Friday Reflection #15: So much to celebrate!
Weddings and birthdays and Bluey, oh my!
Welcome to Friday Reflections! A weekly newsletter sharing 3 thoughts and/or things I loved and learned from the week as I navigate learning how to create a life I’m nourished by, and thriving in, without my mom (or caregiving for her).
This week was a good one!
We celebrated my brother’s birthday for the first time without my mom or grandpa. We never really did anything big in the past, just dinner and then back to my grandparents’ for cake and ice cream.
But this year we went out for dinner (brother’s choice!), bowling (brother’s love!), and then back to our place (never so many people over!) for cake and ice cream.
It was so much fun! So different.
I’ve never been so engaged in conversation with my family; the energy was different. Conversation as a whole was different… Shoot, the environment was different and the mix of family members was rare.
My aunt and cousin got to see my room, and it was a bit emotional for my aunt (my mom’s sister) to see our place; she had never seen it fully furnished and decorated by my mom, so she sorta got to see the work she put into it like a relic of sorts1.
I also haven’t laughed that hard and that much in a long, looong time. I’m sure other family members would say the same. It was so nice looking over at my grandma and seeing her laugh hard at our silliness while we bowled, seeing everyone get along… That wasn’t abnormal, but it’s…
I dunno, it was just nice to see that our family is the type that grows closer after loss rather than torn apart.
Of course, things are a little more complex than that, but I just enjoyed the change and how everything turned out. And most importantly, my brother had an amazing time, too!
This weekend, I was also invited to a wedding! My friend I text with quite often but haven’t seen in seven years (she lives out of state) invited me to the wedding of a friend I congratulate every so often on Facebook, and haven’t seen in just as long.
He was nervous to ask me about coming because we hadn’t hung out or talked in so long, but then my other friend brought up how long it’s been since we’ve all seen each other!
So I went, and it was beautiful!
I met so many sweet and lovely people thanks to being invited to that wedding, and also finally got to try Fogo de Chao!
The rest of the week was pretty normal aside from some active homework my therapist needed me to do before our next session this coming Monday (I still haven’t done any of it… Oops!). And the sleep I got Monday night after the wedding? Ho, my gawd… I only remember one other time in my life when I woke up refreshed! Ready to get up!
Is that normal? Is that consistent for anyone??
You let me know in the comments because I downloaded an app for sleep hygiene so I can work on recreating that.
I’m coining the phrase: sleeper’s high. And I’m chasing it!
Ultimately, this week felt exceptionally full in the best way.
Now let’s get into the thoughts and things!
Thing One: A new Substack discovery!
Thanks to Substack Notes, someone recommended Brazenface by
, and I immediately fell in love!I’ve never seen a photo essay like her’s before and it reminded me of a vlog, but more nourishing and succinct.
Her words–whether on her illustrations, photos, or by themselves–always hit me so poignantly, and would sometimes make me whisper a soft, “Wow...”.
I get so inspired seeing her work, and it makes me think about what’s possible for me. How can I express myself in multiple mediums and be just as impactful? The thought excites me when I look at Tatiana’s work!
I hope I can translate what I have to say in as moving a way as Tatiana has been able to with the story of her borrowing her mother’s strength, her beautiful ode to her abuela, and her story of coming back to Substack after a break.
Thing Two: Let’s praise Bluey AGAIN!
I like watching animators on YouTube. Jaiden Animations, Icecream Sandwich, Odd1sOut…
Well, James (Odd1sOut)’s most recent video is about Bluey! He, a childless young adult, was begged by his team to watch it.
And he was HOOKED.
If you haven’t heard, Bluey is a child’s cartoon based on anthropomorphic animals living in Australia.
It consists of sisters Bluey and Bingo, and mum and dad, Chili and Bandit. And everything about it is perfect.
The designs, colors, writing, voice acting, stories…
James will talk about how a pink poodle looking him dead in the eye telling him, as a mother, that “you’re doing great” wrecked him (same James, same), and how there’s a whole seven minute episode explaining the creation and evolution of life in such a creative and succinct way!
And he even opened my eyes to the fact that the episode, “Sleepytime” had a perfect 10/10 rating on IMBD’s best episode ever list for possibly two years?! Wow!
If you’ve ever been curious about Bluey, I’d recommend James’ video to start.
Thing Three: Dismantling manifestation
On Wednesday, I went on Facebook to look up something in a Facebook group. But the first thing I saw in a manifestation group I’m in was a post from someone wishing to see more people still in the middle of their journies. People who are still trying to make it, people who'd rather work in corporate, or anything in-between. And so many stories came from that ask!
A pattern I saw–no matter the story majority of the time–was that people were chasing dreams that weren’t even theirs.
They chased after things they thought they should want, but soon learned it wasn’t meant for them (six figures, “digital nomad” life, etc.).
What was meant for them was rarely showcased, but was a purposeful, secure, and/or happily-taken step.
Happiness comes in MAAAANY forms because we’re all so varied!
Reading all those stories on shifting mindsets and lifestyles reminded me of that course I’ve been taking and talking about since about March. How it’s taught me to truly look at what I really want for my life.
It’s truly been a blueprint for me as I’ve rebuilt my life. It’s been teaching me how to slow down and integrate what I was learning into my life.
And now I live by this need to take my time with things and really listen to my needs and be selective about what choices I make for goals and within my daily life.
So fascinating!
Alright, that’s it for this week! And I’m still curious!!
Is it normal to wake up well-rested?!
I don’t think anyone in my household ever slept “normally.” And I don’t think what it feels like to wake up well-rested was ever talked about. This is a new discovery for me.
Sleeper’s high, I tell ya.
Let’s chat sleep hygiene… cause I’m chasing that high!
My mom was a STICKLER for how she wanted the house to look and be maintained. So my aunt got to see it in a normal state without mom’s touch in the past six months, as well as some changes due to the countertop renovations. But ultimately, it still looks like what mom put together. It was nice for people to finally see what she put so much time and effort in.
Oh my gosh, Cierra — your words about my own are making my soul sing so big. Thank you so much.