Staying..

I’ve been slowly going through the corners of my home — closets, shelves, drawers — not in a frantic purge, but with the quiet question: Does this belong to the life I’m building now?

For a long time, I kept things out of obligation. Things from another season. Things that reminded me of who I used to be, or who I thought I had to become. But lately, I’ve been choosing based on something quieter: becoming.

Not usefulness, not value, not whether I should — but whether the thing makes me breathe out when I look at it. Whether it feels like who I’m becoming.

And here are a few of the things I’ve decided to keep:

– A stoneware mug that I got thrifting and think it feels perfect for nighttime tea
– A framed photograph of Paul Newman shaving because it invokes a feeling of another life….an artistic one
– My favorite book from my teens, The Clan of the Cavebear, because it reminds be to continue to follow my passions, even if they are out of the box
– A neon light that reads, Love Made Me Do It, to remind myself of everything I have done to get here
– A pink glass candlestick holder because whimsy and color are necessary for happiness

These things may look like nothing. But they anchor me.

They are the visual reminders of the life I’m choosing to build — not fast, not flashy, but felt. A life where nothing is taken for granted, and everything that stays earns its place.

I’ll be sharing some of the objects I am letting go of soon, along with the stories they carried while they were with me. But for today, I wanted to begin with what’s staying. With what I’m holding onto, gently.

And maybe that’s a good place to start — not always with what we need to change, but with what we still love.