Women Gone Well

07/31/2026

I almost didn't book this flight.

Not because of the money, not because of the timing. Because of the guilt.

I'm not nervous about Alaska — I grew up there, and I've visited often since.

I'm nervous about leaving my loved one for a week. I'm her person for all of it.

It's not that I think she's not safe — it's smaller than that.

It's the Diet Pepsi I always bring her. Fixing her hair. Little treats from the garden. Driving her around to nowhere in particular, playing The Sound of Music because she loves it. I visit twice a week. For one week, nobody will.

So there's guilt in booking the flight — and I know this time with her is short, and I'm choosing to go anyway, because I love her, and because I can choose to still experience my life, even though it's hard.

I rely on my practices more than ever in these moments and feel comfort knowing I have them.

I don't think I'm the only woman my age holding both of those at once. If you’re holding this too, you’re not alone in this.

🤍Karin

07/30/2026

07/29/2026

13 minutes behind this car.

One coffee. That's all I wanted.

The car in front of me ordered four drinks, three breakfast sandwiches, and something with so much caramel drizzle the barista had to make them repeat it twice.

And there I am, tapping the wheel, getting genuinely annoyed. Then catching myself mid-spiral. Over a coffee order.

See you next Wednesday. 🐾
🤍Karin

07/23/2026

Ever notice your shoulders are up by your ears before you've even registered you're stressed?

That's not random. There's a term for it: neuroception — your nervous system scanning for safety or threat, underneath conscious thought, before your mind has caught up to what your body already knows.

It's not your body being dramatic. It's your body being early.

Noticing it sooner doesn't fix everything. But it gives you a head start most of us didn't know we had.

Practice, not perfection.

🤍Karin

07/18/2026

Most of us don't struggle because of one difficult moment.

It's often the accumulation of ordinary ones—a decision here, an interruption there, one more thing added to an already full day.

Here's what's easy to miss: not all stress is the problem. Some of it helps us grow and adapt. It's the stress that never gets a chance to recover that can wear on us over time.

Noticing what you're carrying, without judging yourself for carrying it, is often the first step toward carrying it differently.

And none of us are meant to carry it alone. We're wired to find steadiness in each other, not just on our own.

Practice, not perfection.�🤍 Karin

07/18/2026

Most of us don’t struggle because of one difficult moment.

It’s often the accumulation of ordinary ones—a decision here, an interruption there, one more thing added to an already full day.

Here’s what’s easy to miss: not all stress is the problem. Some of it helps us grow and adapt. It’s the stress that never gets a chance to recover that can wear on us over time.

Noticing what you’re carrying, without judging yourself for carrying it, is often the first step toward carrying it differently.

And none of us are meant to carry it alone. We’re wired to find steadiness in each other, not just on our own.

Practice, not perfection.

🤍 Karin

07/17/2026

We have places to be. Lists to finish. Responsibilities to carry.

But every now and then, it's worth pulling over.

Not because everything changes...
But because our perspective can.

I don't want life to get smaller just because I'm getting older.

I want to stay curious enough to keep noticing it.

Practice, not perfection.

🤍 Karin

07/15/2026

My smoke detector battery died at 2 a.m.
Chirp.
Every. Single.Minute.
I sat there in my pajamas staring at the vaulted ceiling trying to decide if I was really going to drag out a ladder in the middle of the night.

I chose morning. 🤷‍♀️ So…it was a long night.

By daylight, it was a five-minute battery change.

It's funny what our minds do at two o'clock in the morning.

See you next Wednesday. 🤍
— Karin

Practice, not perfection.