Note: This is an email Neil sent to the inner circle mailing list that I am posting here in case it is helpful for others.

I had planned to send you a big New Year’s update.

However, as I often say, there are plans, and then there is life.

So first of all, I want to thank all of you for checking in on me during these wildfires. It’s so horrible and devastating what has happened in Los Angeles, to the city I love, and to so many people I care about. Every single friend I checked in on in the Palisades lost their home.

It is a painful reminder, wherever you may live, to be aware that anything can happen at any time. Including those things we think “can’t happen here” or “won’t happen to us.” So I want to, first of all, re-share this important link from my blog on what to do if you ever need to evacuate your home or community in an emergency.

I highly recommend not just reading it but doing it.

In another devastating loss, Kevin Reeve, who helped me so much with Emergency and wrote this guest post that has supported so many people, passed away a little over a year ago. So please keep him in your thoughts. He was an amazing, big-hearted person, a great friend, and a mentor to so many.

For those who have been asking—my house and my family are okay. But so many others are in need of help and support, so please do whatever you can. And also be aware of the psychological trauma that others are going through of losing homes, losing things that were physically and emotionally valuable, and losing their communities. Some say it’s just stuff. But it’s also home, and home is more than stuff. It’s a basic human need.

During the last big fires, I was in Bhutan, with the royal family right after the fires broke out. And the Princess said something I will always remember: that losing all your material possessions can also be a chance to start over, to start clean, to be reborn. It can be seen as a freedom to re-create yourself, with everything you now know today. So it’s of some consolation to hold this perspective simultaneously, if possible.

Anyway, this is just a brief email to thank you for all the messages, to remind you to keep LA in your thoughts as this is still ongoing, and to take the time to prepare for these types of disasters in your community. Generally, two different plans are needed: a shelter in place plan and an evacuation plan.

I do have some major updates to share with you, so I’ll send another message in about a week or so.

In the meantime, take every opportunity always to let those you love know how much you care about them. Make the people in your life more important than the stuff and plans. After all, perhaps that is our real home: the hearts of others that we live in, and the people who live in our hearts.

In times like these, we see that what’s really valuable are our relationships with ourselves, with others, and with those in our community. I’ve seen the best in people come out in the worst of times. So if you’re going to grow anything in 2025, don’t forget to grow these relationships.

Love,

Neil