You know those days where everything is set up to go smoothly—and then somehow, nothing does? Yeah. I just had another one of those mornings.

I had my water bottle prepped. I had my essential oils right there on the kitchen counter—Peppermint for focus, Citrus Fresh for a mood lift. My to-do list was written out the night before (a rare win!). But instead of starting my day with intention and clarity, I stood in the kitchen watching videos about productivity hacks while the diffuser sat there... bone dry.

I knew exactly what would help me feel better. So why couldn’t I just do the thing? And how does one little deviation from my morning routine throw me so totally off track for the rest of the day?

Well, I didn’t plan on breaking my right wrist in several places, but here we are. If life is about learning, then let’s just say I’ve been given a crash course in left-handed survival. 

How's it going, you ask? Let’s just say Stress Away and Valor have been in heavy diffuser rotation in recent days—especially when I drop the peanut butter jar trying to open it one-handed. But as much as I’d love to sit here and complain to you about how hard it is to apply peanut butter to toast with my non-dominant hand, I’ve decided instead to take this as an unexpected opportunity to grow—because apparently, forcing your brain to do things differently has some serious perks. Who knew?

When I was younger, I had this vision of what life would look like by now. I’d be effortlessly successful, totally put-together, and somehow still look 25—but better. My house would belong in a magazine, my life plan would be rock solid, and I’d be one of those people who just knew what they were doing all the time.

Fast-forward to today, and… well, let’s just say reality had other plans. Turns out, some of the things I thought would be important don’t actually matter at all. And the things that do? Yeah, I never saw those coming...

You know that thing I said I’d deal with later? Yeah, me neither. Because "later" usually turns into a mountain of stuff I don’t even remember committing to.

The other day, I came across a quote by Barbara Hemphill: “Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions.” And wow, did that hit home. So much of the stuff surrounding me—both physically and mentally—ended up here simply because I kept putting off a decision...

Since Eric passed away last November, I’ve been navigating grief and personal growth, learning how creative self-care and mindfulness can help with healing. Taking better care of myself—physically, mentally, and emotionally—has become a priority, and I’ve discovered that midlife reinvention often starts with small, intentional changes.

Writing about all of this in my blog has been a big piece of the puzzle for me and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon... so I hope you enjoy! Recently, my friend Jennifer and I decided to dive into another project that feels like a breath of fresh air for both of us: we started a podcast called "Folklore & Facts: Grandmas Getting to the Bottom of It."