0052

I’m late to this little trend, but here we go.

Unfortunately, I do love...

Being in bed by 9pm. Diptyque candles. Astrology memes. Slow living. Big lunches, skipped dinners. Winter weather. Staying off social. Solitude. Hogwarts aesthetic. Leggings every day. Collecting fonts. Pink wine in spring. Negative space. Staying home. Minimalism. Written word over spoken. Neutral colors. A cheeky bourbon. Expensive stationery.

0051

I’m a quiet soul. I like people, but I don’t always enjoy being around them. I just really love being home, alone. I don't get bored, I never get lonely. I feel calm and peaceful in my own company. I enjoy being able to hear my own thoughts. I like not having to listen to someone’s “hot take” on the latest news cycle or their thoughts on AI. I like having nowhere to be.  I like spending hours with a nice pen and a blank notebook. I love reading, and I love watching my favorite comfort tv shows on repeat. I like eating the same simple meals. I feel most myself in solitude.

0050

a little poem

i have spent my life, feeling too small
the space too big, i couldn’t fill it all
they asked for a sun, sparkling and bright
i, a small crescent moon on a wintery night
they needed a daughter, they wanted a friend
love, i was told, means having to bend
i’ve perfected the chatter, i’ve mastered the charm
that it’s not what i want, causes no one alarm
showing your face is how you show them you care
confess that my heart prefers ink, i could never dare
this is human they say, this is what you should want
i smile and nod, though it feels like a taunt
they delight in the butterfly, lovely in june
i envy the caterpillar in its cocoon
they ache for connection, their intentions are pure
i’m strange and i’m different, of this much i’m sure

0049

You’re not failing at connection when you protect your own energy. You’re choosing honesty over performance, clarity over obligation. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for the people you love is to show up only when you can show up fully—and in the way you can show up fully. Not half-there, not performing, not stretched thin, not wishing you were somewhere else. And the kindest thing you can do for yourself is to stop beating yourself up for doing what’s right for you.

0048

You can’t change them, you can’t shape their behavior, and the truth is, you shouldn’t want to. They were not put here to please you, even if they’re family, even if they’re a friend. It is shortsighted and unkind to expect everyone to be wired to want what you want, to live like you live. Their values and personalities are their own. A peaceful life requires releasing the desire to make someone else’s life path your business, and detangling your own happiness from other people’s choices.

0047

Life is better when nobody knows what you’re up to.

0046

Things introverts like

Solo plans.
Cancelled plans.
No plans.

0045

A simple trick for hacking inner piece. Frequently and often ask yourself:

Is getting upset about this going to improve my life?

0044

You are allowed to build a deeply private life. The kind that makes no sense to anyone but you, the kind you refuse to explain, the kind that sometimes ruffles feathers because it denies others easy access to your energy and attention.

0043

Listen, extrovert. I'm not over here sulking because you don't send me handwritten letters or 3am emails about the universe, so you don’t get to decide I don’t care about you because I don’t want to come to your party or meet you for avocado toast and mimosas. Signed, an introvert.

0042

The more space you make in your life to feel outraged, wounded, or inconvenienced, the less space you’ll have to experience joy, delight, and peace.

0041

Unhappiness stems less from other people not acting in the way we want them to act, and more other people not acting in the way we want them to want to act.

0040

My first step toward a peaceful life was realizing that, “I’m going to choose not to get upset about that” is always a mindset that’s available to me.

0039

You are allowed to build a life you love.
It doesn’t have to look familiar to other people.
You don’t have to explain it to anyone.

0038

Kindness is letting other people live the life they were meant for, even when it diverges from your own.

0037

One of my “darkest” confessions as an extreme introvert, the kind of thing I’m terrified to be honest with friends and family about for fear of hurting them, is that I don’t feel the need to “connect” in the way we’re taught is essential for a “happy life.” The real me doesn’t show up across the table over wine and brie, or gathered around the Christmas tree. I am the most authentically me when alone in a quiet space to think and simply be.

0036

Ever notice that peace looks good on everyone, and complaining on literally no one?

0035

Life is too short to spend it dreading things you don’t want to do. I mean, the dentist? Yeah, suck it up and get in there.  But if your idea of the perfect afternoon is a book and silence, why are you going to a bbq?

0034

The older I get, the more I realize that not everyone was meant to click and vibe. That shared history does not always translate to a connected future. That “marrying in” will not always result in a natural bond. That “but it’s family!” is not a sufficient reason for forcing a connection that simply isn’t there. We can be kind and still decline to perform.

0033

Unfollow the noise. Unsubscribe from hot takes. Close the app. Put down the phone. Pick up the book. Look up at the sky. Take a deep breath. Peace is expensive, and your attention is the currency.