Warm Wishes

By: Gabriela Yareliz

First Star I See Tonight. I Wish I May, I Wish I Might, Have the Wish I Wish Tonight.

“Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? Because I could really use a wish right now.” B.o.B. ft. Hayley Williams, “Airplanes”

Yesterday, I saw bright specs hovering close to the bridge. Like seven of them, at least. I didn’t know what they were, but was intrigued by their brightness. They looked like a set of Christmas stars guiding the way. (I will enter wise man mode). Were they helicopters? Drones? But drones are illegal in NYC… I remember this from my iHeartRadio contract days… Don’t ask me how they got some of those shots.

I then realized they were not helicopters, but instead, they were silent. Today, I saw more. After a closer look in a moving car (spidey vision), looks like they are drones. If we make a wish on them, does that count? This better be the NYPD anti-terrorism unit. If it’s Chinese surveillance, that will be another balloon repeat. Also, do people look up? Have they noticed? I haven’t heard anyone talking about this.

I looked on Citizen App. There was nothing aside from the lost parakeet, which reminds me… did they find him? I will check…

Train Theater

“I don’t want to eat my lunch,” he yelped as he wiggled his way into the seat next to me on the train. I was typing an email balancing my thermos with one hand and slightly annoyed, tried to shift my weight away from him. Then, I recognized him. I had seen this man on the train before. He is the one man show. He often stands in corners and talks to himself while thugs threaten to beat him up if he doesn’t stop, but this time, I was a captive audience.

He suddenly shifted his voice into a higher pitch and sounding like a wicked stepmother from a Disney movie (why is it always the stepmother?) he replied to himself, “You have to eat it!!” He screeched like he was Bette Midler or something. “No!” he said forcefully.

I was going to turn to him to tell him he didn’t need to eat this invisible lunch he kept referencing, but then, decided not to get involved. What if he decided to fight with me as himself and his mom? How does one mediate that? Also, my pepper spray was lost at the bottom of my bag. Not the best moment for bravado. I am not a thug. I did want to comfort him, though.

Then, I proceeded to get lost in my thoughts. Why was there so much trauma around lunch? He wasn’t overweight or skinny. I wondered how many times his mother said the actual words he used while impersonating her. It made me wonder how weighty our words are in people’s lives and how they may end up replaying them for themselves until the end of time– or performing them on a train. Choose those words wisely.

He looked so normal– but clearly wasn’t. But then again, what is normal?

Abnormal

At some point this week, it dawned on me how desperately I have wanted people to see me as “normal” (whatever the hell that means) and as tough, in the past. I think that was always in the back of my mind, while growing up. I didn’t want to stand out, but then, I did, you know?

I think of all the hours I spent trying to cover my acne, stop the frizz and curling my hair for Christmas concerts at what was an all white school. I think the goal was to be cute like that girl from Love Actually. I was not. I was glittery though.

But then, you grow up, look around and decide that if this is normal and mainstream… if these are the books that grab people’s attention and the music people love– forget it. Who am I fooling?

I always loved weird and random stuff as a kid. Still do. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I could say with pride, I am not normal, and I don’t want to be. I am sensitive, serious and quirky, and you know what, THANK GOD.

I don’t think I beat the train guy on the abnormal meter, but I sat there next to him and didn’t argue with him or his “mom”. So that has to count for something, right?

Warm Up

After a day of court battles and compassion, nothing beats a winter shower. See– winter showers aren’t normal. (Again, what is?) I am someone who sometimes takes a long time to make it to the shower. I count the stars (and drones), I map out my wishes, I tuck Eddie in (if you know, you know), I read a little, I text, I check socials, I draw a little with my felt tip pen, I dillydally like a dweeb–

But in the winter, I don’t hesitate. Why? One word: Warmth. Showers in the winter are a chance to turn up the steam and stand there while the stress melts away and my goosebumps retreat. Not a day goes by where I don’t praise God for hot water. (Praise be!) My Wim Hof (the ice man) ways dwindle, and I am left with piping hot steam.

In an old pre-war cold NYC apartment, a hot shower is where you will find me. I will probably be praying the same wishes I made on those drones and wondering what is for lunch tomorrow. I, unlike the man on the train, will be eating it.

Scrapbooking In My Brain

Me in 2009

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Just had a blast from the past collecting some olds writings that pre-date this blog.

I saw old comments, old posts, old photos, people from the past, people who made it to the present. I saw my old journal entries. I got a little emotional. I won’t lie. There I was, bare on the page. Bold. In some ways, clueless about the world; in other ways, wise beyond my years.

I saw love, heartbreak, confusion, hard-fought successes and prayers in disappointments. I think back at that little me, and I smile. She had no idea what life was, what was coming or how wild her life would be. A wild f-ing adventure. I am glad she grew, and at the same time, I love her and am deeply and forever rooting for her.

I was encouraging and hilarious, but at times, rough and cutting with my words. I didn’t mask my dysfunction well. I used words like “fantabulous” and “sniffle” and was seriously obsessed with Shakespeare. I always loved Jesus and knew He was right there beside me. I did my best. I had amazing and supportive people around me. In many ways, they have no idea how much their encouragement and love meant to me. They had no idea what I was living through, and in many ways, neither did I.

I saw friends from camp, friends from church, high school friends, the guy I thought I was gonna marry (and thank God I didn’t), my teachers, my rants, my speeches, my figuring it all out– it was all there. I was wrong about some stuff. I was also wildly open despite my fears and youth. In the posts, it was clear I loved people and my friendships crossed cliques and lines. Despite navigating tough moments, I was fully alive.

As I deactivated the page again, reflecting on things and images that seemed like a lifetime ago, I only had one thought–

I am grateful for it all.

Pain, The Gift

Pain has a way of breaking us open, allowing space for us to see through the veneer at who we truly are.

We grow numb to the world; cold like porcelain— but then, suddenly, pain reminds us we are alive. Pain strikes the nerve; its force and imposition felt like a live wire.

Pain reminds us of the struggle we move through. It reminds us of the greatness we belong to.

It is odd that sometimes we forget— we forget our biggest dreams. We forget our deepest hopes. We forget our majestic fortitude. We forget the furious heartbeat we can sometimes hear pounding in our ears.

Our truest nature can be born out of the posture we maintain in pain. The open hands we maintain; the heart we leave open like a door to a place that feels like home to the weary visitor.

Pain can make us kinder, generous, softer, compassionate. Pain can make our voice and legs shake in our most valiant and grateful moments. The recipient of pain is often the holder and bestower of the greatest gift— love.

Pain continues to remind us of what is (blood-pumping life), what should be (Eden bliss) and what will be (an adventurous eternity).

She embraces us softly and whispers to us that we will emerge truer than true. We will be born old but new. The reward is great for he or she who endures.

November 2023 Favorites

Photo by Morgane Le Breton on Unsplash

This was a month that brought some magic. This month, I met one of my favorite writers and some pretty incredible women. I spent time in Manhattan, which I always love. I saw the homage to Matthew Perry at the Friend’s building. Speaking only for the city, we voted in the same criminals into public office. I got sooo back on track with my workout routine. I could have slept more, though.

We saw the coolest Jaeger-LeCoutre exhibit and ate the most beautiful pastries. We cooked up a delicious Thanksgiving dinner complete with these very cool mushroom burgers. I voted for my favorite dancers on DWTS (finale is next week). It got so cold. (SO cold, guys).

I didn’t read very much. I replaced my reading time with working out, so it was either read or sleep, but I am still making my way through three great books, little by little. With the bitter cold moving in on us, I know more quiet and warm evenings are in the future.

I wanted to flag that yours truly will be featured in the Hot Mess Free Virtual Summit. You can register and sign up here! If you are feeling the chaos, this season, or you just love being encouraged, make sure to support this beautiful project. I am honored to be a part of it.

And what can I say, the holidays also are a solemn reminder of the people we miss. Absence is always felt deeper. The world, each day, shows us it has gone mad. Yet, I know this adventure has a purpose. I recently heard the question, ‘Are we fit for the work ahead of us?‘ Whether we realize it or not, there is work laid out ahead of us. There is a role we are tasked with. Have we sat in the quiet to discern it and hear the guidance that will take us home?

Winter constantly reminds us that light shines brightest in the darkness. There is nothing to fear, because light shines out of darkness, and love, the greatest gift of all, will make us whole.

Wishing you, and yours, a beautiful festive season. Let nothing spoil the joy of knowing God came down to save us. Extravagant love changed the world and will change us, if we let it.

Post of the month: Reflecting on Courage and Rising

Quotes

“Thinking is my fighting.” Virginia Woolf

“Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think.” Jean de la Bruyere

“I have a kind of courage you do not understand. I am far from blind, far from indifferent, but I will not indulge in impotent, passive despair. I will not add to the despair of the world. I am working on counterpoisons… I create a space in which people can breathe, restore their faith and strength to live.” Anais Nin (YESSSSS)

“Writing is not life, but I think that sometimes it can be a way back to life.” Stephen King

“God will not protect you from anything that will make you more like Jesus.” Elisabeth Elliot

“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” William Shakespeare

C.S. Lewis addressing the fear of atomic bomb and the decay of the world: “This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.”

“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.” William Martin, Source: The Parent’s Tao Te Chin

“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” Henry David Thoreau

“We have let far too much go unchallenged. Too many lies have spread in the face of inaction as a result of fear or politesse. No more. Do not bite your tongue. Do not tremble. Do not go along with little lies. Speak up. Break the wall of lies. Let nothing go unchallenged. Our enemies’ failure is not assured and there is no cavalry coming. We are the cavalry. We are the last line of defense. Our civilization depends on us.” Bari Weiss, You Are the Last Line of Defense

“Face everything, you will survive anything.” Matt Higgins

“When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.” G.K. Chesterton

“We can’t withstand China, Russia, and Iran if we can’t explain to our populations why it matters that we do. We can’t fight woke ideology if we can’t defend the civilization that it is determined to destroy. And we can’t counter Islamism with purely secular tools. To win the hearts and minds of Muslims here in the West, we have to offer them something more than videos on TikTok.” Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Why I am Now a Christian

“If you want to be rare in this world, never give up on hope. Hope is the singular power that can destroy apathy and give you the strength to endure the dark violence of the human story.” Erwin McManus

“My head is a hive of words that won’t settle.” Virginia Woolf

“There is no loss too small to grieve. If you feel the loss, acknolwedge it by grieving. Grief recognizes the void and invites God to fill it up with Himself.” Debra Fileta

“I wanted God to meet me in faith, but He met me in faithfulness.” Erwin McManus

“The healer also needs healing. The planner also needs surprises. The giver also needs to receive. The thoughtful also needs to be thought of. The considerate also needs to be considered.” The Good Quote

“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy. Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink.” Stephen King

Articles and Things

Career rules from the late Charlie Munger

Prepare + Enrich THE HIDDEN COMPLEXITIES OF HOUSEHOLD TASKS

Another favorite dance (my first favorite is here):

These precious critters.

Argentina elected a new president. Loved this coverage of it. Made me smile.

I listened to the art of energy management.

These Mind Shift Pods were gold:

I also re-watched Breakfast at Tiffany‘s and appreciated Holly just a bit more.

Then, back to energy management…

Played this on repeat!

People Who Intrigue Me

Jamie Kern Lima (Founder of IT Cosmetics and Author of Worthy)

Jim Kwik (Coach and Author of Limitless)

Already time for December.

The Unfinished Attic

By: Gabriela Yareliz

The current dropping temperatures and howling wind remind me of winter as a kid. I would take my favorite Christmas catalog and set a cushion or pillow by the heater vent on the floor (old Northern houses), and I would bring a blanket and get cozy and read. Every girl or doll had a story. I created all sorts of stories in my head. I would cut them out and create little booklets and slip the pages into those plastic slip covers that made it look glossy. (Bless my parents for never rationing my computer paper stash. While they printed, I was out here making snowflakes and fake tabloids.)

Maybe twice, I snuck up to the attic at my great aunt’s house. An old old house in Michigan. I still don’t know what that attic looked like, properly lit. It was intensely dark. I would tiptoe until I reached a point of incredible darkness. I was sure that past that point one would fall through the floor into the wall of the house or into some abyss. It felt like the end of the flat earth to me. Beyond that point was free fall. I would tiptoe around hearing the faint noise of a Chicago Bulls game downstairs and voices talking. It always remained a mystery. God only knows what that blueprint looked like. Maybe, it was just an optical illusion. Much of life is.

Sometimes, when I would wash the dishes propped up on my chair, I would peer around and any little light I saw counted for a wish. All you had to do was believe. (If you didn’t wish upon a star— I don’t know what to tell you. Try it sometime. Yes, I am a dreamer).

I adored all the string lights that would dangle from the houses. I loved the little lamps that lined the snowy paths up to the front doors. I loved seeing people’s Christmas trees through their foggy windows. I still do.

As someone who has realized they probably have an addiction to cortisol, the idea of wintering leaves me unsure of how to proceed. Winter invites us into a stillness. I tiptoe around this dark attic, wondering— if I don’t stop, will I fall off the floor into a pocket of the wall?

The winter darkness reminds us to not keep tiptoeing into the darkness but to gravitate toward the twinkling lights. They shine and dance for us. The little warm lights— they lead us home. Back to the cozy corner padded with blankets by the floor vent where the world disappears, and we stay enthralled with all the possibilities.

That Slow-burn Passion

Dance is magical when it makes us feel something.

I think last night we saw the dance of the season on DWTS. It was a tango.

As I watched, I found it to be a beautiful reflection of my Latin culture.

Dances, I feel, reflect emotions and personalities. The jive is a peppy one. The waltz is majestic. I think dances like salsa are loud and joyful and reflect a contingent of the culture who is passionate like that. We all know those larger-than-life personalities. I know many.

I have to say that for being Hispanic, I don’t fall into that category. I am not loud. I am more on the serious, quiet side. But that doesn’t make those of us who are like that any less passionate. I think this dance depicted another type of passion. It wasn’t loud. It was serious and precise but burning the place down. I loved it. It was, if I use a word I have heard to describe me, “intense.”

The leg ganchos are everything. Daniella Karagach always brings it with her creativity. This one goes out to the intense, serious ones with the slow-burn passion.

Jason, go win that Mirror Ball trophy!

Destiny

At the age of twelve, the word “destiny” began to fascinate me. I think Billy Shakespeare did that to me. I began thinking about it in a nuanced way, intertwined with the idea that we all have free will and always have a choice. The word “destiny” then sort of was replaced by “purpose.”

I saw the trailer for the Napoleon movie. I must watch it. In my adolescence, Napoleon was someone who fascinated me (still does, who am I kidding?). As a true francophile, I read a lot about him. I remember I once sent in a question about him to a live Amazing Facts conference on Bible prophecy and world history.

Napoleon is flawed like any human who gasps this air we share, but what I have always found interesting about him was his sense of destiny. He was clear on who he was and where he was going. He was unstoppable. (The man kidnapped the pope, for crying out loud!)

I am drawn to people who feel purpose deeply, and I think it’s because I feel it, too. (Probably sounds odd, and no, I am not saying I am gonna leave some sort of footprint like Napoleon). This isn’t something we talk much about, and this morning, God nudged me to listen to a message. I needed to hear it. I heard words that I resonated with deeply because I believed and held them as my own personal belief even before I heard them from someone else. I was busy making tea, when I heard them spoken through my headphones, and I literally stopped in my tracks. I blinked. I smiled.

This mindset has been present for me in my own life, and I wanted to share this quote because I have never heard it articulated so beautifully. Leave it to Erwin McManus to do that.

I believe the Creator has instilled in each of us a sense of purpose. I think in scripture it is clear that many were born with a specific purpose– look at the prophets and kings. And then, you have stories of those who run from their purpose. Look at Samson, Jonah…

As William Wilberforce says in Amazing Grace about God finding him– “Do you have any idea how inconvenient that is?”

You have a story like Saul, when he runs into Jesus and is converted to Paul. This changed the course of his entire life. If we are humble and willing, if we don’t run and waste the purpose, God finds us and transforms us to do His great works, and often, that changes history.

The quote below explains my magnetism to McManus. This common thread sews us together. I once did a Bible study based on his book Wide Awake, and I got feedback that a lot of people didn’t connect to it. Be real; life isn’t this grand or dreamy, I was told. But the life of the author says otherwise.

It’s tough to articulate this knowledge because you can end up sounding downright delusional, but this has been the best way I have seen how:

[This quote is transcribed from the Mind Shift Masterclass by Erwin McManus.]

“I had an insane sense of destiny.

I’m making $10-12,000 a year. Kim and I are sleeping on the floor when we were first married. No one saw any potential or talent or gifting in me. I didn’t talk about it out loud because it would be arrogant. I didn’t talk about it out loud because it would seem like I was detached from reality.

I had an insane sense of destiny.

I believed that I was put on this planet to make a difference; to leave a mark in human history. I believed that God called me out to do something that was gonna be breathtaking, extraordinary, unexplicable, and I carried it every day in my heart.

So, here I was living the most seemingly insignificant life. Didn’t matter ’cause it wasn’t insignificant because I was on a journey. It’s not something you really talk about because it seems so inappropriate, but you couldn’t take that away from me. I believed I was created to do something that mattered in the world.

No one else is responsible to help me fulfill my destiny– that was on me. There was this tension of destiny, of calling, to do something God called me to but of personal responsibility, ownership. That this is something I have to create from personal responsibility and agency.

You have to make the decision that you are going to live your life as if you are unstoppable.”

I carry it in my heart every day, too. I hope you do, too. Be unstoppable.

Reflecting on Courage and Rising

By: Gabriela Yareliz

We near the end of this year. This morning, I came across the words, “Courage, dear heart,” written by C.S. Lewis. Those words came to mean something so much more profound to me this year. I read and held onto them before one of the darkest seasons of my own personal experience. I had no idea the grief and pain that was around the corner, and yet God was already whispering to me, “courage.” I recorded those words and thoughts here. And then, again here.

Even before that, the phrase that came to me in January of 2023 was “Arise.” I wrote about it here. The song that reflects on Lazarus’ rising from the dead (by CAIN) was on my heart. I didn’t understand it in the way I do now. I had no idea what the year had in store. Few of us did. As I look back now (hindsight is always fascinating), I realize God speaks to us and prepares us for what He knows is ahead, as we unknowingly wander in. As Pastor Shane said today, that is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides us to all truth and tells us what is to come. (John 16:13)

At the beginning of 2023, I didn’t know I was going to go through a year of death. There was a quite literal death and deep loss experienced with the loss of my father-in-law, who I absolutely adore. And following that, came a confusion that only people who have been plunged into a deep grief recognize. A fog. A confusion. A standstill. A pain, later followed by many tiny personal deaths.

I was only half jokingly remarking to someone close to me that this year was cursed. I am not so sure I am sad to see it go. It left me feeling stripped, with loss touching almost every aspect of my life.

And yet, I am writing to you here. I am in a much better place. A lot of us are. I feel like a different person. A lot of us are. There are moments where life irreversibly changes. Like burning paper. A chemical reaction occurs, and you can’t go back. This was one of those “burning paper” years. (I see myself in high school chemistry burning paper on a Bunsen burner). So, while I may say it was cursed, as I have learned through coaching, there is always joy that can be found in pain.

“If you are passionate about something, you will suffer for it,” Pastor Shane said today. There is something about being relentless through pain. Despite it being a face-numbing year, I felt God’s presence in the darkness. I met a remarkable woman this month at a community event, and while we hadn’t hit a religious note in our conversation, I surprised myself when I blurted out that life brings us a certain darkness. Certain, meaning, it touches us all-guaranteed. We can’t evade it. Yet, I know we are never alone, I explained. This woman, who had undergone volumes of suffering I have never been touched by, told me she knew it for certain, too. We are never alone. God is with us. God also heals us as we spend time in His presence. A scripture that brought tears to my eyes recently was, “His banner over me is love.” Song of Solomon 2:4

I wrote on January 15, 2023 (in Rise), “May you allow Him to make you truly alive. […] Life is hope. There is no room for despair. Arise.” And I still feel that in my bones. I had no idea how deeply I would need those words. How many of us would.

“Faith changes the end of the story. Always. There is no exception. No exceptions. That is something I feel in my very depth.” (Rise)

Debra Fileta wrote something I so resonate with. She wrote, “The best way I know to describe the heavy burden of grief and loss is to say that the load itself never gets lighter– but you get stronger.” After everything– I can say I feel stronger.

To circle back to C.S. Lewis’ Aslan and Lucy:

“Aslan” said Lucy “you’re bigger”.
“That is because you are older, little one” answered he.
“Not because you are?”
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

― C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian

I feel a strength that comes from finding Him bigger. He continues to show up in my life, and as I get older, I see just how grand He truly is.

This year is almost gone. We have two months that I know will fly by. As I journal and reflect over a year that has felt like a decade of change, I want to circle back to my year’s word, rise.

When He said your name
The thing that filled your veins
Was more than blood
It’s the kind of love
That washes sin away
Now the door is open wide
The stones been rolled aside
The old is gone
The Light has come
So come on and

Come on and rise up
Take a breath, you’re alive now
Can’t you hear the voice of Jesus calling us
Out from the grave like Lazarus
You’re brand new
The power of death couldn’t hold you
Can’t you hear the voice of Jesus calling us
Out from the grave like Lazarus
Rise up, like Lazarus

CAIN

Rise up. The old is gone. The Light has come.

October 2023 Favorites

Yesterday, I saw a discount Harry Potter posing for photos in the dark and another full grown man in his mid-thirties in a Spiderman suit. An elderly man wearing black rollerbladed across the West Side Highway in the dark with his arms up. A dog skateboarded in Union Square. The Brooklyn Bridge was shut down because of protests. A man in one of those bike rickshaws decided to plunge his patrons into the unending traffic as he charged per minute (he ain’t no fool). Welcome to Manhattan in October 2023.

The month of October is often filled with delightful things and nature’s glorious scenes. The tiny skinny leaves have turned yellow and are carpeting the sidewalks. Some trees remain green in the background, still confused with the weather and fluctuating temperatures.

Yesterday was a summer day, and today, it is rainy and cool, and a perfect day to watch Frasier or Just Shoot Me!. I have candles lit and the playlist Autumn Jazz playing in the background.

The apples are ripe and delicious. I have a nice plate of them on my table, minus the smaller one that weirdly exploded in the sack. I learned, this year, that there are more than 7,000 varieties of apples. One of the most interesting names I heard was the King David apple. Speaking of King David, the attacks on Israel this month has shocked many of us to our cores. The violence on civilians and also nonsensical hate everywhere made October a month of grief. And speaking of loss, we also lost Matthew Perry yesterday. The world can’t catch a break.

It has been a busy month. I have been doing a lot of recordings, videos, and prep for conferences and other things coming soon for Modern Witnesses, my passion project. Our gift guides there are dropping soon. I keep brainstorming around our gratitude challenge, and other fun upcoming things.

October… Traffic was wild. Pizza wait times were unheard of. Trader Joe’s looked like the hunger games.

I spend mornings and evenings trying to pick out gifts for those in my life. I have to say, this year, I am really at a loss as to what to get for people. Also, in the midst of so much tragedy in the world and the fact that the world is teetering on the edge of something– it feels like we have so much.

The month was so busy that I didn’t read as much as I usually do. I did finish Blackout by Candace Owens, which was excellent. It is one of those books that belongs in the permanent library.

I am excited to try Tasha Franken Studios pilates, this upcoming month. This week, I will get the opportunity to meet someone I have admired for a long time (years). I am taking very seriously the post of the month called Daring to be Alive.

Below are some of my favorites from the month. There are less quotes, as I read less, and more talks– the ones I listened to on a packed train on my way to the office. Happiest November. I have a feeling it will be a month that feels like a blur. I will be weaving in and out of different trials. The holidays are upon us! Time to read the almanac…

Quotes

“In a world of cortisol spikes, make feeling safe in your body a priority.” @theholisticvenus

“When we lie, we become unhealthy. When we believe a lie, we become unhealthy. When we live a lie, we become irreparably unhealthy because humans are designed for truth.” Erwin McManus

“Truth emerges out of trust, and trust emerges out of trustworthiness.” Erwin McManus

“There is no difference between communism and socialism, except the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism –by vote.” Ayn Rand

“You know something is truth not because it is objective but because truth becomes a subjective transformational power that changes you.” Erwin McManus

“The only people I would care to be with now are artists and people who have suffered: those who know what beauty is and those who know what sorrow is. Nobody else interests me.” Oscar Wilde

“A writer is a world trapped inside a person.” Victor Hugo

Articles + Stuff

How to Light the Dark Months

Free Press: (Two Murders) The Cost of ‘Luxury Beliefs’

Woke Ideology is a Murderous One by Noelle Mering

This month, I started reading Mind Shift, and this accompanying series was fire:

This one was my favorite:

This tribute to Len Goodman made me cry:

People Who Intrigue Me

Chef Benny Rivera (of CityCakes)

Candace Owens

“November comes, and November goes. With the last red berries And the first white snows. With night coming early and dawn coming late, ice in the bucket and frost by the gate. The fires burn, and the kettles sing, And earth sinks to rest until next spring.”

Clyde Watson

May your November be lived fiercely. xx

Some Chandler Nostalgia

Rest in peace, Matthew Perry. Friends was a big part of my childhood (and I think any 90s kid’s memories). Yesterday’s news made us all feel a pang in the chest and knot in our throat. It feels too soon. Thank you, Matthew, for all the laughs. Chandler and Monica were my favorite couple. I lived for their secret dates behind Ross’ back. 😂 #BingForever

Could we be any more sad? No.