Welcome to Garden Notes
For years, I chased the idea of “having it all together—” the perfect routine, the dream career, the endless momentum. I thought the answer was working harder, moving faster, and ticking off boxes on the “dream life” checklist.
Then burnout stopped me in my tracks and taught me otherwise.
Garden Notes is my quiet corner for figuring out how to come home to myself—and live the life I always wanted, even in the messy in-between.
Here, I share slow mornings, travel stories, honest reflections, and gentle reminders that life doesn’t have to be loud to be meaningful. It’s for ambitious introverts, cozy rebels, and anyone craving something softer, truer, and real.
If you’ve ever thought, “Wait, I feel that too,” I hope this space feels like home.
Pull up a chair. The kettle’s on.
What if the in-between wasn’t something to rush through — but the beginning of a softer, truer way of living?
Coming Home to My Childhood Self: What Leaving and Returning Taught Me
My childhood bedroom is now my office. A wooden desk sits where a twin bed once was, cameras and computers where Barbies once lived. Some days it feels like my past self is still here, just out of reach. This essay is about memory, leaving and returning, and what it means to live beside her again.
From Waiting to Becoming: My Journey Out of the “When-Then” Cycle
I spent years living in the when-then cycle: When I get this, then I’ll be happy. When I reach that milestone, then my real life begins. I chased dream after dream, but every time I arrived, I’d already set my sights on the next. It took an unexpected pause to see the truth — the in-between isn’t a waiting room. It’s where the becoming happens.
A Slow Travel Guide to Montreal: What to See, Sip, and Savor
A cozy, slow travel guide to Montreal—from markets and mountaintops to courtyard cafés and scenic city walks. Thoughtful tips, local gems, and reflections from the in-between.
What I Learned From a Woman I Never Met: A Story of Ancestral Connection
I never met my great-grandmother, Concetta. But somehow, she keeps showing up—in my mirror, in my kitchen, and in the quiet rituals passed down through generations. This is a story about memory, family recipes, and the invisible ways we’re shaped by the women who came before us.
What Being Laid Off and Becoming a Caregiver Taught Me About Friendship
When crisis cracked my life open, I learned that friendship doesn’t always look how you expect. Some people fade. Some root deeper. This is a love letter to the ones who showed up and a reflection on how I’m learning to do the same.
Tiny Rebellions: What Grew When I Deleted TikTok
I didn’t delete TikTok to be more productive. I deleted it to hear myself again.
What started as a tiny rebellion against the scroll became something more—an invitation to return to my own voice, rebuild creative trust, and make space for what actually wants to grow.
Step into the garden via different themes.