For me, it's not about starting a complete overhaul of my lifestyle but about continuing to follow the intentions I set the year before, honoring the changes I made throughout the year, and letting go of what no longer is serving me. All with the understanding that real change doesn't happen over night and that it requires small, intentional steps.
Teatime with Tonya: Cooking for One
I'm going to share my system for meal prepping and cooking, along with a couple recipes and cookbooks. Even if my system doesn't work for you I hope you gain a couple new recipes to try and enjoy!
Wishful Thinking
My feelings of guilt aren't followed by strong feelings of regret. I think it took me this long to feel this way because I have been so happy with my decision to move here and pursue a PhD. But I know the importance and value of being able to hold two, oftentimes contradictory emotional truths at once, so being able to name how I'm feeling has helped me start to process this phase of living abroad.
Teatime with Tonya: Trusting Your Gut
I was bold and caring in my pursuit of my dreams, because my gut was telling me that it was the right move. When I'm faced with other decisions in my life, big or small, I've found that when I follow that strong, gut feeling of confidence and clarity it has led me down the right path most of the time.
Forbidden Friendship
I realized that if I want to be in better romantic relationships with men, I needed to address how I showed up in my friendships with them too. My hope is that the deeper and wider my friendships go, then the deeper and wider my friend's friendships will go, and so on. We can continue to heal the pain and hurt we've inherited from previous generations that doesn't serve us anymore.
Colors of the Wind
While the essay is a critique on the movie Pocahontas, it also served as a reflection point for me on the lessons and messages I absorbed as a child about the natural world around me, the history we were taught in schools, and how I wanted to change the way I moved through this life. I share it now, not because I am believe I am an expert in racism, anthropocentrism, or environmentalism (I am decidedly not), but as a reminder that we all have a duty to each other, the land we live on, and the more-than-humans we share the land with to unlearn the messages and lessons we grew up hearing.
Teatime with Tonya: Beauty Standards
When we know ourselves and are comfortable in the body, clothes, and image we have of ourselves, we need and seek less validation. While compliments are still nice to receive, we won’t need them to affirm what we already know to be true about ourselves.
Hello Beautiful
The beautiful and tragic part of life is that when you meet someone there’s no way of knowing the impact they’ll have on you.
Teatime with Tonya: Staying Hopeful (or Not) with Modern Dating
I don't think I can provide a concrete hopeful method to the madness, but I will try to share why I haven't completely given up on dating (yet).
Nothing To Be Scared Of
But he, and all the other friends I have in my life who hold me, laugh with me, make space for me, and have helped me see that I'm not too much, have aided in my healing process. And I hope that the way I have shown up for them has helped them heal too.
...But Not With Haste 