Friday Finds & Feels #7
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: In what has felt like a very bleak week, I am clinging onto whatever joy I can find. So it is with a very happy heart that I announce my sweet Bruno has found his forever home. We had a successful meet and greet this week and the couple almost immediately replied that they were absolutely in love and ready to adopt him (I mean, look at that face, you would be crazy not to!) So, we said our goodbyes, which always comes easier to me than I think it will. I did what I set out to do and Bruno gets to start his new life where I know he will be deeply loved and cared for. Fostering saves lives and in a world where it feels like there is not much we can do to make it a better place, I have found much solace in making a teeny tiny difference by fostering.
Something to Ponder: Perhaps you are like me and have found yourself with a huge pit in your stomach that is full with despair. I get it. There is so much anger, hurt, and fear that has boiled up within me seeing the results of this election. I won’t go into details here because I know we have all been doomscrolling and looking for answers and wondering how in the hell we got here and watching/reading every opinion and think piece in the hopes that some analysis will quell this unsettled feeling that feels impossible to shake. There is work to be done and even though my heart breaks, my vision is clearer now. There will be no false pretense that things will be alright simply because the right person “won”. They didn’t and it is all the more obvious now just how much we need to come together and fight like hell against the systems that are relentless in their attempts to take away all that we value. But for this week, while the pain from these realizations still sting, I leave myself, and you, with this.
“We have nothing to fear from despair. It is just the dying of an illusion. It is not the end.”
What I'm Exploring: I recently saw a video of someone talking about their experience with Time Left and became immediately intrigued. I love doing things for the plot and on my to do list is to try and be more social so if this is what it takes, why the heck not? So what is it exactly? You sign up, take a personality quiz, then get paired with 5 strangers who you go out to dinner with. Could this be incredible awkward? Most definitely. But it also could be fun and either way would make for a good story. Will report back on it soon! In the meantime, here is a snippet about them from their website: “Free-fall into social possibilities without digital screens. Open up to the people around you without expectations. Start a conversation, spark a connection. Go out for a dinner with strangers.”
A Little Treat: BRB I’m going to be living off of dutch babies for the foreseeable future. I truly do not know why these are not more popular. Easier to make than a pancake and jaw droppingly delicious! Spruce up your weekend breakfast with this simple recipe! And in case you need it, here is your permission slip to eat your feelings right now. Indulge in whatever brings you comfort and makes you feel good! Lord knows thats what I will be doing.
In My Journal: I am a mere few days away from ringing in my 36th year here on earth. I have a lot of feelings about it. There always seems to be an internal reckoning when my birthday comes around. The weight of comparing where my life is and where I think it should be tends to be a lot heavier on this day. So I am working on giving myself permission to be in a place of “not yet” without shame. Even though it feels difficult to hold space for where I am at on my journey without feeling like I’ve “fallen behind,” I can remind myself that life doesn’t follow a single timeline; everyone’s journey is different, and no one can define what brings my life meaning except me. So as I enter into this next year of life, I will work towards letting myself redefine what success and a meaningful life means to me and who I am now, not who I thought I would be by a certain age. I will focus on aligning my vision for the future with my current values, passions, and joys by asking myself “what feels meaningful and joyful to me now?” And maybe, just maybe, there’s no “right” place to be except exactly where I am.
Thank you for reading ‘With Love, Stacia’
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