march, mostly unplanned
on blooming, breaking, and learning to loosen my grip.
march felt like a fresh page in the best way.
flowers started to bloom, the days stretched longer, the sun warmed my skin again. i took countless walks around the neighborhood with my journal in tow, stopping to admire the colors all around me. i got a promotion at work — i felt like i was living in a 2000s rom-com.
and then i fell down the stairs and broke my arm. which quickly became the most important part of this month, because it forced me to stop waiting for everything to be perfect before i let myself rest. it felt like exposure therapy i didn’t consent to.
and somehow, despite all of that, march still managed to be a great month.
what i consumed
books
the secret history by donna tartt — devoured. the writing was brilliant, and i understand why this is the dark academia blueprint. annotated half of it and scribbled down my favorite lines like a lunatic.
this story might save your life by tiffany crum — only a few chapters in by month’s end, but excited to see where it goes.
i also just grabbed the everlasting by alix harrow — excited for this one, likely up next.
“she was a living reverie for me: the mere sight of her sparked an almost infinite range of fantasy, from greek to gothic, vulgar to divine.”
— donna tartt, the secret history.
tv & movies
killing eve — a rewatch for me, first time for my partner. still brilliant. still perfection. still a villanelle apologist.
bridgerton — i’m incredibly late to the party and now fully understand why everyone is addicted
project hail mary — i love when a movie adaptation actually respects the source material
audio
playlists on repeat: springtime whimsy, inject me with sunshine, parisian cafe 🥐
audiobook: goblet of fire
podcasts: coffee break french, staying up with cammie and taryn, easy french
🎧 on repeat: anything that feels like golden hour
what i learned and explored
character and narrative psychology — how we construct the stories we tell about ourselves
persuasion and rhetoric theory — and the overton window, which is even more fascinating when applied to situations outside of politics
got back into my french lessons
💭 something i can’t stop thinking about: that our memories are unreliable narrators. which means we have more authorship over our own stories than we think, which is either terrifying or freeing depending on the day.
what i created
weekly substack posts
more character work for my novel
consistent nightly journal entries
a journaling ecosystem that centers around learning and personal growth
💭 piece i’m most proud of: the myth that community should be easy — because so many of you related to it, and it reminded me i’m not alone. it also gave me the nudge i needed to actually do something about it.
moments that felt impactful
the first morning walk where i noticed everything blooming at once—the trees, the air, the colors—and feeling something in me wake up alongside it
sitting by the pool with a book and no urgency attached to it
going to the conan gray concert with my sister despite being the oldest person in attendance
noticing cute little growths in my plants at home, serving as proof that things are always changing, even when you’re not watching
wins (big and small)
my promotion at work
schedule shifts that made space for more quality time with my partner
actually reaching out to people and making plans (and having it work out)
walking more, being outside more, and feeling better because of it (annoying that this is true, but here we are)
wearing a nail color completely out of my usual comfort zone (even though i’m counting down the days til my next appointment because i’m still not used to looking down and seeing chrome)
being almost halfway through invisalign and starting to see results
challenges and growing pains
falling down the stairs and breaking my arm aka the most uncool way to break a bone
being forced into rest when rest wasn’t part of the plan — it was my dominant arm, so the ability to write and type easily was out of my hands (literally)
confronting how tightly i grip control when things feel uncertain
the broken arm was involuntary exposure therapy. which, it turns out, taught me more about letting go than any amount of intentional practice had.
current obsessions
my nightly journaling routine that properly replaced late-in-the-evening screen time
the paper republic a6 le portfolio i waited all month to order that’s currently out for delivery (!!)
sitting in the sun whenever possible
strawberry matcha in the early afternoon
my new office chair — it’s like a giant cloud and such a game-changer for working from home
discovering cute new words and phrases in french and jotting them down
what i want more of in april
grace for myself and my body as it heals (but also… really hoping i’m cleared to safely get back to solidcore soon)
continued effort toward building and strengthening community
trying new things, even small ones
learning for the sake of curiosity, not productivity
practicing french more consistently
what i hope to leave behind
frustration around not being in control
pressure to do things perfectly the very first time
the idea that rest needs to be earned
what are you carrying into april—a small routine, a new habit, something you’re finally ready to try—and what are you leaving behind?
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I’m loving your wins this month. Congrats on your promotion!!
Sorry to hear about your arm. If it helps, a buddy of mine tripped in a parking lot and broke his arm. He was devistated that the parking lot was for Target. He always thought that was the most embarrassing way to break a bone. Falling over, in a Target parking lot.