Hello beautiful souls,
Welcome to a gentle start to the week.
As January softens toward its end, I’ve been thinking about how often joy and grief arrive together—especially for sensitive hearts and caregivers.
You can love your life and still mourn parts of it.
You can feel gratitude and exhaustion in the same breath.
You can soften without erasing what’s hard.
This week isn’t about choosing one feeling over another.
It’s about letting more than one truth exist at the same time.
No fixing.
No forcing perspective.
Just making room.
A gentle practice for today
Once today, pause for a moment when you notice mixed feelings, maybe a small joy layered over tiredness, or a tender moment wrapped in grief.
Place one hand over your heart.
Let the other rest wherever it feels natural.
Take one slow breath in.
Then let your exhale be unhurried.
Silently name both feelings, if you can.
Joy… and grief.
Love… and weariness.
Nothing needs to change. Your body is capable of holding more than one feeling at once.
A journaling prompt
There’s no right answer here.
What am I holding joy and grief about right now?
You might write a few words.
You might stop after one sentence.
You might simply sit with the question.
That counts.
Small radiant practices for the week
Choose one — or none. Let them stay optional.
• Let a happy moment exist without explaining it
• Say “both are true” when emotions feel complicated
• Take a photo of something ordinary you love
• Breathe out slowly after something hard
• Let comfort and sadness share the same space
• End one day with appreciation and honesty
Holding joy and grief is not a contradiction.
It’s a sign of depth.
Of love.
Of a life fully lived.
May this week meet you gently.
May you feel less alone in what you’re carrying.
May you soften without asking yourself to be anything other than human.
With warmth,
Carrie
P.S.
If you feel like it, you can hit reply and share one small joy or one honest feeling you’re holding this week.
Either is welcome.
P.P.S.
This week on the podcast, I’m sharing a gentle episode called Holding Joy and Grief at the Same Time.
And on YouTube, you’ll find Tiny Treasures, The Space Between, Scent Stories, and 3-Minute Glow Rituals — all rooted in softening into real life. You’re always welcome there.
See you next week!
