The sun doesn’t check the time before it rises. It doesn’t peek around to see who’s awake, who’s ready, or who’s paying attention. It shows up because that’s what it does. Every single day. No permission required. Somewhere along the way, we start believing we should do the opposite. We wait. We lower our voice.Continue reading “Shine Anyway”
Tag Archives: empathy
The Storm That Made Sense Later
There are seasons in life that don’t make sense while you’re in them. Everything feels loud, messy, and unsettled. You’re doing your best just to keep your footing, wondering what you did wrong, or what you could have done differently to avoid the chaos. When you’re in the middle of a storm, perspective is aContinue reading “The Storm That Made Sense Later”
They Weren’t You, and That Was the Lesson
Most of our biggest disappointments with other people don’t come from what they did. They come from what we quietly assumed they would do. We assume they’ll respond the way we would. Think it through the way we would. Feel it as deeply as we would. Act with the same urgency, empathy, honesty, or careContinue reading “They Weren’t You, and That Was the Lesson”
The Smartest Update You’ll Ever Install
Somewhere along the way, we turned “changing your mind” into a weakness. Like it means you didn’t know enough. Like you got “caught.” Like you lost. But the older I get, the more I’m convinced it’s the exact opposite. The willingness to change your mind might be one of the clearest signs of intelligence thereContinue reading “The Smartest Update You’ll Ever Install”
The Bare Minimum We Owe Each Other
I’ve always flinched a little when someone says, “You don’t owe anyone anything.” I get what they’re trying to say. It usually comes from a place of self-preservation, boundaries, and not letting people walk all over you. And honestly, those are important lessons, especially for people who’ve spent too long giving too much of themselvesContinue reading “The Bare Minimum We Owe Each Other”
Same Storm, Different Boats
It’s comforting to say we’re all in the same boat. It makes hard seasons feel shared, equal, almost fair. But if we’re honest, that line falls apart pretty quickly. We’re not in the same boat. We’re in the same storm. The rain is hitting all of us. The wind is loud for everyone. The uncertaintyContinue reading “Same Storm, Different Boats”
Let Me Sit With You for a Minute
There are moments when the world seems determined to move you along. To speed you up. To push you toward a solution before you’ve even had time to feel what you’re feeling. You say something is hard, and almost immediately someone reaches for advice. A tip. A lesson. A bright side. As if discomfort isContinue reading “Let Me Sit With You for a Minute”
When a Drop Becomes a World
It’s funny how perspective works. To us, a drop of water is nothing—a blink, a bead on a window, a moment that dries before we even notice it. But to the ant, that same drop is a force of nature. A whole flood. A moment that changes everything. And the more you sit with that,Continue reading “When a Drop Becomes a World”
The Fights We Have, The Connection We Want
If you listen closely to most arguments, there’s always something softer hiding underneath the sharp edges. We show frustration, we raise our voice, we defend ourselves like we’re in a courtroom—but if you peel back just one layer, the whole thing usually comes down to something far more human. We want to feel chosen. WeContinue reading “The Fights We Have, The Connection We Want”
The Rarest Thing We Carry
We live in a world where everything looks polished, filtered, edited, and staged. It’s almost funny how often I come across perfectly curated moments online—sunsets that look like they were painted by AI, “candid” smiles that were obviously rehearsed, quotes that sound deep but mean nothing when you really sit with them. You don’t evenContinue reading “The Rarest Thing We Carry”
Kenrick Vaz 