Noticing the Good.

July sunsets in Colorado hit just right.

The amount of good things in your life depends on your ability to notice them.

It’s not about having more. It’s about taking the time to appreciate the things right in front of you.

Experiencing one minute of awe a day can significantly lower stress, boost your immune system, and remind us that we’re connected to the whole.

What’s one good thing you can notice today?

Thistles as the Center.

I first saw him a few weeks ago. Just like me, he had one crutch underneath his left arm and was cautiously making his way around the gym floor. A week later, during the same time that I transitioned to a cane, I spotted him with his cane resting on one of the machines. Then a few days ago, we were both doing bodyweight TRX squats, mirroring each other exactly. I laughed and called across the gym, "We're on the same recovery trajectory! Total hip replacement?"

Knee surgery, it turned out. His fifth operation in a few years. "I was in the hospital for a week — IV drips, the whole shebang. It was so bad, I thought I was gonna lose my leg." He shook his head. "Right now, I'm just grateful I have my leg."

That stopped me cold. Yes, my own recovery has been hard and drawn out — but how lucky are we to have bodies that are healthy and fully intact? We talked for a while, and now when we see each other, we fist bump- united in our shared experience and gratitude for the opportunity to move and strengthen the bodies we’ve been gifted.

Life will always have its ‘thistles’- challenges, illnesses, setbacks. But how beautiful it can be to use them as a centerpiece for connection and shared experience, and to help each other feel a little less alone in the world.

Life as Art. Food as Art.

Created with black rice, cucumber, pickled radish, ginger, seaweed, and WhereYouBean edamame beans.

The wonderful thing about creating art from food is that no two bowls are arranged the same way.

No two paths in life look alike either. We spend so much time and energy trying to fit a mold- the right credentials, the right job, the right way to show up. But the most nourishing thing you can offer the world isn’t a perfect template. It’s the distinct and specific combination of everything you care about, create, and keep returning to because it lights you up and makes you feel alive. That combination is yours alone- built from years of experience, pivoting, and following your curiosity.

No matter who you are or #whereyoubean, you have a unique skillset that no one else has. Harness it. Arrange it with intention. Offer it to the world in a beautiful way.

That’s the whole art.

**Made with Where You Bean roasted edamame. Get yours HERE.

Change Your Narrative, Change Your Life.

Are you piSTACHio’ing archaic storylines in your brain that no longer serve you, and allowing them to dictate your current decisions?

Here’s an effective exercise to break through your limiting beliefs:

In pencil, write down all the lies you believe about who you are/money/career/health/relationships. Be brutally honest with yourself. Leave space between each one.

Next, go back with a red pen. For every lie, there must be a corresponding truth. This will require thought and energy. Even if you don’t believe it yet, identify the truth and write it down.

For the next few days, read your list of lies, followed by its corresponding truth. During this pairing process, you’re retraining your brain through neurolinguistic patterning.

The next time the lie subconsciously comes up, your brain will recognize it and will automatically jump to the truth (YOUR TRUTH!).

The last step- take an eraser and erase the list of lies in pencil. All that remains are your truths in red.

Use these as a new roadmap moving forward. To change your life, change your narrative.

A Full-Circle Moment: 35th Annual Children's Book Illustrator Show

May this be a reminder to do things that would make your 11-year-old self proud.

I remember it clearly: I was eleven, standing in Sun Gallery, captivated by the original artwork on the walls and the authors and illustrators who stood beside it. I loved drawing and making my own little books, but seeing that level of artistry planted a seed. My mom and I returned every year through middle and high school, and each time she let me choose one book—always the one whose brushstrokes of watercolor, oil pastel, or pencil I had studied the longest.

Here I am at age eleven, with illustrator Yoriko Ito.

34 years later, I had the opportunity to experience this beautiful full-circle moment with my art featured on the walls of Sun Gallery’s Children’s Book Illustrators Exhibit. I am grateful for all the people who helped birth this book into the world, and for my mom who deliberately curated experiences that planted seeds and dreams as a child.

If you can hold it in your heart, you can hold it in your hands.

Sun Gallery’s exhibit featuring my work will run through May 23, 2026, located on 1015 E Street in Hayward, CA.

Post-op Day 3.

Day of surgery- s/p anterior total hip replacement

I’m fully embracing recovery and the slow rhythm of my days- ice for 30 minutes every hour, walk for 5 minutes every hour with my walker, stay on top of my pain meds, hydrate, eat, do my rehab exercises, and mainly rest. I’ve come to be incredibly grateful for the firsts post-op. My first shower. My first bowel movement. The first time I could put on socks by myself. My first visitor, who brightened my day with her arm full of puzzles, scar tape, a huge wooden bedside table, Nee-Doh for my hands to stay busy with, and a grabber stick. Having my mom here to anticipate my every need, cook/clean, keep track of my pain medication schedule, change out my ice machine, fill my water bottle for the umpteenth time, and wake up every two hours during the first few nights to make sure I didn’t fall making my way to the bathroom has been a huge blessing. I truly scored on the mom front, since she is a retired home health nurse. Recovery would have been impossible without her help.

Today I received an email inquiring about an older card design I’d made. It was a seasonal design, so I had removed it from my online shop. Since my energy has slowly been returning since Monday’s surgery, I replied that I could happily fulfill her order. I found myself watercoloring and hand-lettering this sweet blessing that was both timely and relevant for me and many others.

Whatever circumstance you may be facing- whether it’s a health crisis, losing a loved one, navigating a challenging career, or climbing your way out of an overwhelming financial situation- may you know God’s peace and presence in your life.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be free of pain.

May you live in peace.

May your life be blessed with ease.

Ways to Calm A (Very) Nervous System.

Enjoying my last days of training before surgery.

Lift weights. Push really, really heavy things because it forces you to focus on your breath and put one foot in front of the other. Which is a solid metaphor for life when you’re navigating intense stuff and about to lose your mind. Put your phone on airplane mode. Pick up your favorite book- the one with dog-eared pages and sentences you’ve underlined. Let old, familiar words wrap themselves around you like a warm hug. Close your eyes, place your hand on your heart, and take a long, deep breath. Exhale deeply. Repeat three times. Wash your face with cool water, then hydrate your skin with jojoba oil and hyaluronic acid. Go outside on a crisp morning and watch the sunrise. Take pictures of the sky and be grateful you’re alive to witness the magic of the morning. Create before you consume. Find the watercoloring set you haven’t used in ages. Grab a blank sheet of paper, dip your thick paintbrush into the colors, and allow yourself to play on the page without judgment. Vacuum. Journal your scattered thoughts, anxieties, and worries on the page. Give them some place to call home that isn’t inside your head. Take a walk outside, even if it’s just to notice the color of the leaves, or the light streaming through the trees on a random Thursday morning. Run yourself a bath with eucalyptus spearmint epsom salts, and soak by candlelight while listening to that old album you loved in 2011. Drive to visit your old friend. The one who reminds you that you’ve survived every nightmare in your life and that you’ve made it through. Hug her tightly. Listen to the Giggly Squad podcast and find yourself laughing again. While you’re laughing, realize how lovely it is to laugh when life has felt so overwhelmingly heavy. If the task takes less than five minutes, just finish it now. Take social media off your phone. Learn to graciously ask for help. Learn to graciously receive help. Because we are human, and we need each other.