This week was not about catching up.
It was about coming back — to myself, to my space, to the simple things I often rush past.

I was on annual leave, and for once, I didn’t fill it with plans.
No deadlines. No demands. Just time to breathe, to be, to live in the gentle in-between.

We travelled to Worcester, Jan and I, wandering the cobbled streets with no agenda but togetherness. We walked, we laughed, we held each other’s silence. The cathedral stood still, the river moved slow, and for a while, so did we.

And the rest of the week?
It wasn’t exciting. But it was full — with quiet, with choice, with life lived slowly.

What I’m Grateful For

I’m grateful for time — not packed or scheduled, but open.
Time to finally clean the house without rushing.
Time to sort through old clothes, to say, “Thank you,” and let them go.
Time to fold laundry and feel like I was folding little pieces of peace.

I’m grateful for the grass, freshly mown — the smell of it, the small victory of getting it done. For my home, not perfect, but tender with signs of care.

And I’m grateful for the way I allowed myself to do nothing meaningful, yet still feel full.
No books finished this week, but I travelled through stories — Korean, Thai, Mandarin, Filipino. Series that made me feel, laugh, ache, and rest. UNIKADA reminded me of home. Some stories made me cry when I didn’t expect to. Some healed something small and invisible in me. And maybe that was enough.

What I’m Hoping For

I hope to return to work with grace — not dragging my feet, but carrying this softness with me.
I hope that what I found in stillness doesn’t leave me in the rush.

I hope I can keep choosing gentleness, even when life picks up its pace again.
I hope I don’t forget the joy of sorting socks, or the peace in simply being here.

What Stayed With Me

The stillness.
The kind that isn’t empty — just quiet.
The stillness of laundry spinning, of shows playing, of grass dancing in the wind outside the kitchen window.

And Jan — beside me on the sofa, his presence quiet and sure. That, too, stayed with me.
Love that doesn’t need noise to be known.

What Softened or Stretched Me

This week softened the part of me that always feels I have to “earn” my rest.
There was no productivity list. No creative streak. No chapters written, no books read.

But there was rest. And it was enough.
There was order in small spaces.
There was joy in stories told through subtitles.
There was healing in finally having nowhere else to be.

This Week’s Companion Song

“Answer: Love Myself” by BTS
Because this week, I didn’t chase anything — and still, I found peace.

A Quote That Held Me

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

Closing Reflection

Not every week has to be a breakthrough.
Some weeks are simply about remembering that the ordinary things — folding clothes, walking in the sun, finishing a good show — are not distractions. They are life.

And maybe the point isn’t always to grow, but to rest in the space we’ve already grown into.

This was a week of quiet living.
Of soft joy.
Of coming home — not just to a house, but to myself.

Until next Sunday,

Anj ❤