently dropping onto our laps, and when the apple tree started throwing apples at Dorothy, light foam apples started dropping from the ceiling!
Such a fun, unique experience, and hopefully the closest I’ll ever come to being INSIDE a tornado.
Outside My Comfort Zone
In other exciting news, I’ve been in the sound studio recently, narrating my upcoming book, Last Bite, and it’s a lot of things - exciting, a little scary, and a little challenging, being in a new environment doing a new thing right here at the top of a new year.
But I’m proud of myself for doing it!
Speaking of Last Bite, mark your calendar. Not only does the book launch on February 24, but I’ll also be doing an Author Event at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA, on Sunday, March 15th, and you’re invited! It’s a hybrid in-person/online event that you can attend for free. I’d love for you to join me, one way or another. Click here to learn more about it!
What new adventures are you getting into this year?
No matter what you’ve got on your 2026 agenda, I hope you’ll take good care of yourself along the way.
Wash your hands, get plenty of restorative downtime, feed yourself hearty, nutritionally-dense foods, and spend quality time laughing with people who light you up.
And if you do happen to catch any of the crud typically floating around this time of year, give yourself the gift of loving, tender healing.
The best remedy for colds is ginger, so try making an Immunity Tea with ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, holy basil (tulsi), and lemon - add honey to taste.
For congestion, try steam inhalation, adding 1 tsp ginger or a few eucalyptus leaves/drops of eucalyptus oil. Or, make a tea with 2 parts ginger/3 parts cinnamon/pinch of cardamom
Take care and be well,
Amy
Amy S. Peele, RN, is an award-winning, best-selling author who studied improv at Second City Players and has a fascinating 35-year career in the organ transplant field under her belt. Her experiences provide authentic backdrops for not only for her medical mysteries Cut, Match, and Hold, a series with a mission and a sense of humor, but also her childhood memoir, Aunt Mary’s Guide to Raising Children the Old-Fashioned Way, and her upcoming “mouthwatering home run of a beach read,” Last Bite (early 2026). Amy’s books have gained national recognition with accolades such as the NYC Big Book Award, Chanticleer International Book Awards, IPPY, Independent Press Awards, and more. Amy always has been, is, and always will be a die-hard Cubs fan. Find out more and get in touch at: www.amyspeele.com.