Definitely been fleeing vs sprinting… My gentle start…Becoming more active and productive not just at work and home but in my community. Being real intentional with boundaries and energy. I’m currently working on a goal that I have put off for a very long time and I’m really excited. Thanks Marie😊
I love how clearly you named the difference between fleeing and choosing a gentler start. Being intentional with your energy and boundaries is real work, especially when you’re stepping into community instead of pulling back from it.
I’m excited for you and whatever you’re finally letting yourself work toward. Thank you for reading and taking the time to write back 💛
Gentle start ...I love where someone mentioned intentional planning, that's where I'm going to start. I will slow down and stop being so busy. I love helping others to the point where I've neglected self. Not wanting to let others down. So, I'm going to be a little selfish with my gentle start.
I really love how honestly you named this. Being intentional instead of busy takes courage, especially when you’re used to putting everyone else first. Choosing yourself here doesn’t sound selfish to me — it sounds like listening.
I’m glad you shared this, and I’m rooting for your gentle start 💛
I decided to walk toward intentionality,rest, reflection instead of running to fix all of my broken places. I want to focus on putting God first in my day and allowing Him to fill in the rest. Its a big shift from trying to control to letting Him work.
Choosing integration over impulse. Restraint over urgency. I’m learning not to rush into my decisions and to choose what’s best for me. This was good 💪🏾
Thank you so much for reading—and I really appreciate you saying it was a good read. Choosing integration over impulse takes real self-trust. Proud of you for honoring what’s best for you 💛
My gentle start is going to be being consistent. I start things and then I just stop. I want to begin my mornings with the word of God and my glow cubes. Perfect way to set the tone for my day😊
That sounds really beautiful—and honestly, really brave. 💛
Consistency can be such a tender place, especially when you’re choosing it with gentleness instead of pressure. Starting your mornings with the Word and your glow cubes feels like a loving way to anchor yourself and set the tone with intention. One day at a time, grace over perfection. I’m rooting for you—you’ve got this 😊✨
Thank you for sharing. I plan to be more intentional of letting go of things or people that drain my energy or are not inlline with my values. I find myself feeling drained or exhausted with situations or things that are out of my control. I always tell my kids to learn to pick your battles wisely, while at the same time I am not taking my own advise.
Thank you for saying this so honestly. There’s a lot of wisdom in noticing the gap between what we teach and what we’re still learning ourselves.
I love that you named intention before action. Letting go isn’t always about making big, dramatic changes. Sometimes it’s just pausing long enough to ask, “Does this deserve my energy today?” That question alone can soften so much.
And the fact that you’re teaching your kids to pick their battles already matters. It means the value is alive in you, even if you’re still practicing it in real time. We don’t have to be finished to be truthful guides.
Be gentle with yourself here. Learning to step back from what drains us, especially when it’s out of our control, is a slow, compassionate skill. You’re not behind. You’re listening. And that’s often where change actually begins 💛
This was beautifully written. Thank you for sharing. I have been on a healing journey since the end of 2025, so when the new year rolled in, I resisted the temptation to declare its completion. Instead of rushing through the process, I have chosen to surrender my timeline and let God do the internal work I've been afraid of. Wounds from my childhood and wounds from my adult choices have made me into the person I am in so many ways. But on this healing journey, I finally get to discover all the wonderful things about who I was created to be, and I am looking forward to the finished product and every moment in between.
Thank you for saying that. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and share this with me.
What you wrote about resisting the urge to declare your healing “done” really stayed with me. Choosing to surrender your timeline and let that internal work unfold, especially when it brings up both childhood wounds and adult choices, takes so much honesty and courage.
I love the way you named your curiosity about who you were created to be, not just who you’ve had to become. I’m grateful you shared this here, and I’m wishing you steadiness and grace in every part of the journey, not just the destination 💛
Thank you for sharing this. There’s something really grounding about choosing to focus on yourself and trusting the plans unfolding in front of you. That kind of gentleness takes faith and patience.
I’m glad you shared this here, and I’m wishing you ease and clarity as you move through your gentle start 💛
I stopped running and started walking a few years ago when the military retired me a 3rd time at 38yrs;
even then it was an adjustment as I was still heavily carrying my community to the battlefield of equitable politics!!
But in the last year or so I finally stopped running and started walking and embracing a rare milestone which is fully retire by 40;
so what I am rushing for??? I am single with no kids and retired!!!???
So these days I walk, sleep and sometimes crawl, not stopping not still going forward; just taking more time for myself and occasionally along the way I like to smell the roses!!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I can feel how much life you’ve carried, and how intentional this shift has been for you. That question — “so what am I rushing for?” — feels powerful in its honesty.
Walking, resting, even crawling when you need to all sound like real movement to me. And making room to smell the roses along the way feels like something you’ve earned, not something you owe anyone an explanation for. I’m really glad you shared this here 💛
My gentle start is simply looking at me. Looking at my reflection, looking at the fact that there are spaces of aggression and intentional execution, and then there is the gentle gesture of letting go and watching God. I realize I’ve been fast paced for some time and I don’t regret one bit of it. However, in this start I am going to enjoy the scenery of one riding shotgun.
Thanks Marie for assisting in another moment to breathe and think.
Thank you for sharing this with me. I can feel the care and honesty in the way you’re looking at yourself right now. The image of riding shotgun and letting yourself enjoy the scenery really stayed with me.
There’s so much grace in recognizing both the pace you’ve lived at and the gentleness you’re allowing yourself now, without regret. I’m really glad the letter gave you a moment to breathe and reflect. Thank you for being here and for sharing this so openly 💛
Definitely been fleeing vs sprinting… My gentle start…Becoming more active and productive not just at work and home but in my community. Being real intentional with boundaries and energy. I’m currently working on a goal that I have put off for a very long time and I’m really excited. Thanks Marie😊
I’m really glad you shared this with me.
I love how clearly you named the difference between fleeing and choosing a gentler start. Being intentional with your energy and boundaries is real work, especially when you’re stepping into community instead of pulling back from it.
I’m excited for you and whatever you’re finally letting yourself work toward. Thank you for reading and taking the time to write back 💛
A gentle start for me right now is quiet mornings, low noise, warm conversations, and intentional planning.
I love this definition of gentle starts. May more somber mornings, love, and intentional moving find you this year 💛
Gentle start ...I love where someone mentioned intentional planning, that's where I'm going to start. I will slow down and stop being so busy. I love helping others to the point where I've neglected self. Not wanting to let others down. So, I'm going to be a little selfish with my gentle start.
I really love how honestly you named this. Being intentional instead of busy takes courage, especially when you’re used to putting everyone else first. Choosing yourself here doesn’t sound selfish to me — it sounds like listening.
I’m glad you shared this, and I’m rooting for your gentle start 💛
I decided to walk toward intentionality,rest, reflection instead of running to fix all of my broken places. I want to focus on putting God first in my day and allowing Him to fill in the rest. Its a big shift from trying to control to letting Him work.
Choosing integration over impulse. Restraint over urgency. I’m learning not to rush into my decisions and to choose what’s best for me. This was good 💪🏾
Thank you so much for reading—and I really appreciate you saying it was a good read. Choosing integration over impulse takes real self-trust. Proud of you for honoring what’s best for you 💛
My gentle start is going to be being consistent. I start things and then I just stop. I want to begin my mornings with the word of God and my glow cubes. Perfect way to set the tone for my day😊
That sounds really beautiful—and honestly, really brave. 💛
Consistency can be such a tender place, especially when you’re choosing it with gentleness instead of pressure. Starting your mornings with the Word and your glow cubes feels like a loving way to anchor yourself and set the tone with intention. One day at a time, grace over perfection. I’m rooting for you—you’ve got this 😊✨
Thank you for sharing. I plan to be more intentional of letting go of things or people that drain my energy or are not inlline with my values. I find myself feeling drained or exhausted with situations or things that are out of my control. I always tell my kids to learn to pick your battles wisely, while at the same time I am not taking my own advise.
Thank you for saying this so honestly. There’s a lot of wisdom in noticing the gap between what we teach and what we’re still learning ourselves.
I love that you named intention before action. Letting go isn’t always about making big, dramatic changes. Sometimes it’s just pausing long enough to ask, “Does this deserve my energy today?” That question alone can soften so much.
And the fact that you’re teaching your kids to pick their battles already matters. It means the value is alive in you, even if you’re still practicing it in real time. We don’t have to be finished to be truthful guides.
Be gentle with yourself here. Learning to step back from what drains us, especially when it’s out of our control, is a slow, compassionate skill. You’re not behind. You’re listening. And that’s often where change actually begins 💛
This was beautifully written. Thank you for sharing. I have been on a healing journey since the end of 2025, so when the new year rolled in, I resisted the temptation to declare its completion. Instead of rushing through the process, I have chosen to surrender my timeline and let God do the internal work I've been afraid of. Wounds from my childhood and wounds from my adult choices have made me into the person I am in so many ways. But on this healing journey, I finally get to discover all the wonderful things about who I was created to be, and I am looking forward to the finished product and every moment in between.
Thank you for saying that. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and share this with me.
What you wrote about resisting the urge to declare your healing “done” really stayed with me. Choosing to surrender your timeline and let that internal work unfold, especially when it brings up both childhood wounds and adult choices, takes so much honesty and courage.
I love the way you named your curiosity about who you were created to be, not just who you’ve had to become. I’m grateful you shared this here, and I’m wishing you steadiness and grace in every part of the journey, not just the destination 💛
Thank you so much.
A gentle star for me this year is me focusing on me and whatever God got plans for me 💯🙏🏾🖤😎
Thank you for sharing this. There’s something really grounding about choosing to focus on yourself and trusting the plans unfolding in front of you. That kind of gentleness takes faith and patience.
I’m glad you shared this here, and I’m wishing you ease and clarity as you move through your gentle start 💛
I stopped running and started walking a few years ago when the military retired me a 3rd time at 38yrs;
even then it was an adjustment as I was still heavily carrying my community to the battlefield of equitable politics!!
But in the last year or so I finally stopped running and started walking and embracing a rare milestone which is fully retire by 40;
so what I am rushing for??? I am single with no kids and retired!!!???
So these days I walk, sleep and sometimes crawl, not stopping not still going forward; just taking more time for myself and occasionally along the way I like to smell the roses!!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I can feel how much life you’ve carried, and how intentional this shift has been for you. That question — “so what am I rushing for?” — feels powerful in its honesty.
Walking, resting, even crawling when you need to all sound like real movement to me. And making room to smell the roses along the way feels like something you’ve earned, not something you owe anyone an explanation for. I’m really glad you shared this here 💛
My gentle start is simply looking at me. Looking at my reflection, looking at the fact that there are spaces of aggression and intentional execution, and then there is the gentle gesture of letting go and watching God. I realize I’ve been fast paced for some time and I don’t regret one bit of it. However, in this start I am going to enjoy the scenery of one riding shotgun.
Thanks Marie for assisting in another moment to breathe and think.
Thank you for sharing this with me. I can feel the care and honesty in the way you’re looking at yourself right now. The image of riding shotgun and letting yourself enjoy the scenery really stayed with me.
There’s so much grace in recognizing both the pace you’ve lived at and the gentleness you’re allowing yourself now, without regret. I’m really glad the letter gave you a moment to breathe and reflect. Thank you for being here and for sharing this so openly 💛