This December makes my heart feel full. Reconnecting with people does that to me.

I talked about this with my friends, and we agree: even though the first two weeks of the month are habitually more stressful — mostly because of wrapping things up at work in order to fully enjoy the winter holidays — this time feels different from a usual vacation.

Another month, another set of quiet joys. As the days grow colder, they seem to grow cosier too — if you choose to let them.

This summer, I allowed myself to be surprised. To some extent :) I had planned a few short trips, giving myself something to look forward to amidst a heavy workload. But once those trips began, I made a conscious effort to be fully present — to sink into each moment and truly enjoy every day.