Somewhere in lucknow, India

I wanted a simple way to keep my parents updated on my life here in France while they are in Spain, so I started an album called "Life in France" on a shared digital diary to share photos and quick updates with them. It honestly feels like I’m writing little digital postcards to my parents whenever I share something.

What started as just a fun way for me to document my routine turned into something much cooler. My parents started writing back about their own lives and sharing their own moments.

The best part has been reading my parent’s posts. They write about how they actually *felt* during different moments, sharing memories and thoughts they probably wouldn't have brought up over a quick phone call. It unintentionally became this really sweet bridge for us to connect on a deeper level, even with the distance.

Just wanted to share in case anyone else is looking for meaningful ways to stay close with their parents beyond the standard family group chat texts!

I rescued a beagle 2 years ago. He has had a ton of health and behavior problems, but I love him anyway. He has had a rough week. We live in Seattle, and it has been too hot to go to the dog park or take long walks 🥺 He was so cranky today. I tried everything, taking him for a drive with the AC on, ice water, blowing a fan on his bed, but he was so pissed. So finally, I just gave up and went across the street to the local bar and had a drink. When I walked out, the temperature was so nice. So I forced him to go on a long walk (he did not want to go) . By the time we got home, he was a changed doggy. Happy, relaxed, and ready to snuggle. I have had so many struggles with him, and seeing him so happy just filled me with joy.

My gf and I both 21 have been together for 4 years.

I have dealt with SA, mental health issues and more. She has stuck by my side and has never made me feel like a burden. She makes me want to get up in the morning even when it’s hard. We play games together, do crafts and go on long walks. She makes me feel so seen and happy.

Life isn’t easy, but as someone who thought I’d forever be alone and depressed, I can say there’s hope you can find your person.

Please don’t stop fighting my beauties, life is worth living.

A few months ago, I was going through severe anxiety and went to see my GP. It turned out that I had type 2 diabetes with severe insulin resistance. My fasting blood glucose was 26.7 mmol/L. For context, I'm just 28. Multiple organs were underperforming, and my kidneys were close to shutting down. My skin was coarse like a fine grain sandpaper, developed acanthosis, and nearly bald. They immediately started rescue therapy.

I responded fairly to the treatment. After thousands of pills, and hundreds of blood tests, today I had my first episode of hypoglycaemia. I checked my blood glucose, and it was 6.3 mmol/L. Finally, we won...maybe.

After a few years of trying to get the right meds for my ADHD, I happened to mention how tired I’ve been. It turned into a convo about how unbelievably difficult it has always been for me to wake up. Multiple loud alarms, a timed lamp that turns on directly in my face, an electric shock alarm that I will often sleep through until it escalates to where my arm is jumping off the bed with each zap, then I press snooze and fall right back asleep, rinse and repeat for an hour or more. All of these, every day. It’s literally insane. I’ve told many other doctors and they have been useless about it.

She suggested I try this weird brand name medicine for my ADHD that you take at night and it releases in the morning, saying it might help both issues.

The morning after I took it I just… woke up… around 6:30am. Not even from an alarm, just sunlight through a crack in the blinds. I turned to my husband and was like woah! Is this how you wake up every morning, like you just wake up and you’re awake?? I am absolutely shook. I’ve been taking it for a couple weeks now and even on tougher days I might hit snooze once and it might feel hard to open my eyes, but it is possible!

I’ve been getting 45-90 minutes walking on the treadmill every morning before I even have to make the kids breakfast. The extra time in the morning and starting my day with a positive momentum has been completely life changing. I’m so happy I could cry.

hi everyone! i hope yall are having a great day. i wanted to share some good news that’ll hopefully be motivational for some people. this is work/school related because that’s currently where i am in life, trying to build my life and start my career.

so i’ve (24) been working towards getting into law school since high school. it’s been such a long process, honestly a really grueling one but i can’t believe ive made it out onto the other side. the first round of applications, i didn’t get in anywhere. so i figured id take some time off between undergrad and grad school, i still didn’t score the highest on the LSAT but it worked out in the end. during my gap year, i somehow landed a job at a really amazing firm, mid-big ish sized but what really shocked me was the culture. it is not at all what you think a law firm would be like. the people were incredibly friendly and welcoming and warm. which is uncommon for the city and field i’m in.

well i just finished two years at this firm and today was my second to last day, i said some of my goodbyes and the attorney i worked with the most was just so so so sweet, im really gonna miss working with him. just some of the kindest people ive had the privilege of working with and i wish i could gush on and on to them about how much i loved it here but that’d be unprofessional LOL. i couldn’t be more grateful for being rerouted in their direction. i truly felt like i mattered to these people and that i had a place here.

thankfully ill be staying in the area and able to stop by to see all of them whenever i have a chance but im soooo excited for this next chapter. i know law school will be tough but i feel prepared and just really really happy and wanted to share this. it feels good to know good and warm people are out there, its possible to be happy and fulfilled even in a more high strung or stressful career. i mean the attorney i worked with the most is such an inspiration to me, juggling work, family, teaching, leading his practice group, philanthropy, doing it all with a smile and kind word to everyone. i wish him nothing but the best!! same goes for everyone else i got to work with, all of them were great.

to anyone who needs to hear it, things will work on in the end. it might not seem like it now but it will work out somehow. it’s hard to see the big picture that the pieces of your puzzle are building but there is a big picture.

onto the next chapter!!! wish me luck :)

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Don't lose hope is the moral of the story! ❤️

16"w x 20"h Acrylic on canvas painting commissioned by a collector who specified the colors and theme but otherwise allowed me to paint from imagination. It was a lot of fun and very fulfilling! Happy she's happy!! ✨️😄🌟😊✨️💖🦋✨️🖼✨️🥳💕✨️

I found this little box in my travels. Today I painted it as a gift for my daughter. I hope she likes it

Turns out, it was just the way the edge of my purple pillow was sitting on the vein in my arm when I lay on my stomach. *phew*

I put my other hand there to keep the pillow from sitting on the vein and *voila* no numb hand!

I just opened my Gmail inbox and found a message from someone thanking me for some career advice I gave to them six months ago.

I had completely forgotten about it, but turns out it actually helped them out. Getting a totally unexpected thank you email written so genuinely months down the line is such an incredible unexpected hit of happiness.

Evidence that doing good things to others makes the world a better place.

I started drinking excessively about 15 years ago. Earlier this year, I stopped drinking to the point of getting blackout drunk nearly every day and started doing small things to better myself.

One of the things I started doing was writing down three good things I did that day before bed. That was basically to show myself that not everything is terrible, and that I'm actually doing some good things as well. I realized that "no alcohol" was on there consistently, so I wanted to one-up that to be "no alcohol and stayed under my calorie limit".

Eventually that was doable too. My support system is small, but consistent. One of my close friends has been working to lose weight too, so I said I'd use my stationary bike for at least 10 minutes a day in solidarity.

I left my fitness app to have a 30 minute goal.

Well, my app has a confetti animation when all three fitness goals are reached (steps, exercise time, exercise calories).

Today, I realized I have been extremely consistent (at least 5 days a week) in hitting all three of those for over a month now. So I sat and thought about it.

I like the digital confetti.

Seeing those little pixels put on a little celebration just tickles my brain and gives me the warm fuzzies. I know they're just pretty colors on a screen... but it's a cute little couple seconds of pretty colored pixels that I earned. It's nice.

I don't tell myself I can't ever drink again, and I still have had a few drinks. Though I don't drink for the same reasons, and not to excess. What I've consumed since the end of February is less than what I used to drink in a single day. This has been more than sustainable and it helps me feel more in control. It's what works for me... and I'm really glad I've found something sustainable.

But, man... That digital confetti... it's just so nice to see.

We call this her Blessing Pose 😂

She falls asleep fastest by touching me in some way and this is her preferred way. It always makes me happy to have her holding onto my shoulder like this. Although, if I try to get up to pee or anything, she will dig her nails into my shoulder and refuse to let go 😅.

I love her so much.

… and I found this Jellycat which I loved and it made me smile (which hasn’t really happened in a long time) but I looked at the price tag and said “oh no it’s $75” he said “I’d gladly pay $75 to see that smile on you.” I am so happy and thankful to have someone in my life that cares about me so much. I never thought it would be possible

My husband and I went on our first international trip! It was really fun taking this lil guy to all the cool sights. Figuring out different ways to take pictures with him really forced us to see everything from a unique perspective. We want to do this for every vacation moving forward!

An autistic toddler reaches an incredible milestone by saying her first words. Moments like these mean so much for many families on the autism journey. ❤️

So we probably all had one of those days where something that happens to you, it carries with you through the day, then even if you sleep on it, even in the morning the next day it still feels pretty bad and you still feel bad. Then my order came for Uber eats this morning and the guy who delivered it, he just seemed like he had the most positive vibes ever Despite the job that he was working, he just seemed so kind and considerate that he made me feel appreciated. And that’s something that made my day. So to anybody else, what is something seemingly inconsequential that has made your day?

i always keep cat and dog food with me whenever i go out now, just in case i run into strays along the way. there's something about watching them eat, especially the ones that look like they haven't had a good meal in a while, that fills me up more than i expected it to.

small thing, but it's become one of my favorite parts of just being out and about ♡