Six months ago I couldn't run for even one full minute without needing to stop and walk. I started really out of shape, out of breath just going up a flight of stairs, and I decided one random Tuesday that I wanted to actually change that instead of just thinking about it.

I started small, ridiculously small honestly, alternating thirty seconds of jogging with a minute of walking, feeling embarrassed even doing that little on the sidewalk near my house. I kept a simple log on my phone just tracking minutes, nothing fancy, and told myself I only had to slightly beat what I did the week before, nothing more than that.

There were plenty of mornings I didn't want to go out at all, days it felt pointless, weeks where progress felt so slow I questioned why I was even bothering. But I kept adding tiny amounts of time to the running intervals, and slowly the walking breaks got shorter and further apart.

This morning I ran a full 5k completely nonstop for the first time, no walking breaks at all. I actually stopped in the middle of the sidewalk afterward just standing there a little in disbelief, hands on my knees, laughing to myself because six months ago that same distance felt like something only runner type people could ever do, definitely not me.

I'm still not fast, I don't think I ever will be particularly fast, but today wasn't about speed. It was proof that something I genuinely couldn't do became something I actually did, just by refusing to quit on the small version of it every single day.

she must have pressed call instead of text and then just waited. the voicemail is three minutes and forty seconds of her singing something quietly to herself that i don't fully recognize, a bit of something from a show she watches and then something that might be original, it's hard to tell.

she doesn't know i have it. she doesn't know i play it sometimes when the day has been hard. she was just a kid sitting with a phone waiting for her dad, filling the waiting with a song the way children do without thinking about whether anyone is listening.

I wanted a simple way to keep my parents updated on my life here in France while they are in Spain, so I started an album called "Life in France" on a shared digital diary to share photos and quick updates with them. It honestly feels like I’m writing little digital postcards to my parents whenever I share something.

What started as just a fun way for me to document my routine turned into something much cooler. My parents started writing back about their own lives and sharing their own moments.

The best part has been reading my parent’s posts. They write about how they actually *felt* during different moments, sharing memories and thoughts they probably wouldn't have brought up over a quick phone call. It unintentionally became this really sweet bridge for us to connect on a deeper level, even with the distance.

Just wanted to share in case anyone else is looking for meaningful ways to stay close with their parents beyond the standard family group chat texts!

I rescued a beagle 2 years ago. He has had a ton of health and behavior problems, but I love him anyway. He has had a rough week. We live in Seattle, and it has been too hot to go to the dog park or take long walks 🥺 He was so cranky today. I tried everything, taking him for a drive with the AC on, ice water, blowing a fan on his bed, but he was so pissed. So finally, I just gave up and went across the street to the local bar and had a drink. When I walked out, the temperature was so nice. So I forced him to go on a long walk (he did not want to go) . By the time we got home, he was a changed doggy. Happy, relaxed, and ready to snuggle. I have had so many struggles with him, and seeing him so happy just filled me with joy.

My gf and I both 21 have been together for 4 years.

I have dealt with SA, mental health issues and more. She has stuck by my side and has never made me feel like a burden. She makes me want to get up in the morning even when it’s hard. We play games together, do crafts and go on long walks. She makes me feel so seen and happy.

Life isn’t easy, but as someone who thought I’d forever be alone and depressed, I can say there’s hope you can find your person.

Please don’t stop fighting my beauties, life is worth living.

We're not an emotionally expressive family. we love each other obviously but we don't say it unprompted. phone calls have always been for logistics.

I called him yesterdat with absolutely nothing to report. said i was just thinking about him and wanted to chat. there was a brief pause where i could tell he was checking internally if something was wrong and then he relaxed and we just talked.

He told me about a documentary he'd watched. i told him about something funny that happened at work. we talked about his garden and a book he's reading and nothing mattered and all of it mattered and when we hung up i sat with the warmth of it for the rest of the evening. Heart is so full tbh.

A few months ago, I was going through severe anxiety and went to see my GP. It turned out that I had type 2 diabetes with severe insulin resistance. My fasting blood glucose was 26.7 mmol/L. For context, I'm just 28. Multiple organs were underperforming, and my kidneys were close to shutting down. My skin was coarse like a fine grain sandpaper, developed acanthosis, and nearly bald. They immediately started rescue therapy.

I responded fairly to the treatment. After thousands of pills, and hundreds of blood tests, today I had my first episode of hypoglycaemia. I checked my blood glucose, and it was 6.3 mmol/L. Finally, we won...maybe.

After a few years of trying to get the right meds for my ADHD, I happened to mention how tired I’ve been. It turned into a convo about how unbelievably difficult it has always been for me to wake up. Multiple loud alarms, a timed lamp that turns on directly in my face, an electric shock alarm that I will often sleep through until it escalates to where my arm is jumping off the bed with each zap, then I press snooze and fall right back asleep, rinse and repeat for an hour or more. All of these, every day. It’s literally insane. I’ve told many other doctors and they have been useless about it.

She suggested I try this weird brand name medicine for my ADHD that you take at night and it releases in the morning, saying it might help both issues.

The morning after I took it I just… woke up… around 6:30am. Not even from an alarm, just sunlight through a crack in the blinds. I turned to my husband and was like woah! Is this how you wake up every morning, like you just wake up and you’re awake?? I am absolutely shook. I’ve been taking it for a couple weeks now and even on tougher days I might hit snooze once and it might feel hard to open my eyes, but it is possible!

I’ve been getting 45-90 minutes walking on the treadmill every morning before I even have to make the kids breakfast. The extra time in the morning and starting my day with a positive momentum has been completely life changing. I’m so happy I could cry.

I finally get to see my crush tomorrow, it’s been about three years since we’ve hung out. He’s had a lot of stuff going on these past few years, and we stopped talking for a while. I’ve known him for six years now, and we’ve only hung out twice. But this time, we’re going to a park near my house to sit and chill. We both love musicals, so we’re gonna sing a bunch of songs in his car and catch up on all the stuff in each other’s lives.

I REALLY like this guy a lot. He’s ridiculously cute, extremely funny, creative, charming, pretty much every good thing you can think of. I’ve had such deep feelings for him for the six years I’ve known him. He genuinely has the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen, and just hearing him talk over the phone makes my heart flutter.

He’s the most supportive person I’ve ever met. He never tears people down for anything. And he loves my singing. He’s always hyped me up about my voice. When I used to sing for him, I had no idea what I was doing and couldn’t project at all. But he still would support me. We were on a video call years ago and I stopped to sing a song that came on in my car. He muted his mic and just sat and watched me sing the whole song. I’ve been practicing for years and I can’t WAIT to show him how far I’ve come in this much time. I know we’re gonna love doing duets again, it’s been so long.

It doesn’t feel real that I get to see him tomorrow, it’s so hard for me to grasp cause I’m just so excited

hi everyone! i hope yall are having a great day. i wanted to share some good news that’ll hopefully be motivational for some people. this is work/school related because that’s currently where i am in life, trying to build my life and start my career.

so i’ve (24) been working towards getting into law school since high school. it’s been such a long process, honestly a really grueling one but i can’t believe ive made it out onto the other side. the first round of applications, i didn’t get in anywhere. so i figured id take some time off between undergrad and grad school, i still didn’t score the highest on the LSAT but it worked out in the end. during my gap year, i somehow landed a job at a really amazing firm, mid-big ish sized but what really shocked me was the culture. it is not at all what you think a law firm would be like. the people were incredibly friendly and welcoming and warm. which is uncommon for the city and field i’m in.

well i just finished two years at this firm and today was my second to last day, i said some of my goodbyes and the attorney i worked with the most was just so so so sweet, im really gonna miss working with him. just some of the kindest people ive had the privilege of working with and i wish i could gush on and on to them about how much i loved it here but that’d be unprofessional LOL. i couldn’t be more grateful for being rerouted in their direction. i truly felt like i mattered to these people and that i had a place here.

thankfully ill be staying in the area and able to stop by to see all of them whenever i have a chance but im soooo excited for this next chapter. i know law school will be tough but i feel prepared and just really really happy and wanted to share this. it feels good to know good and warm people are out there, its possible to be happy and fulfilled even in a more high strung or stressful career. i mean the attorney i worked with the most is such an inspiration to me, juggling work, family, teaching, leading his practice group, philanthropy, doing it all with a smile and kind word to everyone. i wish him nothing but the best!! same goes for everyone else i got to work with, all of them were great.

to anyone who needs to hear it, things will work on in the end. it might not seem like it now but it will work out somehow. it’s hard to see the big picture that the pieces of your puzzle are building but there is a big picture.

onto the next chapter!!! wish me luck :)

the vets loved her alot and said she was a good cat, and that she behaved well

Context, he is not a note writer. he is not a grand gesture person. he is steady and reliable and shows love by doing things quietly without drawing attention to the doing.

Opened my lunch at my desk and the note was folded under my sandwich. Simple I love you note. 15 years and I still fold. Love him so much!

​

Don't lose hope is the moral of the story! ❤️

16"w x 20"h Acrylic on canvas painting commissioned by a collector who specified the colors and theme but otherwise allowed me to paint from imagination. It was a lot of fun and very fulfilling! Happy she's happy!! ✨️😄🌟😊✨️💖🦋✨️🖼✨️🥳💕✨️

It sounds like a tiny thing, but for the past six months or so, brewing coffee in the morning has been my sacred quiet time before jumping into a chaotic workday of digital ad testing and client messages. I’ve slowly been experimenting with different bean origins, grind sizes, and water temperatures, mostly treating it as a fun and grounding hobby.

I think I finally figured out the exact sweet spot this morning. I went with a slightly finer medium grind to cut down on that harsh bitterness, kept my water just off the boil so it wouldn't scorch the grounds, and actually weighed out my water to hit a clean one-to-sixteen ratio. Giving it a full 45 seconds to bloom first made a huge difference too.

The morning was rainy and I wasn't feeling super motivated for work, so taking my time with the pour-over was really nice. I just sat on the couch while a tech podcast played quietly in the background.

When I took that first sip, it was genuinely perfect for my taste. It was smooth, and tasted so clean. I just sat there in silence for ten minutes enjoying the warmth of the mug, listening to the rain, and appreciating the quiet moment before opening my laptop. It was such a simple, cozy win, but it completely set the tone for my whole day and put a massive smile on my face.

I found this little box in my travels. Today I painted it as a gift for my daughter. I hope she likes it

Turns out, it was just the way the edge of my purple pillow was sitting on the vein in my arm when I lay on my stomach. *phew*

I put my other hand there to keep the pillow from sitting on the vein and *voila* no numb hand!

i'd taken a wrong turn twice and given up on the original plan. the restaurant was empty except for an old man reading a newspaper at the back who turned out to be the owner, the chef, and apparently the most interesting person i'd meet on the entire trip.

he brought food i didn't order because he said it was better than what i'd asked for, which it was. then he sat down and asked where i was from and what i'd seen and proceeded to tell me the actual history of the neighborhood we were in, not the version in the guidebooks, the one that happened to the real people who lived there.

i was there for an hour and a half. he refused to let me pay the full amount. i left his restaurant knowing something about that city that isn't written anywhere and feeling the particular warmth of having been completely taken care of by a stranger who expected nothing back from the taking care..

I just opened my Gmail inbox and found a message from someone thanking me for some career advice I gave to them six months ago.

I had completely forgotten about it, but turns out it actually helped them out. Getting a totally unexpected thank you email written so genuinely months down the line is such an incredible unexpected hit of happiness.

Evidence that doing good things to others makes the world a better place.