I quit ! ok ! keep calm and make chocolate !

Life has a way of teaching us exactly what we need to learn. And if we don’t listen the first time, it will repeat itself until we finally understand. Sometimes life brings you big, heavy problems to force you to understand a lesson—moments we’d rather avoid, or at least not have too many of, because they’re just too hard. Other times, it doesn’t come as one big storm but instead as waves of small, irritating things that pile up until you finally pause and listen.

Back in mid-July, our dishwasher started acting up. As some of you know, we had to fly back to Europe around July 20 to say goodbye to our dear friend, so I pushed the dishwasher problem aside until our return. On July 31, I finally called the warranty service. Over the next three weeks, they sent repairmen three times. Each one was kind, each visit equally time-consuming, and the machine? Still broken. Eventually, they told us it will be reimbursed—which is the good part. And even better: the reimbursement gives us 50% off the price of a new dishwasher, and this time we’ll be able to make it kosher. But fast forward to September 4: still no dishwasher. Countless hours wasted. The new one was supposed to be installed today, but now they say we need a plumber. That means another week. On paper it’s just an appliance saga, but in reality it tested my patience, ate away at precious time, and reminded me again of the same lesson: slow down, laugh at the absurdity, and remember there’s always a silver lining. In our case, this whole drama gave us a hand, as it was the last piece of the puzzle to finally move toward kosherizing our kitchen.

This morning, I started work at 8 a.m., squeezed in the hairdresser at 11 a.m., and kept monitoring the dishwasher chaos—thanks to my daughter for stepping in while I was in the chair. Tonight I still have an event for Unchained Mothering at 7 p.m. A thousand things to juggle. In the middle of analyzing my to-do list while heading to my car, bang—I hit my head on the car door. At first I thought it was just a bump, so I put ice on it and even did some Reiki with my hand. But then I saw blood dripping. Everyone around was so kind, and here I am now—writing this with an ice pack on my eye. Twelve days ago, I also hurt my back carrying a bathroom vanity. Add it all up, and it’s pretty clear: the universe is repeating its message loud and clear. Slow down. Let go. Give yourself grace.

When my body says I’m tired, I need to listen instead of pushing through. My mind kept on saying I’m tired!—I even said it out loud! Mentally, these past months were overall good, but they were also weaved through with a lot of heaviness. And so my body started to scream stop, giving me no choice but to stop and slow down. I know I have a lot to be grateful for, and I don’t feel I’m in a place to complain. But each of us has our own reality, and we need to acknowledge our needs and feelings without diminishing ourselves. As Carolina Avaria says, we are taught guilt, and we have to let go of it.

I realize now that I need to reevaluate how much I’m carrying, physically and emotionally. The world these days feels so complex, so full of darkness—and yet we can’t let it steal our happiness or dim our light. It’s essential, for ourselves and for the world, not to wallow in the dark. We’re not living in a Disney movie, but I believe good will win. In the meantime, we have to let go of what is non-essential, of the things that only pull us down, and give ourselves some grace.

Tonight, at the unchained Mothering’s chocolate event, that was one of the strongest messages: let go, be proud. Even with my swollen eyelid, I felt deeply grateful to be surrounded by such amazing women. Bravo to all of them, and an extra clap to Lauren Meyer from « A Sprinkle A Day » for hosting us, and to Geraldine Guardia for beautifully filming and documenting the evening.

So I’m not complaining—I’m sharing. Because I know I’m not the only one who gets caught in this whirlwind. We all do. And the only way forward is to remember to count your blessings, be kind to yourself, and give yourself a break when you need one.

With love and light, wishing you a good Sunday and a great start of the week,

Jess ✨

Ps: when you need to show up you do! When you need to film and you got a swollen eye lid! Make up and good angles do the trick! I m beyond grateful to people around me! In doubt rely on chocolate and all will be ok! 🫶🏽🤣

Photo are in reversed order from end of the evening to beginning of the day !