Honest storytelling as a form of healing.

Category: Reflective moments

  • Filling your own cup

    Filling your own cup

    On a daily basis, we rush.

    Coffee to go.

    A lid slapped on top of a life we don’t have time to sit with.

    But today was different.

    Today, I made my coffee at home.

    In my own cup.

    At my own pace.

    Do you fill your cup?

    I walked around in my slippers, no destination, just presence. I stood by the window while the icy winter weather wrapped itself around the streets, everything slowed and hushed, and for once, I didn’t feel late to my own life.

    I thought about what’s coming.

    About what I want.

    About what I’ve been avoiding by staying in survival mode.

    And it hit me just like I took the time to make that cup, I have to make my future. Deliberately. Patiently. With my own hands. No rush. No shortcuts. No “to-go” version of the life I actually want.

    This week marks the return to what I was always meant to be focused on. Not scrambling. Not reacting. But tending.

    Because I can’t bloom properly if I’m always running.

    And neither can the life I’m building.

  • Cross it off your list

    January doesn’t ask for reinvention.

    It asks for honesty.

    The world is quieter. The days are slower. And if you’re anything like me, your body and mind are still catching up after everything the year before demanded.

    This month, I’m choosing self-love in its most practical form not as a trend, not as perfection, but as care that meets me where I am.

    This is my January self-love bucket list. No pressure. No timelines. Just reminders.

    Speak kindly to yourself every day

    Not affirmations shouted into the mirror but soft corrections when the inner voice turns sharp.

    The way you’d speak to someone you love who’s doing their best.

    Set boundaries to protect your peace

    Peace isn’t something you earn after burnout.

    It’s something you protect before you get there.

    Move your body in a way that feels good

    Not punishment. Not obligation.

    Just movement that reminds you you’re alive — even on days when energy is low and motivation is thin.

    Plan a solo date doing something you love

    Coffee alone. A museum. A long walk.

    Time with yourself counts.

    Celebrate your wins (big or small)

    Getting through the day is a win.

    Showing up tired is a win.

    Resting when you need to is also a win.

    Start a positive morning routine

    Nothing elaborate.

    One candle. One deep breath. One intentional moment before the noise begins.

    Get off your phone & enjoy the moment

    Presence is a form of self-respect.

    Journal about things you love about yourself

    Not who you’re becoming.

    Who you already are.

    Treat yourself to a cozy self-care evening

    Warm drinks. Soft lighting. Early sleep.

    You don’t need to justify rest.

    January is not about proving anything.

    It’s about rebuilding trust with yourself slowly, gently, honestly.

    If all you do today is survive and take one small step toward care, that is more than enough.

    You’re allowed to move at the speed of your healing.

  • What’s your Word for 2026

     I don’t pick a word lightly.

    Each one has been a crossing.

    2023 was Surrender.

    Not weakness release.

    Letting go of control when survival demanded trust.

    2024 was Authenticity.

    Choosing truth even when it cost comfort.

    Even when it stripped me bare.

    2025 became Power.

    Not dominance.

    Power as self-respect, boundaries, voice reclaimed.

    And 2026 is Sovereignty.

    My word for 2026

    Because after surrendering,

    after remembering who I am,

    after reclaiming my power

    the only next step is ownership.

    Sovereignty is full agency.

    Over my body.

    My time.

    My energy.

    My choices.

    No more asking permission to live in alignment.

    No more negotiating my needs.

    No more shrinking to keep the peace.

    This word didn’t arrive suddenly.

    It accumulated.

    Layer by layer.

    Year by year.

    Sovereignty is the culmination.

    The pinnacle.

    The quiet, unshakeable knowing:

    I govern my own life.

    And I’m standing on that fully.

    What is your word for 2026?

  • Yule Simmerpot: Honoring the return of the Light

    Yule Simmerpot: Honoring the return of the Light

    Yule marks the Winter Solstice  the longest night of the year  when the dark pauses, and the light begins its slow return.

    This isn’t about doing more.

    It’s about remembering.

    The simmer pot is one of the oldest ways to honor this turning of the wheel. As the scent rises, so does intention not forced, not loud, just steady and warm.

    You’ll need:

    • 1 orange, sliced (sun + renewal)

    • Cranberries (life force, continuity)

    • Cinnamon sticks (protection, warmth)

    • Whole cloves (grounding, clarity)

    • Optional: star anise, rosemary, or vanilla for comfort and calm

    How to:

    Add everything to a pot, cover with water, bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat.

    Let it carry you through the day. Refill with water as needed.

    As it simmers, you don’t need to speak intentions out loud.

    Yule isn’t about asking it’s about trusting the return.

    Even in stillness.

    Even in cold.

    Light is on its way.

  • Intentions of a Writer

    Intentions of a Writer

    I sat down with the intention to write a poem.

    Not to impress, not to perform  just to let something honest come through.

    But almost immediately, the questions arrived.

    Is it good enough?

    Will it be understood?

    Will it reach anyone at all?

    What starts as a desire to express something real can so easily turn into self-surveillance. I wondered if my words sounded cliché, or worse self important.

    As if wanting to learn the language of poetry required permission. As if feeling deeply was something to apologize for.

    So instead of writing, I stared at the page.

    Negotiated with myself.

    Edited thoughts before they could even breathe.

    What’s your motivation?

    Days passed like this. Pages stayed empty. Not because there was nothing inside me  but because I forgot why I started writing in the first place.

    The truth is, my words were never meant to convince anyone of anything. They weren’t meant to be understood by everyone, or even received at all.

    They were meant to be a form of healing.

    And they still are.

    When I remember that, the page softens.

    The pressure dissolves.

    And the poem writes itself not for an audience, but for my own becoming.

  • Procrastination versus Determination 

    Procrastination versus Determination 

    There’s a moment when the waiting dissolves

    not because the universe finally called your name,

    but because you finally heard your own.

    Today I realized something I kept sidestepping:

    I’ve been orbiting my dreams like a moon unsure of its own gravity.

    Close enough to feel them,

    far enough to delay them.

    It wasn’t fear of the work.

    It wasn’t lack of opportunity.

    It was the quieter truth

    I hadn’t given myself full permission to begin.

    But once that truth landed, it didn’t wound me.

    It cleared the room.

    If the barrier is internal,

    then so is the breakthrough.

    So now I shift:

    what have you put to the side for too long?

    Not into frenzy, but into devotion.

    Not into rushing, but into deliberate movement.

    Not into proving, but into becoming.

    This chapter opens because I open it.

    The momentum exists because I create it.

    The life I want inches closer every time I choose myself on purpose.

    No shrinking.

    No rehearsing.

    No waiting for a sign that I’ve already become.

    It’s me.

    It’s now.

    Watch this unfold.

    Now is the time to step into achieving what you have held yourself from.

  • December: A Return to Intention

    December: A Return to Intention

    I’m bringing back something I used to love doing on my old blog. Setting intentions for the month ahead.

    Even though December is the final stretch of the year (and honestly… can someone explain how 2025 evaporated this fast?), I want to rebuild this habit now, not later.

    December feels like a doorway. And I want to walk into it with clarity.

    December Intentions

    Next month, I want to:

    • Reconnect with my socials share more on my blog and Instagram with intention, not pressure.

    “December holds space for all of us to choose intention over autopilot.”

    • Shift into documenting my running journey. I am running. I am training. My future marathon starts now.

    • Dive deeper into my yoga practice and meditation, and share pieces of that path.

    • Go on different small adventures  the simple kind that remind me I’m alive.

    • Visit the Rockefeller Center tree.

    • Take my girls to see Santa. ( let my inner child enjoy the magic of the season too)

    • Say yes to more art classes and creative play.

    • Set up my Project Life album and prepare to document 2026.

    • Work on my December Daily and actually enjoy the process.

    • Be mindful, kinder to my body, and more aware of the choices that support the version of me I’m becoming.

    December is the last chapter of the year, but it’s also the preview of who I’m choosing to step into next.

  • Hello November

    Hello November

    I can’t believe how quickly we opened and closed our eyes and here we are. Two months away from saying goodbye to 2025. But that doesn’t mean these next two months can’t be full; full of goals, movement, and maybe even a few promises we made to ourselves back in January waiting to be fulfilled.

    For me, November arrives carrying a milestone,my milestone birthday.

    At the start of the year, I had grand plans. I imagined celebrating on a warm island, drink in hand, ocean breeze in my hair. Then that dream shifted to standing before a roaring waterfall, feeling small and alive at once. But in the end, it seems I’ll be alone in a small city hopefully holding a grand latte watching as life moves around me.

    And I’m okay with that.

    If this year has taught me anything, it’s this:

    Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

    Don’t expect others to carry your dream.

    The dream is yours it’s yours to protect, nurture, and bring to life.

    I’ve learned to slow down. To mind my words. To keep company that values my time the way I value theirs. There’s a shift happening inside me maybe it’s this milestone birthday, or maybe it’s the long-awaited awakening I’ve been chasing for years. Whatever it is, I feel ready.

    This November, I want to live authentically.

    I’m starting with Thankful 30  documenting each day something that keeps me grounded in gratitude.

    I want to pause, reflect, and notice the small things that make me whisper thank you.

    So I’ll ask you:

    What are you doing this month for yourself?

  • Few of My Favorite Fall Things

    Fall is arriving with its soft golden light, and I’m holding close to the little things that make me feel alive.

    What will you capture this Fall?

    For me Fall is my favorite season although I must say this Spring & Summer really showed out. They really were seasons to remember.

    At the start of this month I was able to purchase My Hobonichi planner for 2026 they will be the pages that will be filled with ink,stories and dreams. 

    Hobonichi goodness for 2026

    Making time to go to cafés like Hide and Seek, where I will find myself writing freely, no clock, no shift just me and words. 

    Pop-ups that remind me the city is alive with surprises.

    Photo booths, popping up everywhere, capturing fleeting moments like pressed leaves between pages.

    Capture the moment

    This season, I will remind myself: my end goal is simple but sacred.

    Writing whenever possible in places I am the most content so I am able to build a life where I create on my own terms.

    These small joys aren’t just favorites of Fall; they’re stepping-stones toward the life I’m manifesting.

    What’s your favorite part of Fall? 🍁