What could you do if your base were more solid?
Who would you be?
How much more could you give and serve?
How might you relax into growth, challenge, and joy?
New Year’s reflection is what got me here. Not big resolutions—more a quiet noticing of what actually feels different than it did a year ago. And honestly, I feel surprisingly grateful for some of the big gifts of my recent life/career pivot.
This past year of City employment has taught me some big, unexpected things. One of them: structure doesn’t take from me the way I thought it would. It actually fills my cup.
For a long time, I worried routine would flatten my joy or box me in. Instead, I’m finding that predictability has given me time and energy back. With a steadier schedule, consistent income, and more clear “have-tos,” I have borders, edges, and bumpers in my life now. And that frees up so much energy.
There’s more safety. And from that safety, more space.
The foundation—of a house, your health, a relationship, or a way of being—is foundational for a reason. It’s what everything else is built on. It’s the soil the rest of life grows in. When the base is solid, you don’t have to work so hard just to hold things together.
For decades, I’ve carried a freedom-oriented, loose-in-life identity. Self-employment only strengthened that. Flexibility, intuition, movement—those are still core to who I am. But what I’m learning now is that freedom without grounding can be quietly exhausting.
Structure doesn’t have to mean rigid. Routine doesn’t have to mean dull. When they’re in balance, they create a container that lets the nervous system settle, creativity come online, and generosity flow without burning out.
I see this clearly in my massage practice—work I truly love. A supported body has more capacity. When there’s a strong foundation, healing doesn’t have to fight gravity.
As this job has gotten easier for me, I’m finding little pockets of space again—moments to reflect, to write, and to connect with you here. I’m excited to eek out these small ways of engaging and sharing what I’m learning in real time.
What I want—for myself and for the people I work with—isn’t a life of constraint or constant motion. It’s a balanced, safe-feeling life. One that’s rooted enough to rest, and flexible enough to grow.
Because when your base is solid, you don’t just hold more.
You get to enjoy more.
Strong roots = free, swaying branches.