How to want more without feeling guilty for new moms: honest answers for Tumalo

Local edition · Tumalo

People in Tumalo don't burn out — they rust in place. Slowly, politely, with excellent manners and a full garage.

And this is Tumalo: a Bend-area community of strivers and settlers — very often the same person, on the same Tuesday Which is why real progress here starts with naming the specific, not the abstract.

🎧 A note for Tumalo readers (read for you)

“There is a fine line between gratefulness and complacency. One brings peace. The other slowly convinces you to settle.” — There Is a Fine Line Between Gratefulness and Complacency

The signs that land hardest in Tumalo

You describe your life with gratitude and your days with a sigh — and both are true.
You've gotten very good at maintaining things, and you can't remember the last thing you built.
The idea of wanting more feels almost embarrassing, like admitting the life you have isn't enough.

The 10-10-10 on autopilot

List the ten things you did last week out of habit. Circle the ones you'd choose again on purpose.
For each circled one you don't love: either upgrade it or schedule one deliberate replacement this month.

Gratitude looks backward with warmth. Growth looks forward with nerve. A full life uses both sets of eyes.

The book's actual argument

Chapter by chapter, There Is a Fine Line Between Gratefulness and Complacency separates peace from autopilot: what to keep, what to restart, and how to want more from a life you already love — without the guilt spiral so many ambition books accidentally create.

Questions Tumalo readers ask

Can I read it in one sitting? Most readers do a chapter a night; the book is 239 pages and designed for busy people who read in real life, not ideal life.

Do I need to be unhappy to get something from it? No — it's written for people who like their lives and suspect there's more. Gratitude is the starting point, not the problem.

Pick it up where this page leaves off

The full book goes chapter-by-chapter through the exact line you just felt — Kindle $0.99, paperback $14.99, free on Kindle Unlimited.

There Is a Fine Line Between Gratefulness and Complacency — book cover Kindle — $0.99 Paperback — $14.99

Free with Kindle Unlimited · $14.99 paperback with Prime shipping · Discussion sheet on the main site.