Friday Finds & Feels #21
A weekly collection of discoveries, musings, and moments that have sparked something in me this week. May these small moments of joy, inspiration and thoughts light up your weekend
This Week's Joy: This week’s joy was an unexpected adventure - booking a last-minute trip to Italy with my mom! It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t on a checklist. It was one of those wild, spontaneous yeses that make life feel so alive. I’m endlessly grateful for my mom, who said, “Why not?” without hesitation. It’s a reminder that sometimes the best things in life are the ones you didn’t plan for at all. Joy is often found in the unexpected and I cannot wait to see what joy will come from our two weeks in Italy.
Something to Ponder: My amazing friend Kali put together this awesome call to action poster that is full of useful considerations and action items! Please feel free to share this far and wide.
What I'm Exploring: Lately, I’ve been exploring what it feels like to share less.
As a content creator, there’s always been this low hum in the background…
“Capture this. Share that. Don’t forget to post it.” But on my recent 8-day trip to Hawaii—a literal Instagram-worthy dream—I didn’t share a single thing in real time. No posts. No stories. No check-ins. Just me, fully there. And guess what? It was still magic. I had an incredible time without documenting it for anyone but myself.
And it made me realize: I don’t want my life to become a series of curated highlights for the outside world. I want my life to feel full, even when it’s quiet. Especially when no one else is watching. I’m learning to protect my peace and to be present. Keeping some moments sacred - just for me and the people I’m sharing them with in real life.
This doesn’t mean I’ll stop sharing altogether. It just means I’m getting clearer about what I want to share and why. And maybe that’s the real adventure I’m on right now: exploring the balance between creating and living. And letting myself be without needing to perform.
A Little Treat: I recently revisited a recipe that has been a favorite of mine for the last 6 years. The year was 2019 and I had signed up for Blue Apron with my boyfriend at the time and this recipe was one that stuck around and was an immediate favorite to recreate. You can find the recipe card here - Beef Over Curry Spiced Rice. I buy zhoug sauce from Trader Joe’s for the cilantro sauce (you can also make a homemade version if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s by you) and I had always bought the tomato chutney from Whole Foods but I am going to be trying this recipe with a simple homemade tomato chutney in order to put my money where my mouth is and stop supporting businesses that don’t align with my values.
In My Journal: I’ve been sitting with this one lately. How often have I found myself bargaining with life…If I just get this one thing sorted, then I’ll be calm. If I reach this goal, then I’ll feel worthy. If I fix this, or achieve that, or become her… then I can finally exhale.
But peace doesn’t live on the other side of accomplishment. It doesn’t wait for us in the future. Peace is something we practice now, in the middle of the mess, before everything makes sense. Spirit whispers: Can you breathe here? Can you soften here?
Can you trust that even in this space - unfinished, uncertain - you are okay?”
It’s wild how, the moment I stop trying to control everything into place, and instead find peace in the small, ordinary moments, everything shifts. Maybe not instantly. Maybe not in the way my ego wants. But life flows differently when I’m not gripping it so tightly. When I find peace first, clarity tends to follow. Opportunities open. I see things I wasn’t able to see before. Not because the world changed… but because I did.
Thank you for reading ‘With Love, Stacia’
A special shoutout to my paid subscribers, I appreciate you SO much! - my sister, my mom & Kali. As I continue to grow my Substack, I am excited to watch this list grow and I never want to take it for granted. Thank you to all subscribers, paid and unpaid.
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