virginia woolf's 1931 new years resolutions: “to have none. not to be tied. to be free & kindly with myself. sometimes to read, sometimes not to read. to go out, yes—but stay at home in spite of being asked. as for clothes, i think to buy good ones”

11:29 AM. i need to go out. i need to meet elders who say kind things to me. i need to talk with old, widowed women about love and affection. i need to hear stories from lonely, male writers. i need to see paintings of tattooed women in their 30s. i need to catch a glimpse of the world through the lenses of the experienced. i need to.. i need to.

/ Anais Nin / "I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me."

that james baldwin quote where he says, “it took many years of vomiting up all the filth i'd been taught about myself, and half-believed, before i was able to walk on the earth as though i had a right to be here."

Tolerating always turns to resentment. At first, you call it patience, then love. But what it really is, is self-abandonment. Every time you swallow a boundary, excuse a pattern, or silence your discomfort, something inside you keeps score. And eventually, the bill comes due.

my therapist advised, "learn to calm your own storm instead of venting to others. it may feel therapeutic to let it all out, but you reinforce negative thoughts. it’s no one’s job but yours to pull yourself out of your problems. journal, meditate, exercise, and release." felt that

Sometimes you really like someone… and still, you have to let go. Not because the feeling isn’t real, but because reality doesn’t allow you to build anything with them. And that’s where life puts you in front of one of its hardest lessons: desire doesn’t always mean destiny. Learning to accept that something moves you, but isn’t good for you; that there’s connection, but no future; that there’s chemistry, but no awareness.

It’s easy to believe you’re late when progress doesn’t look loud. When your life doesn’t match the timelines you see around you. When growth feels quiet, slow, or invisible. This prayer is for anyone carrying the weight of “I should be further by now.” A reminder that becoming is not a race, and God does not rush what is still forming. You’re not behind. You’re unfolding

People remember how you showed up, not how perfect you were. They remember your presence. Your words at the right time. The care you offered without being asked. They remember consistency. The way you stayed kind. The way you stayed real. What lasts is the connection. The moments that felt sincere. The human parts of you.

Life really gets serious the moment Gmail enters your daily app rotation because that’s when you realize you’re no longer just scrolling for fun, you’re waiting for decisions, deadlines, rejection letters, acceptance mails, invoices, and responsibilities wrapped in polite sentences. Instagram is for dopamine, WhatsApp is for chaos, but Gmail is where reality sits quietly, loading messages that can change your mood, your plans, or your entire week in one notification. That’s the exact point where life stops feeling optional and starts feeling official.