The weather this week has been straight up offensive. Mother Nature couldn't care less how badly I want to slap on a sweater and boots whilst drinking a pumpkin spice latte. Like c'mon mama, summer had her turn to shine, it's fall's turn now. And for you summer lovers, it turns out there's an actual science behind my (and a lot of others) obsession with fall. I read this article this week and felt incredibly nostalgic at the very mention of a new school year and a fresh academic planner. I don't care if it's 94 degrees outside as I type this, I'm already daydreaming about my first pumpkin patch of the season.
Gratitude
On IG this week, I invited my community to share the things they wished they had or could do that others take for granted. I shared the responses and you guys loved it. A day later, my mom showed me this video of an amazing child that served as another reminder, and I thought you would appreciate it too.
I'm a big fan of gratitude journals, I've talked about them a lot here and on my Instagram. This is the one I use (and gift to others!) below, but you can use any blank journal. I can't tell how you much it helps with my mental health, I highly recommend journaling.
Maybe you need to hear this..
I read two books this week that I really loved (I'll link both at the end of this newsletter), but one of them hasn't left my mind: Think Like A Monk, by Jay Shetty.
There's a story that really stuck out to me that I thought may help some of you. Whether you're going through a rough season in life or you feel like things aren't going the way you wanted or had planned, consider this excerpt from the book:
A farmer who's horse ran away. “How unlucky,” his brother tells him. The farmer shrugs, “Good thing, bad thing, who knows," he says. A week later the horse finds it's way home, and with it, is a beautiful wild mare. “That's amazing,” his brother says, admiring the new horse with no small envy. Again, the farmer is unmoved. “Good thing, bad thing, who knows,” he says. A few days later, the farmer's son climbs up on the mare hoping to tame the wild beast but the horse bucks and rears and the boy is hurled to the ground and breaks a leg. “How unlucky,” his brother says with a tinge of satisfaction. “Good thing, bad thing, who knows,” the farmer replies again. The next day, the young men of the village are called into military service but because the son's leg is broken, he is excused from the draft. His brother tells the farmer that this is surely the best news of all. “Good thing, bad thing, who knows,” the farmer says. The farmer in this story didn't get lost on what if, but instead focused on, what is.
He continues to share that in his monk training they were taught: Don't judge the moment.
Things I loved this week
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Lastly, there are 13 days left until fall, and I'll soon be on cloud 9 all day every day. Fun fact, my old AIM screen name used to be AlwaysBeOnCloud9, and I cringe anytime I share that with someone.
If you're new here, I love it when you respond to these emails. And since you missed last week's email, I've shared it HERE.
Merci Ktir <3
If you missed the meaning behind “Merci Ktir," click here.
