A running list of things to make peace with in 2025
Life is hard. Seasons change. You grow. You stumble. You heal. And yet, somehow, in the middle of it all, you can find strength, clarity, joy and peace.
This entry is a running list of truths i’ve learned while navigating life’s messy, beautiful contradictions. If you’ve felt overwhelmed this past year by the weight of living, by the pressure to do it all, or by the ache of change and growth, this is for you. It’s a reminder that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. That you are capable of doing hard things and that showing up- quietly, imperfectly and courageously is what shapes a life worth living.
End of 2024, I started writing a running list of things to make peace with and it was a comforting way of slowing down to reflect on key lessons I learned throughout the year so here we are again, 2025 edition.
Subscribe and join me as we make peace with the hard, the messy, and the beautiful.
Life is hard but you are capable of doing hard things.
You were built to withstand the pressure. Sometimes when you’re in the thick of hard, it can feel like you’re looking for a door out that you can’t seem to find. But the truth is, you’re not trapped… you’re just growing in the dark. Just like a diamond, the deepest transformation happens far beneath the surface, in places no one sees and light can’t reach. Pressure doesn’t mean you’re failing; it often means something strong is being formed.
Every hard season of life teaches you how to breathe deeper, stand steadier and how to trust yourself more than you did before. The growth happens slowly but it doesn’t make it any less real. Sometimes the hard feels really hard because you care so much and that doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re what you’re currently walking through matters to you. It means you’re human. Even diamonds…the hardest naturally occurring substance on earth has natural lines where they can crack. It’s okay to crack under pressure. Just because a diamond is formed under pressure doesn’t mean its unbreakable. It means its still precious, still becoming, still valuable. Every hard season is just that, a season. It won’t last forever but what you’re learning from it will. Take every opportunity to learn about who you are when the hard gets hard. This is character building time. You are so much stronger than you feel, more capable than you think, and you can do hard things.
As you change, your priorities do too.
(And that’s okay.) If there’s one thing that we can count on to be constant, it’s change. We are constantly changing even when we can’t see it or feel it. Even right now, as I sit here typing on this computer, there are cells in my body changing, renewing, regenerating. Every time I type or take a pause to reflect on what I should write next, my brain is reshaping connection networks between neurons and my brain’s wiring changes. My hormones are changing and responding moment by moment to what i’m doing, how I’m feeling, and what I’m thinking. Take this and realize that all these small changes add up. Maybe that’s why we resist it so much— because change happens in microscopic, gradual ways of the day to day moments until you suddenly feel different and realize that you’re not the same person you used to be anymore.
That your desires have changed and when your desires change, it’s natural that your priorities do too. It’s okay to adjust to the change and shift your priorities— not because you’ve lost who you were, but because you’re learning what actually matters to you now not yesterday. Change just means you’re growing and growth as a way of quietly rearranging your life. Things that once demanded all your energy will loosen their grip and new desires will bubble up to the surface and take up more space. It’s okay to honor those desires. You’re not betraying who you were by honoring the change—you’re just learning how to listen to what your heart needs right this moment and how to respond it.
There is only one you but many versions.
There are versions of you that you are still learning to trust. There are versions of you that don’t love. There are versions of you that you’re learning to fall in love with. There are versions of you that still have growing to do. There are versions of you that you have yet to meet. There are many versions of you and that’s one of the most beautiful parts about getting older. You get to meet the person you’re becoming every day. And every day is an opportunity to go on a grand adventure of inner exploration.
There are versions of you that will surprise you, versions that will challenge you, and versions that will quietly shine in ways you didn’t know were possible. Some versions will break. Some will soar. Some will scare you. But every single one is part of your story. Some versions you will leave behind, and some versions you’ll step into. Every version of you has shaped your perspective, taught you lessons and made space for the person you’re becoming.
So don’t judge the current version of who you are right now— seek to understand it. Don’t try to “arrive” at some imaginary place or try to fit all the versions into one perfect package. Every version has it’s own timing, it’s own gifts and it’s own beauty. One day you will look back at your life and see that the messy, brave, quiet, bold versions of you were all leading you towards becoming more of who you were meant to be.
You won’t have time for everything but you will have seasons.
There is a season for everything in your life. There is a season to build and a season to tear down. There is a season to grow and a season to rest. There is a season to mourn and a season to dance. There is a season to be loud and a season to be quiet. Some seasons will feel longer than others. Some will feel fleeting and make you wonder where time went. Some will challenge you, push you and some will break you. Some will surprise you with unexpected goodness of grace, beauty, joy and ease. If you don’t have time to do some of the things you love now, that’s okay because that time will come later. No season lasts forever, and it’s a challenge and a gift. Every season has a purpose and if we spend our time lamenting, we might miss out on what it’s meant to teach us. You don’t have to try to compartmentalize everything in one season. Honor the one that is presently in front of you right now and know it won’t last forever so don’t rush it or force them to fit in your timeline. The next season will come. So show up fully, live through it honestly and trust in God’s divine timing for how its meant to unfold.
Rest is productive even when on the outside it looks like you got nothing done.
Even when the dishes aren’t done, the laundry isn’t folded, and the emails are still waiting— rest is productive. Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is pause because pause = space. Your mind needs space to breathe. Your body needs space to recover. Your soul needs space to remember why you do what you do. And your spirit needs space to anchor into the Lord at the center of it all. As a mom, i’ve learned that rest is the hidden work. It calms my nervous system. It lets me show up as a patient, present and relaxed mom. It lets me be a loving wife. A friend who listens and gives. A sharp business owner and a more creative writer.
Rest is not laziness… it’s preparation for what’s in front of you.
When you stop trying to do it all, you come back stronger, calmer more alive.
Rest, in its truest form, is sacred. It is a gift you give yourself so that everything else you touch can thrive; family, relationships, work, etc. It’s a reminder that productivity is not only measured by how much you do and much you can check off the to do list but it’s in the depth, presence, and love you bring to the life you’re tending to.
True healing isn’t linear, aesthetic or instagrammable.
You may have done the work to heal something but it will come back another day in another form. Because true healing is circular— it moves in spirals, not straight lines. It doesn’t arrive in a tidy timeline with before and after photos. It doesn’t come wrapped up in a filter or a neatly magazine worthy curated feed. Healing is messy. Quiet. Uncomfortable. Triggering. Healing is deeply personal. It’s unpredictable and often takes a lot longer than our egos want it to. You may not be able to post it but if you keep showing up for yourself, if you keep walking through the messy, unpolished, unfiltered moments— the healing is happening. Celebrate the invisible victories. Celebrate a kind word to yourself, a boundary you set and held, a moment you didn’t react in anger. Never compare your journey with what you see on these platforms. You can’t see the full picture, even when it’s shared. True healing isn’t a highlight reel. It’s the everyday courage of showing up, falling short, and showing up again until you heed the lesson and a new path is paved.
Joy can co-exist with grief without canceling either out.
I felt this a lot this year. The joy of growing a baby in my womb again while simultaneously grieving that my toddler was growing up so fast. I celebrated every tiny kick and miracle of new life, and at the same time, my heart ached for the days slipping by with my oldest, afraid I wouldn’t have the energy or time to give her the attention I once did. I learned that you can hold both feelings at once…that delight and sorrow, excitement and fear, could coexist without one negating the other. Being a mom often means living in this tension full of contradictions: embracing the miracle in front of you while mourning the moments you can’t get back. And somehow, both feelings make the love you carry feel even bigger. Sometimes the hardest days make the joyful moments shine even brighter. Sometimes the joyful moments make the hard ones feel more bearable.
It’s okay to outgrow the environment you’ve been most familiar with.
Sometimes the people, places, or routines that once felt like home stop fitting the person you’re becoming. Recognizing that might be hard at first but it means you’re growing. It’s okay to honor old friendships for what they were while making space for new ones. Not every person is meant to be apart of every season of your life. Letting go doesn’t make you ungrateful for the ways they’ve shaped your life and the role they played in it. It just means you’re honoring the season of growth you’re stepping into now. While it’s uncomfortable and scary, sometimes even lonely, you will meet the part of yourself that you will only know when you stop resisting the change. You will step into deeper connection, more sincere joy and a truer version of who you’re meant to be. You will have peace. Release what no longer serves you and make room for people, opportunity and experiences that belong in your next chapter— not a past one. Trust the process. The right people will show up, the right opportunities will appear, and you’ll recognize them as exactly what you’ve been looking for— because you finally made space for what belongs.
Becoming softer and slowing down in a hard and fast moving world is not weakness— it’s courage.
It’s saying no to the rush, and yes to yourself. It’s trusting that life doesn’t need to be done at raging speed to be meaningful. It’s noticing the little things, nurturing your soul, and showing up fully for what truly matters.
Slowing down isn’t quitting. It’s strength disguised as stillness and it’s where the best fruit of life grows. You notice things you used to miss… the way sunlight hits the dining room table in the middle of the day, the way the plants cast shadows on the dirt in your backyard, the sound of children’s laughter, the way your own mind feels after a quiet walk. Your relationships deepen. Your creativity returns. Your resilience grows. You breathe more fully and you live more gratefully. Living softly and slowly isn’t weakness. It’s a quiet, steadfast form of strength for the courageous ones and the world needs more of it.
You don’t have to do it alone (and you shouldn’t).
Growth, healing, and transformation aren’t meant to be done solo. Faith reminds us that we are held, even when we can’t see the way forward. We are not meant to carry the burden. Surrendering, trusting and leaning into God’s guidance doesn’t make us weak- it makes us brave. It’s a reminder that even when the path is dark, rough or uncertain, we are never walking it alone. Faith isn’t a checklist or a one time act— it’s the daily courage to trust the One who holds the entire story, to let go of the need to control the outcome and to move forward knowing that the grace, strength and love we need will never run dry. So Let God in. Pray for God centered friendships and relationships. Be your most authentic self to them. Pray for like-minded communities that share the same values you do. And when they come knocking, open the door and receive them graciously. Because you don’t have to do life alone and you shouldn’t.
Let this be your peace.🍵
Warmly,
