“God could have kept Daniel out of the lion’s den. But God has never promised to keep us out of hard places. What He has promised is to go with us through every hard place, and bring us through victoriously.”
MERV ROSSELL
Close
“If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.” C.S. Lewis
Don’t Die In Another’s World
“Had I not created my whole world, I would certainly have died in other people’s.” Anais Nin
By: Gabriela Yareliz
Some of the most glorious moments of our journeys are the ones where we buck all expectations and cultural rules imposed, and we create our own operating system.
My rule is that the only opinion that matters is God’s. Once you know you are doing something in alignment with His character, nothing else matters. Everything else be damned. There are no rules to create a beautiful life but the ten.
We often live in so many prisons of our own making. Sometimes, we sit in the prisons others create for us. At times, it’s almost like we ask for permission to exist, to move, to believe, to stand tall, to move toward dreams, to leave our harm. We live suffocating slowly.
We must own our agency. We must shed what controls and manipulates us. We must wear our faith as a shield. We must speak in truth. We must rise with courage.
Belief by belief— brick by brick, build your own world.
All Sorts of Life
“That’s the kind of story I want to write, the kind that stops being writing and starts being life.” George Saunders
By: Gabriela Yareliz
The Chinese lunar new year. First night of Ramadan. Ash Wednesday. Resurrection Sunday peeks over the horizon on the other side of fasting and journey.
My express train going local. Sigh.
It’s weirdly “warm” compared to what we have had the past few weeks. It’s rainy and damp.
I am listening to old New York stories, and reminded that so many people around us have the most incredible stories. Each person a vault of life, that if tapped, reveals sparks of magic, insight and history that offers sudden understanding.
The stories we tell— these moments of transition have a way of reminding us of our points of transformations. The moments that make our voice break. The moments that make tears fill our eyes to the brim. The moments that make us break out in uncontained laughter. The moments that make us our most undeniably honest selves.
Other’s stories have the power to shift something deep inside of us, like a train that clicks onto a different track (like my currently rerouted train).
If we dare to talk; if we dare to listen— there is so much that deserves to be told, heard and passed on.
This Week’s Favorites 2.17.26
By: Gabriela Yareliz
Strawberry milk was my favorite as a kid. Speaking of favorites— these are some of the things that have caught my eye these past few days.
Megan Roup in conversation with Pia Mance (and yes, I did a The Sculpt Society workout shortly after).
This palette photo reminded me of college:
An interesting week with a dash of nostalgia.
(And it’s only Tuesday).
Are We Pacified?
“All you need to do is look at what they are good at and get better than them.” Andy Frisella
By: Gabriela Yareliz
What if comparison makes us better?
Yesterday, I saw some minutes of the women’s Olympic skiing. It was WILD. The speed, the way they are stacked in placement, and how one thing can affect the whole picture. The camaraderie, and also, the rivalries. Some win; others lose. Some return; others have run their last course.
I was listening to Andy Frisella, and I loved his conversation on athletes. The best coaches and athletes examine other teams and players. They compare. They learn how they make passes and how they move. Comparison is used for data, analysis and improvements. Comparison is used to win.
People who want excellence, look at others aspirationally and strive. Anyone who is competitive pays attention to the people around them, Frisella says.
Frisella argues that sometimes, the voice that says comparison is bad is the one trying to make it ok to be lazy. A voice that gives permission to the lesser version of you. The voice that stifles your growth. It’s a voice that does not work in your favor. Winners do not listen to that voice.
It’s important to weigh the information around us and wonder if it calls us to be better or if it attempts to silence the voices urging us toward growth. Does it draw us to our highest self? Does it strengthen the voices that lure us into complacency? Are we seeking to pacify ourselves and our insecurities?
Compare to win.
Spring Dreams
By: Gabriela Yareliz
Yesterday was our first day over 39F in weeks. The sun was shining, and I kept feeling like there was an important thought I had forgotten. I was racking my brain like a child shaking the last coin out of a piggy bank, all in efforts to remember the forgotten piece. While I never remembered what I forgot, I knew the world was thawing.
There is a constant drip-drip from the roofs; the snow and ice sheets on the streets are turning into streams. It was like Narnia after the winter curse is broken.
As the sun re-emerges, my mind can’t help but wander toward spring. I keep dreaming of a spring walk through Oyster Bay.
You just feel it in the air. We’ve tilted the scales of winter toward spring. It’s inevitable.
What will spring usher in?
More skirts- sheer is fun.
Shoes that aren’t boots- and colorful socks!
Cooler matchas– with fruit flavors.
Button down shirts- also bringing more color.
Sunglasses return- because it won’t be dark 24/7.
Brighter blush- the more color the better.
What are you looking forward to as we soon start to descend into a new season?
Cooking with Rosalía
A fun, chaotic and successful tortilla de patatas with Rosalía.
Best Self
“It’s no secret that you can’t be the best anything if you aren’t your best self.” Grey Huffington
By: Gabriela Yareliz
I am devising a plan to feel like I have a life again. Our habits and days are made of choices, and lately, it feels like all I do is work, commute (another full-time job), and sleep to do it all over again the next day.
Everything else— exercise, being present, communication, hell— even peeing, feels like a rushed moment. I am tired of feeling that anxiety and rush around human moments. It’s this ticking clock that if I don’t squeeze this thing in now, I won’t be able to that day.
In the past two weeks, I have heard at least twice that those human moments, whether it’s waking up, eating breakfast or the daily shower, show how much respect you have for yourself. How we move sends a message to ourselves.
As I heard this again recently, the image of me cramming breakfast into my mouth on a train platform popped into my head. About the only things I do in my house for sure before leaving is reading my Bible, tongue scraping and my makeup (and getting dressed of course). And it’s not about being hard in oneself; on the contrary, it’s about humanizing oneself.
Move with excellence, Emma Grede says.
If you, like me, sometimes feel like your own afterthought— it’s time to devise a different plan. One that relays respect to your own soul.
The Massie-Khanna Alliance
What Bobby said.
Listen, it’s my philosophy that you know a politician has integrity when both parties hate him/her while he/she keeps pushing accountability.
I am a fan of the bipartisan effort and work propelled forward by Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna. They seem to be the real deal. May they see all of this through with the backing of the American people.
Pam Bondi should have never landed this role in the administration. (Though I am sure she is fulfilling the role they had for her).
Justin Anderson said it well:
“Pam Bondi was not elected or appointed to protect predators, institutions, or power. Her only job is to serve the American people. Hiding the truth is not neutrality – it’s complicity. and history has never been kind to those who chose silence over justice.”
When you see the photos of children with their clothes off and the names of criminals redacted, you know decades of government and the current administration have failed. Some of our representatives, however, seem to be locked in.
GABRIELA YARELIZ 