Sunday, March 22, 2026

This week, a young American college boy disappeared after a night out in Barcelona — we shared his information, we prayed, and he was ultimately found dead — a devastating reality that broke my heart, unimaginable for him whose life was cut short, and for his family; at the same time, a friend shared that no holidays or travel had been possible for 2 and a half years, while another reminded me, through simple tips, of the importance of time and delegation; I also received positive support for Unchained Mothering while preparing to close my Miami solo show, and finally finished a painting I had started in 2024.

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Which leads me to this:

Today, I want to share three reflections I had this week — Complaining, comparing, feeling

that all somehow lead to the last, Trusting. (Some images at the end)

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Complaining.

Out of exhaustion, out of despair, out of desire…

or simply because we feel like victims of circumstances and repetitions.

And sometimes, even feeling ashamed of it —

because others seem to have harder lives, bigger challenges, at least from the outside.

But as my mother — and many say —

we all have our own life, our own challenges.

There is no real comparison.

It happens.

But staying there doesn’t change much —

it just keeps us there.

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Which leads me to ⸻

Comparing.

Thinking success comes easier to others.

That maybe they made better choices,

or that we took the wrong steps.

But the truth is — the choices we make are ours.

And even when they don’t fully make sense,

even when mistakes are made,

those roads are shaping who we are becoming.

Sometimes for a bigger step.

Sometimes for the long run.

Choosing to see things from a more positive side —

while staying real with life — is what helps shift everything.

That’s where self-care becomes essential.

Taking care of yourself allows you to give, to build, to create.

You don’t pour from an empty cup.

And remember that you have the capacity —

and the chance — to shape your life.

Mistakes show you what can be improved.

Failure is relative to what you expected.

So maybe the real practice is this:

learning to see the glass on the fuller side, every day.

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Feeling.

Because what can be seen as brilliant by others

can feel like a disappointing result in your own eyes.

Success can feel like failure.

And then you wonder what to even call it —

when your own perception shifts everything.

A kind of body dysmorphia… of the mind.

It only confirms one thing:

our hardest critic is often ourselves.

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Which leads me to the last:

Trusting.

Trusting the process.

Trusting that even what we don’t understand has a place.

Trusting — whether you are spiritual or not —

that there is something bigger at play.

Because in reality, what we control is minimal.

And sometimes, in front of that,

the only thing left is to trust that it is all moving for the better.

Renounce self-sabotage.

Allow yourself to enjoy the moment.

Recognize the chance of each given minute.

Accept that greater things take time,

and that small things should not be left to procrastination —

unless there is a lesson to be learned,

like the need to trust others with what we cannot carry alone.

Because time is a gift —

and it is what allows everything else.

With love and light, always,

Jessica

aka Hopeje

My deepest condolences to his parents and family.