Personal Notes

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
— Carl Jung

Lately I’ve been sitting with what it means to live authentically. My shadow work book keeps nudging me to meet my emotions and thoughts without blame—notice, name, and gently reprogram the beliefs beneath them. That’s not easy, especially when it touches old wounds, but it’s where integration begins.

Intentional living isn’t only what I buy or how I vote. It’s the quiet choices: resting when my body asks, catching myself when I slip into familiar patterns, and building a life that reflects who I’m becoming—not who I’ve been.

Health & Sleep

“Sleep is the best meditation.”
— Dalai Lama

Sleep has been stubborn—often 4–5 hours and fragmented. After increasing ashwagandha, my nighttime spasms actually worsened at first. On the fourth night they hit 6/10; I nodded off in my chair before moving to bed to wear my CPAP. Since then, things have started to settle down, not perfect but less intense.

I’m tracking timing, quality, and spasms nightly. I’ll bring these notes to my PCP first, then my fibro specialist, and later my psychiatrist. I’m not forcing an early bedtime if it spikes spasms; I’m following the data and my body.

Gut Health

“All disease begins in the gut.”
— Hippocrates

I increased my biotics and my system is still adjusting. I’m keeping specifics off the page, but consistency is improving overall. Healing isn’t linear; it spirals—I’m giving it time to stabilize.

Weight & Body Check-In

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”
— Jim Rohn

In just over a month, the scale is up 8.1 pounds. A big piece of that is the last two weeks of nighttime snacking, layered on fragmented sleep and gut shifts. Knowing the “why” gives me the “how”: I’m swapping late snacks for protein shakes and will discuss a potential Mounjaro dose increase with my doctor to help course-correct while I reinforce habits.

Work & Writing

“You don’t write because you want to say something; you write because you have something to say.”
— F. Scott Fitzgerald

This week I’ll be cross-posting my Wednesday pieces to Medium and WordPress alongside my home base on Ghost. Writing is part of my rich life—it’s how I speak truth, challenge myths, and (hopefully) spark ripples of change. Medium may bring some income over time; Ghost stays free because this work is too meaningful to gate.

Rich Life Progress

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
— George Eliot

Five years feels like the right horizon to step off disability into a richer, sustainable life. I’m not rushing the process. I’ve set a target of $50k/year through a hybrid of life & spiritual coaching, writing, workshops, and simple digital offerings. Right now it looks like values-aligned buying, steady debt reduction, and consistent presence online—the unflashy foundation everything else stands on.

Closing Mantra

“I believe in myself that I am worthy.”

This came to me today, and I’m holding it close. As part of shadow work, I’m honoring my path by rewiring the truth: I am worthy, and I believe in myself. That’s how integration begins.