This year for my birthday, I want a Tiffany bracelet — a symbol of the hard, tender work of healing my inner child. But I didn’t get here by myself. I was held, loved, and witnessed by so many, and I want this gift to reflect that
Since receiving is still a growing edge for me, I’m turning it into a joyful, playful act of receiving and giving. A reminder that healing is communal, not solitary. As the Mayan saying goes: In Lak’ech — I am another you, and you are another me.
I love naps, and I’m so grateful for them. I wish I were back in kindergarten where nap time was literally part of the curriculum.
It also makes me smile because I once had a 6-year-old student who hated sleeping — she saw it as a complete waste of time, or time she could’ve spent playing.
And honestly, I’m also grateful for my napping buddies: Amir, Como-tú, Kathy… I feel like we would literally travel just to nap.
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Amo las siestas y estoy muy agradecida por ellas. Ojalá pudiera regresar al kínder, cuando dormir después de comer era parte oficial del plan de estudios.
También me da mucha risa porque tuve una alumna de 6 años que odiaba dormir — decía que era una pérdida de tiempo, o tiempo que podría estar jugando.
Y la verdad, también estoy agradecida por mis compañeritos de siestas: Amir, Como-tú, Kathy… siento que hasta viajaríamos solo para dormir un rato.
I’m thankful for my doggies. Mene, my first dog when I was 11, gave me unconditional love exactly when I needed it most.
And Como-tú — who drives me a little crazy sometimes, but also turned us into a family. She keeps reminding me how important consistency and patience really are.
Because honestly… your mind is like a puppy: if you don’t train it, it’s going to shit everywhere.
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Estoy agradecida por mis animalitos de cuatro patas. Mene, mi primer perrito cuando tenía 11 años, me dio un amor incondicional justo cuando más lo necesitaba.
Y Como-tú — que a veces me saca un poquito de quicio, pero también nos convirtió en una familia. Ella me recuerda constantemente lo importantes que son la constancia y la paciencia.
Porque la verdad… tu mente es como un cachorro: si no la entrenas, va a hacer un desmadre.
I am grateful for my friendships. Settling into a new city or a new country is so much easier with a friend by your side. They make the happy moments wildly more enjoyable, and they make the hard moments less lonely and less scary.
I genuinely don’t know how I would have survived so many of life’s transitions without these friends who have become my chosen family
🇲🇽🌮💃🏻🫔🇲🇽 Estoy agradecida por mis amistades. Adaptarme a una nueva ciudad o a un nuevo país es mucho más fácil cuando tienes a una amiga o un amigo a tu lado. Ellos hacen que los momentos felices sean muchísimo más padres, y que los momentos difíciles se sientan menos solos y menos difíciles.
De verdad no sé cómo habría sobrevivido tantas transiciones de la vida sin estos amigos que se han convertido en mi familia elegida.
The older I get, the more I appreciate nature — the impermanence, the simplicity. In fact, one of my favorite places to be is under a tree, admiring the sky. There’s something amazing about noticing the contrast between the leaves and the sky on a sunny day.
Partly because you can find it anywhere in the world… and partly because it feels like a quiet way of being connected to both the earth and the sky at the same time.
I also especially love that in Japanese, there’s a word for the way sunlight filters through the leaves of trees: komorebi (木漏れ日).
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A través de los años he aprendido a apreciar la naturaleza: su impermanencia, su sencillez. De hecho, uno de mis lugares favoritos lugares es debajo de un árbol, admirando el cielo. Hay algo increíble en notar el contraste entre las hojas y el cielo. En parte porque lo puedo encontrar en cualquier lugar del mundo… y en parte porque se siente como una manera silenciosa de conectarte tanto con la tierra como con el cielo al mismo tiempo.
También me encanta que en japonés exista una palabra para describir la luz del sol filtrándose entre las hojas de los árboles: komorebi (木漏れ日)
It’s an awesome problem to have: I’m actually having a hard time figuring out what I’m thankful for today. So today, I’m focusing on meta-gratitude.
I’m grateful that there’s an entire holiday dedicated to being grateful. Sure, the origins of the holiday are a bit questionable, but the name itself is pretty great.
This is by far my favorite U.S. holiday — and this year, I’ll get to celebrate it twice, because I have Canadian friends (🇨🇦🦃 is Oct 13 🤷🏻♀️). Plus, the food is amazing 😋
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Es un “problema” maravilloso: hoy me está costando trabajo decidir de qué estoy agradecida. Así que hoy me voy a enfocar en la metagratitud.
Estoy agradecida de que exista un día entero dedicado a dar gracias. Sí, los orígenes del día son algo turbios y cuestionables, pero el nombre en sí me encanta. Dia de dar gracias.
Es mi festividad favorita de Estados Unidos — y este año la voy a celebrar dos veces, porque tengo amistades canadienses (🇨🇦🦃 la de ellos es el 13 de octubre).
My husband doesn’t really understand why I love Advent calendars so much — and honestly, I’m not even sure I do either. I think it might be the build-up, the celebration, the tiny spark of excitement each day brings.
At the same time, I’m guiding my life toward a more minimalistic lifestyle, because through a lot of trial and error, I’ve learned that more stuff doesn’t bring happiness or fulfillment.
So this year, I decided to create a gratitude advent calendar — and since it’s mine, I get to make the rules. Instead of counting down to Christmas, it’s going to lead up to my birthday.
For Day 1 of my gratitude Advent Calendar. I want to honor my initiative. In the past, I would have delayed this idea until I had my website up and everything felt perfect. But now I’m making a conscious effort to leap before I’m ready and allow myself to self-adjust along the way.
🇲🇽🌮💃🏻🫔🇲🇽 Mi esposo no entiende muy bien por qué me encantan tanto los calendarios de adviento — y, siendo honesta, yo tampoco estoy tan segura. Creo que tiene que ver con la anticipación, la celebración, y esa chispita de emoción que cada día trae.
Al mismo tiempo, estoy guiando mi vida hacia un estilo más minimalista, porque después de mucha prueba y error aprendí que tener más cosas no trae felicidad ni plenitud.
Así que este año decidí crear un calendario de adviento de gratitud — y como es mío, yo pongo las reglas. En lugar de contar los días para Navidad, va a llevarme directo a mi cumpleaños.
Para el Día 1 de mi calendario de adviento de gratitud, quiero honrar mi iniciativa. Antes, hubiera retrasado esta idea hasta tener mi página web lista y todo “perfecto”. Pero ahora estoy haciendo un esfuerzo consciente por lanzarme antes de estar lista y permitirme ajustar sobre la marcha.
I read Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lorrie Gotlieb once a year. There’s a gem on every page, but some quotes stand out to me and have been percolating in my mind lately.
Nothing is more desirable than to be released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch. James Baldwin
While I know where I want to go, I am also comfortable with where I am. The comfort feels known, cozy, and safe. However, the path and work involved in getting there are hard, unknown, uncertain, and lonely at times.
I’ve been fat or been called fat since I was three. I don’t think I was even fat at three, but that’s beside the point. However, this characteristic has been embedded into my being, and in some way or another, I have used it as a crutch as to why I haven’t succeeded in other fields of my life. Now, as I start to question this part of my reality, I know the steps necessary to not be fat. Still, it’s also profoundly terrifying because being fat is safe. So leaving that identity, though good for my health, is also very scary because then what excuse will I have? What will I do without my crutch? Who will I be? With the fat, will I also lose a part of me?
“We can’t have change without loss, which is why so often people say they want change but nonetheless stay exactly the same.’
Food in Mexican culture is a way of showing love, celebrating, and bonding. Food has also been the most tangible connection to my family and culture, especially since I live abroad. Therefore, changing what ultimately connects to my loved ones and roots is especially jarring. I’m shifting my mindset from an all-black-or-white mentality to reinventing the wheel. “How can I make delicious, healthy food that celebrates and incorporates my culture?” Perhaps there will be a loss in not having tacos every day, possibly disappointing a tia (aunt) in declining seconds, but those are the small sacrifices I’m choosing to make for a healthier me. The loss of an excuse, or fat as a crutch, will be something that I continue to explore with my therapist.
You spent the last month traveling, living the life of your dreams, but somehow, you still feel like the helpless six-year-old who knew nothing about her new world.
Let me be the first to tell you that you are no longer 6. The foundation set by Caro, Carlos, your family, culture, education, and friends has gotten you this far. Awesome! Let’s celebrate that. A little girl in you is incredibly proud of what you’ve accomplished.
You made a life for yourself in a foreign country.
You chose an amazing life partner.
You did the incredible emotional work of breaking cycles.
You went to college as a first-generation immigrant!
You got an MBA
You’re one language away from being a polyglot.
You taught yourself how to drive a stick shift.
Now, if you can honestly tell me that you’re okay with where you’re at in life, then I can support you.
However, even as you type this, you are aware of the fire burning in you. No doubt, you’re unsure of what exactly you want to do. However, there’s a deep yearning for more—sure, for yourself, but also to contribute and give back to the world for all the amazing opportunities, experiences, and people that have gotten you this far.
So yes, your new life will cost you your old one. Loss doesn’t have to be negative, though. In the same way that it hurt to lose your dad, it was also a privilege because you got to experience his unconditional love. Mourn that you are no longer six years old, mourn that piñatas and family gatherings are not part of your day-to-day existence, mourn that your mom doesn’t remember who you are, mourn the girl who used emotional eating to feel less lonely, mourn the fact that you may lose family or friends along the way, mourn the fact that you’ve lived there for so long. After that, take the time to be grateful that it got you this far.
When you feel like the loss means leaving people behind, remind yourself that you are walking for the first time on a path your ancestors may have never even imagined. It will feel shaky, uncertain, and scary. You are not alone; you have their strength, support, and love.
Suley 