Hello, my beautiful friend!
Itโs finally starting to feel like summer here. You know the kind of warm I mean... where the mornings smell like damp earth, the afternoons are full of sunscreen and popsicles, and the evenings stretch just long enough to make you feel like anything is possible.
Theo has discovered the magic of the garden hose. I mean, truly discovered it. Heโs been out in the backyard soaking the grass, the flower beds, and occasionally, his sister.
He giggles and laughs. Heโs drenched and muddy and completely in his element.
And Isla... sweet Isla. She had surgery last week. Weโve been in healing mode. Sheโs been making bracelets and watching movies and barely letting me out of her sight.
Iโve been her snack-getter, her bed buddy, her sidekick. Most days Iโm still in pajamas by lunch, hair in a bun, coffee reheated twice.
Itโs been a slow and sacred stretch of days. And somewhere in between the puddles and the bead kits and the quiet snuggles, I started to notice something.
I havenโt opened my laptop much. I havenโt posted. I havenโt checked in. And for once, I havenโt felt guilty about it.
Because maybe I needed this reminder too.
You donโt have to be at your most productive to be doing something important.
You donโt need to catch up to be worthy.
You donโt need a clear plan or a shiny update or a color-coded to-do list to be making a difference.
Some seasons are for growth. Others are for grounding.
Right now, Iโm in a grounding season.
There are weeds in my garden and piles of laundry on the floor and unopened messages in my inbox. But thereโs also something else. Thereโs presence. Thereโs space. Thereโs life that doesnโt ask to be posted or plannedโit just wants to be lived.
And if youโre in a season like that too, I want to say something that I hope reaches you right where you are:
You are not behind.
You are not failing.
You are not less valuable because youโre moving slower or feeling stretched thin.
Maybe your life feels loud right now. Maybe your days are full of snack plates and sports practices and errands and people who need you.
Or maybe your life feels quiet in a way that aches a little. Maybe youโre rebuilding or recovering or just trying to remember what it feels like to want something again.
Wherever you are, it matters.
Whatever youโre doing, it counts.
Maybe today you only crossed off one thing on your list. Or none at all. Maybe you kept a toddler alive, answered two emails, reheated coffee, cried in the bathroom, and kept going anyway.
That counts too.
It all counts.
There is no gold star for burning yourself out to meet an imaginary deadline. And there is no shame in pausing to catch your breath.
If you need permission to rest, to pull back, to show up small or quiet or not at all... this is it.
Youโre allowed to do less.
Youโre allowed to step outside and let the sun hit your face and call that success.
Youโre allowed to be a little undone and a little messy and a little behind schedule.
Because youโre still here. Youโre still showing up. Youโre still becoming.
And that is more than enough.
So hereโs what Iโm reminding myself this week, and maybe you want to try it too:
Let the laundry sit for an hour longer.
Take the slow walk instead of the quick scroll.
Make the bracelet with your kid even if the dishes are piled up.
Let the sunshine be your productivity.
Let your presence be your progress.
Not everything we do has to lead somewhere. Some things are just for here. For now. For the version of you that needs a minute to catch her breath before she keeps going.
So Iโm raising my lukewarm mug to you, and whispering what I hope you carry with you this week:
Youโre not behind.
Youโre not invisible.
Youโre not too late or too tired or too much.
Youโre exactly where you need to be.
And the things that matter most? Theyโre not waiting for you to be ready. Theyโre waiting for you to be real.
So take up space. Make the bracelet. Watch your 2 year old laugh in the water. Let it be enough.
It already is.
Always,
Amber xo
