What is Normal, What is Happy

These past weeks flew by—ten precious days gliding with my family before September’s whirlwind begins. Between kids leaving for college, Rocky turning 12, and me learning to balance stillness with a tornado-paced life, I’ve been reorganizing, reading, and finding small anchors of joy. One of them: I’ve just restocked my Etsy shop 🌿 My tote bag “Regain Pleasure” has traveled everywhere with me for over a year and a half—I love it 🥰 Order yours, or explore made to bring a touch of inspiration into everyday life.

These days, weeks, these past years… they’ve all gone too fast. Some even say time itself is accelerating.

Make sure you look at the last paragraph to understand this photo

I was born in a time when phones were still attached to a cord, and we used to write letters. I embraced mobile phones as soon as I could, though I still wrote letters—especially to my grandparents and during the holidays. For a while, I even had a subscription for people who wanted to receive some of my custom-made art stationery each month through Patreon. It was fun, and I loved sending out a handwritten postcard every month.

(Oh, and side note—I was also part of the first club in Paris to embrace the internet!)

But back to what I meant to share: this summer, even just going back to June, went so fast, and here we are—almost in September!

I’m so grateful for these past ten days when I could simply glide with my family—time together that felt like a gift. Our three kids, my husband (well, except for a two-day business trip), and our dogs. Omg, Rocky is acting strange, coming upstairs all the time even though he knows he shouldn’t. He’ll turn 12 on August 27!

Tomorrow, our eldest daughter leaves to return to college—year number three! And our second daughter will leave on September 14. I already know September will be super busy and fast-paced. So I need to find a way to integrate stillness into this crazy schedule.

How do you marry stillness, self-care, and a tornado-paced life?

For one, I decided to reorganize our home to fit our new needs (or maybe just mine 😂). It took time, but when everything around me spins, I tend to spin even faster to find my footing again. I also subscribed to a class with Michal Spiegelman—once a week for a few weeks, online. Contact me if you’d like to know more, it starts September 9!

Voilà, a little window into my mind. Right now I’m lying down after hurting my back delivering a 100 lb package (yes, you read that right—WHAT?!). So instead, I’ll enjoy reading a book by my talented friend: Social Death by Tatiana Boncompagni. I love the way she writes. She offered me this one some time ago, but I hadn’t had the head space to read it until now.

She also wrote Gliding Lilly, which I’ve read, recommended, and even gifted to others. When she writes, it’s always a little window into my past UES life… and here in Social Death, I found myself back in our old neighborhood—yes, even at “Pastrami Queen.”

And now, back to “forced stillness” lumbar belt and laying low (a program I had set myself in front of my + 100lbs carrying debacle, reinforced by my mom’s recommendation)—at least for today.

One more tip before I close: I’ve just restocked and republished my Etsy shop. I haven’t used it much over the past year, but I wanted to bring it back. My tote bag “Regain Pleasure” has been with me everywhere for more than a year and a half—I love it 🥰. You can order yours, or choose from other empowering shirts, mugs, and home pieces featuring my art. 🎭 They’re little reminders to carry inspiration, strength, and beauty into your everyday life—made for you to enjoy.