10/28/2026
These last few weeks have been quietly purposeful. And that’s hard for me. I want to see all the movement and energy and excitement. It’s there, but just showing up in different ways. An insight from a leader that shifted something in me. A guttural laugh with a friend. Being told it’s going to be ok, and believing it at my core. Trying something new and a little scary (more on that below).
Quietly purposeful. That’s the how I’m choosing right now.
As the days get colder and shorter, how are you tending to your warmth — in your mood, your days, and your relationships?
Resting
An invitation to slow down long enough to hear what your mind, body, and heart are telling you.
So this is what it feels like to inhale a book. I’ve had this feeling before – of being so eager for the next time to sit down and read. To consume as many pages as possible.
As a single woman, that looked like taking a blanket, a book, and some snacks to Prospect Park in Brooklyn and having at it for an entire afternoon. I could finish most of a book before the weather changed, I ran into someone I knew, or had to go to the bathroom.
More recently – as a wife and mommy, it’s looked like cramming pages in during naps and unexpected downtime. For that reason, I’ve listened to more books this year than holding the story in my hand. Each season has asked something different of me as a reader. This one is asking me to slow down and actually land somewhere. So when our book club made the most recent selection, I decided to approach it differently: read before bed.
I’ve also realized I’m not as tired before bed as I used to be. Different choices throughout the day are paying off. My mind is truly at rest as I enter a new world with new people who I don’t always understand. That’s the rest.
What are core elements of your daily wind down practice?
Remembering
An invitation to reconnect with your brilliance - the wisdom, creativity, and magic within and around you.
We have family debates about who has the best memory, largely because my children accuse me of forgetting things. Usually, it’s because they’re wrapping their minds around the concept of “may” or “might”.
Actually, there’s some truth to their accusation. I’m more likely to forget things because of the sheer volume of what I’m trying to remember. Something is bound to fall through the cracks.
On one Sunday evening we were preparing for the week – the week before my son’s fall break. I was telling my daughter the plan for Monday: I would take her brother to school and then drop her off. She interjected, “You mean take him to Glamma’s house.” That’s right, baby girl. That’s exactly what we’ve talked about and I forgot.
She wasn’t flustered by everything else on the calendar. She held one thing close and held it clearly. I want that. The discipline to decide what deserves that kind of real estate in my mind — and to release the rest without guilt.
What are you choosing to hold close right now?
Recasting/Realizing
An invitation to imagine the life you desire and pursue it with joy as your compass.
Latin Night is a whole thing in our neighborhood. After four years, we’ve never made it out – either out of town or had other local commitments. This year, we had nowhere else to be. So we christened our first Tributary Latin Night…
…and won the salsa competition.
Yep, you read that right. You might be as surprised as I still am. I like to dance. But I prefer the freestyle variety. Introduce choreography and I’m all in my head and looking crazy. At least that was the case before Saturday. My husband – one of those who deeply believes in dancing for himself and no one else – summoned me to the grassy dance area. He took my hand and any reservations I had about what I would look like immediately vanished. His confidence would carry us.
And it did, through multiple rounds. It came down to us and another couple. We took home the championship ($30 gift card to a local restaurant). Our left-right-left-right-back-back-and turn showed me a different flavor of joy in our relationship. Salsa classes on deck.
Who has recently helped you recast your joy?
Fall is known for the harvest. A time to gather and appreciate. Even if this season invites coasting, there’s so much room for exploration and discovery. May you find it, nurture it, and follow where it leads.
Joyfully,
Elandria
