May 2026
"Take the moment and taste it. You got no reason to be afraid." -Taylor Swift
Cutie pie!
How the heck are you?
It’s that time of year again, isn’t it, when the world pops to attention. How has the yearly awakening been going in your neck of the woods?
You may not think it from the daily temperature reads lately (brr), but I think of spring in the Midwest as such a gift. Part of what makes it so spectacular is the gentle but consistent rollout - once it begins, it just keeps going, and it just keeps getting better and better.
Every day, something different. A new bit of color chases out another corner of winter drab, and another proof of life chips away at any lingering winter blues, creating prime conditions for new beginnings, fresh starts, rapid growth, massive beauty.
With all that, of course, the reminder that nothing stays the same. All of this is temporary. No two days mirror one another. In the blink of an eye, it can and will change.
So we best enjoy things now while the gettin’s good, yes?
(Yes.
The answer is yes.)
Soul Fitness Habit Tracker
Checking in…
MOVEMENT
The star of the show lately is my Vibe Plate! We’ve had a vibration plate for a handful of years. Our chiropractor in Tennessee had us stand on one in her office immediately after our adjustments, and I liked it so much that I ended up buying one for the house. That said, I did not realize it had a wide variety of pre-set programs in it until last month (years, I’ve owned this thing lol), and just like that, I’m in a fresh state of renewed adoration. I’ve made it a daily practice since Paris, and now I find I crave it.
My step count has been through the roof lately, ever since I was keyed into the idea of continually walking at a slow, steady pace on my walking pad while doing any number of things way beyond my typical reaches of watch a show or attend a Zoom call with my camera off - suddenly I’m walking while folding laundry, lifting light arm weights, filling my pill box, online browsing, deep cleaning my desktop, creative client work, you name it. #levelunlocked
What movement habits are working for your body these days?
NOURISHMENT *IN* MY BODY
I’m still working on building the creatine habit, the eating-enough-nutritionally-dense-food habit, and the Olive Tree People Internal Elixir habit, but I’m solidly in the “more often than not” camp for all of them, which is a step in the right direction, so Win.
What foods have been boosting your energy these days?
NOURISHMENT *ON* MY BODY
This sounds so silly, but I recently began mindfully tracing the tips of my fingers in small circular motions on my face to rub my skin care products in (like all skin care instructions everywhere have always suggested doing), whereas previously I’ve been much less meticulous about the specificity of the rubbing shape or direction. I didn’t expect it to matter but dang, if my skin doesn’t glow different. I love when small hinges swing big doors.
What’s your favorite skin care trick right now?
SLEEP
What’s better than being able to leave the windows open a crack at night so the room gets cool enough to feel the contrast of snuggling warmly into the comforter? Ugh, not much.
How’s your sleep? If it’s not great, check out this article by my sleep-expert pal, Dove Wilson: How Can I Get More Deep Sleep?
THE SPACE AROUND ME
Back patio refresh! We moved some of the furniture around, adding the couch, table, and rug from the sunroom into the configuration. I instantly wanted to call everyone I know over to hang out, but I settled for daydreaming about future invitations we’ll issue this summer.
Sunroom refresh! Picked up a plaid sectional sofa (!!) and four King Hickory armchairs for A SONG on Facebook Marketplace. Bought linen-esque cafe curtains for three of the nine windows in there to mitigate some of the sunshine pour, replaced the rug, and re-hung some artwork. I’m obsessed.
Basement refresh! Recent storms have sent us to the basement on more than one middle-of-the-night occasion, so we decided to add a queen bed to make those visits more comfortable. Doing so meant moving a bunch of bookcases to the other side of the room, which led to re-arranging the Big Wall of Art and Photographs, and I still need to get my big wall mural up on the far wall down there (I’ve had this mural for almost two years omg) but we are getting there!
What’s one area you can re-fresh this month? Big or small, re-arranging a space is a surefire way to eradicate stale energy.
MY SENSE OF CONNECTION
My feelings were (unintentionally) hurt by a friend recently, and instead of sweeping it under the rug, I took a chance (scary!) and broached the subject. We were able to clear the air, and it felt phenomenal, as if I could feel the friendship incrementally strengthen in real time, and my friend indicated the same. I tend to be a friendship sweeper-under, so this felt like evolution, and I’m grateful for friendships that allow that.
In a different emotional direction, I heard of a high school pal’s sudden passing, and it hit me in ways I wouldn’t have predicted. We weren’t necessarily friends anymore, but we were good friends once upon a time, and it’s funny (not funny) how you can not think about someone for a long, long while, but your heart instantly breaks the moment you learn they are not in the physical world anymore. Such a loss, and I’m so sad for those who will feel his absence as a part of their everyday life. Love your people, people. This life is shorter than we think.
How will you choose to connect to yourself and others in the coming days?
May Touchpoints
Guiding Thought:
What kind of person do I want to be? The kind who gets all pissy because the picture in her head of how it’s “supposed” to go doesn’t match the reality around her, or the kind who can live her faith, trusting that the Universal God does love her, does want her to be happy, and does have her back; ergo, however it unfolds is EXACTLY how it’s “supposed” to. Whoever ends up being there, whatever the weather does, however the occasion lands, THAT’S what is best for the highest good of all involved, myself included. The pre-picture in the head is the part that trips it up.
Tl;dr: Redirection is protection. Understanding and appreciating what IS feels like an existential exhale.
Top Goal:
Fake it ‘till you make it.
Looking Forward to:
a “Ladies Day Out” in Evanston, IL, with a couple of girlfriends. I’ve never been there before (even though it’s so close, this side of Chicago), and I sure do love exploring a new place.
Main Focus:
Being careful with my time. I have a lot of open swaths on my calendar this month, and I want to spend them wisely, in ways that support my favorite version of myself. I do not want to spend them scrolling on my phone.
Reading:
An Episode of Sparrows (Rumer Godden)
The Wedding People (Alison Espach)
The Correspondent (Virginia Evans)
I recommend all three!
Watching:
Trust Me: The False Prophet (Netflix) (disturbing)
Secret Mall Apartment (Hulu) (fascinating)
Love on the Spectrum, Season 4 (Netflix) (charming, as always)
Beef, Season 2 (Netflix) (This season is MUCH calmer than season 1, which, surprisingly, is almost boring me a bit?)
Search Party, Season 1 (Netflix) (entertaining, especially since we’d never heard of it but there are five seasons!)
Running Point, Season 2 (Netflix)
Rock the Block, Hometown, & Renovation Aloha (HGTV) - always looking for a home-improvement-show fix somewhere
What I Love About This Time of Year:
how colorful and aromatic the world becomes! flowering trees! flowering bushes! flowers! especially lilacs! thunderstorms! budding trees! graduation parties! Mother’s Day! Memorial Day! waving to neighbors as everyone spends more time in their yards! planning our first motorcycle ride! yard sales!
An Idea I’m Trying:
I’ve heard that your subconscious will work all night long to internalize the messaging you feed it right before you fall asleep, so I’m working on feeding myself as much affirmation, adoration, kindness and love as possible in those fleeting moments between closing my eyes and dropping into dreamland.
Add a Little Woo to Your Life:
Do you talk to your house? I do, I talk to mine, I long have. I thank my houses a lot, tell them I love being together, comment on how cute they look. I find it fosters a sense of mutually beneficial camaraderie - we’ll keep you clean, pretty, and in tip-top shape, and you’ll keep us safe, protected, and healthy.
In that same spirit, I saw something briefly on socials recently that suggested, when you walk in or out of your house, pausing to say to yourself, this is the house I live in during the era where everything worked out. Your subconscious can’t tell the difference between stated fact and stated desire, after all. Can’t hurt, might help.
I hope you’re doing well. I hope you’re making good decisions and remembering your worth. I hope you’re taking your meds.
I hope it’s easy to remember that we’re all doing the best we can, easy to give yourself and others grace. I hope your appetite is healthy, your laughter is genuine, and your knees feel great.
I hope you do something nice for yourself today. I hope you know when your city’s next election is. I hope you have something fun on the calendar, and if not, I hope you realize how important it is to PUT something fun on the calendar real soon.
I hope you find money in your pocket and time on the meter and that all the traffic lights are green on your way home.
I hope you’re letting joy come along for the ride, and I hope to see you next month.
Leave me a comment or send me a quick reply, let me know you were here, that we shared this time. Tell me what’s good in your world. Tell me all the ways you are taking care of yourself, prioritizing yourself, advocating for yourself.
I love to hear it. xo
