**Quiet Blessings and a New Year’s Rhythm
After spending the New Year holidays with my family, I’m back in my own place now, slowly settling into my quiet, everyday rhythm again. How has your New Year begun, I wonder?
On my visits to my mother's, I often come back home with wild yuzus and summer citruses she’s picked for me.
A glass bowl with yuzus and summer citruses, placed quietly in my room
When something becomes ordinary, we tend to stop seeing its beauty. But the fact that I can see the world with my eyes, hear its sounds, speak with my voice, and walk on my own feet to the places I go every day — that’s something truly precious.
And owning the home I live in is one of the quiet joys in my life. It came at just the right time — a sanctuary where I can slow down and breathe. While I hadn’t always expected to be living on my own, if I were to do so, I wanted to live in a lively city. I’m not rich, but this modest, renovated apartment has given me the city life I hoped for in this current chapter of my life.
I’m learning that it’s okay not to push myself. For example, if I give my heart to someone and they don’t respond in kind, I think it’s necessary to step back a little — to protect my heart and let it rest. I shouldn’t accept being treated that way as normal. I am someone who deserves to be treated with more care and kindness.
I’ve already given so much of my love. That’s truly enough.
Sometimes it’s good to step back and see things through a different lens. When I feel hurt or unseen, I don’t have to keep giving my heart endlessly. I can rest. I want to remember the quiet blessings around me: the soft light in my cozy room, the warmth of coffee, the view of the city and sky from the window. I don’t need to be perfect or do big things. Just living gently, noticing small joys, and being kind to myself — that’s how I want to move through this year.
Wishing you peace and beauty in your day, Rose
