September 2024 Favorites

By: Gabriela Yareliz

It’s officially autumn!!! (Yes, that deserves three exclamation points). Man, I love this season.

The mornings are dark and glowy. It’s raining as I type this, and I am playing an “Autumn Jazz” playlist. The diffuser is going with all the yummy oils. The only word that comes to mind is “glow.”

I am grateful my family and friends are safe after Hurricane Helene. My heart always hurts when I see places I love, rocked. (I LOVE YOU, FLORIDA). If people are made of places, as Elizabeth Brewster says, I am made of you, Florida. Praying for all affected on the East Coast. The devastation is real. Our government should be doing more in response to the loss and chaos.

I was discussing my word of the year with my mom this month– that word is “miracle.” I didn’t understand why, but it was the word that came to me. I read an entry from Marianne Williamson’s book A Year Of Miracles every morning, but aside from that, I saw no relevance– until this month. This month, I did.

I saw God intervene in an incredible way in a situation I had been praying about (and miserable in) for months. God is always right on time. I can’t go too in the weeds, but I tell you this to encourage you in case you are waiting for your own miracle. God is near.

What did I do this month? I put up a fall garland. Brought out some velvet textures in tablecloth. On 9/11, I nervously took the train and remembered this day in 2001. When I arrived to the office, I closed my office door and cried. In the evening, my husband got us tickets to see Elizabeth Strout, one of our favorite writers. She was all-together lovely. I left inspired. I want to be her friend. (In my head, we are besties). We drove through Tribeca and saw the twin tower lights.

Later in the month, I saw Erwin McManus and Aaron McManus do a live recording of the Mind Shift Podcast. (The podcast is below among the YouTube videos, if you are interested). It was a blessed evening. I got a cute Mosaic NYC hat (and it’s white. My nonpractical self came out when my husband asked me which hat I would like. He is always sweet like that).

We visited the Madewell Denim Atelier for treats. My husband got me a cloche that had caught my eye. We walked around like crazy.

We saw a Sinatra-type concert at the San Gennaro festival that filled my heart with so much joy. Music then was something else.

I finished the book The Perfect Couple (now a Netflix movie). It was the best Elin Hilderbrand book so far. A great summer read to close out the summer with 39 books read in 2024 (so far).

I started lifting more weights and modifying workouts. I wrote about it here, in the only post of the month. More to come on that journey.

It was a month of interesting news: Eating the dogs and cats, the ABC debate whistleblower, Olivia Nuzzi’s nudes and RFK “chased by porn”, they conveniently and finally decided to see Eric Adam’s corruption, Sean “Diddy” Combs is in prison, they tried to kill Trump again, Lana Del Rey married her alligator tour guide… You can’t say September was boring.

I have some serious seasonal decluttering to do.

Here we are. Autumn, we are here for you and all you might bring. (Jazz plays in the background).

Quotes

“Beware, for I am fearless, and therefore, powerful.” Mary Shelley

“Discipline is nothing but self-respect at the highest level.” Unknown

“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” Abraham Lincoln

“A leader is a dealer of hope.” Jon Gordon

“Smart people learn from everything and everyone. Average people from their experiences. Stupid people already have all the answers.” Socrates

“The truth, however, ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it.” Agatha Christie

“You are worth a full night of sleep. You are worth a good walk outside. You are worth being loved and loving others. You are worth being content at work. You are worth pursuing joy. Please don’t give up on yourself. You are worth your full attention.” Dr. John Delony

“Generations are impacted when a woman lives with hope in her hands.” Kristi McLelland

“In life, you must be a warrior, and war requires realism. While others may find beauty in endless dreams, warriors find it in reality, in awareness of limits, in making the most of what they have.” Robert Greene

“There is no such thing as lying, or theft, or fraud, and so on, because everything, everything is seen and accounted for and known. Everything one does is inscribed in this record of one’s life, a record that then affects oneself, one’s conditions, the music one makes for oneself, one’s family, the world.” Naomi Wolf

“People find healing in places where they are heard, not gaslit. Seen, not ignored. Loved, not shamed. These are the deepest medicines.” Dr. Will Cole

“Somewhere in the world there is a defeat for everyone. Some are destroyed by defeat, and some made small and mean by victory. Greatness lives in one who triumphs equally over defeat and victory.” John Steinbeck

Stuff

Whitney Cummings – How To Build Self Esteem, Heal Trauma, & Self Reflect in Challenging Environments

Pilates cured my decade of chronic pain from an injury and rheumatoid arthritis

The Talented Ms. Nuzzi: Exclusive Insight into the Sexting Scandal Between RFK Jr. and Olivia Nuzzi