BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

STRUT…DON’T WALK:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

For years I walked around with gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe…slowing my pace and keeping me from moving forward.

Yesterday, I finally yanked off that stubborn, sticky piece of gum and threw it in the trash…

A twelve-year marathon that “trained” me to walk with discernment, and to never again dance with the devil.

No longer dragging my feet…

Strutting into my autonomy for the distance and finally standing in my power.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

What We Choose Becomes Our Reality:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

The best gifts in life are free.
Freedom is not the absence of pain, but the presence of truth…

It arrives when we choose to release illusion and sit in our vulnerability of who we are…and where we are.

It is the quiet release from cycles that harm,
the courage to stop romanticizing familiarity
and to choose what is consistent, reciprocal, and willing.

Even in grief, freedom speaks…
removing what cannot stay,
making room for what is real, regulated, and safe.

May I choose what is consistent, reciprocal, and willing…
May what is no longer mine fall away with grace.

What is meant for me arrives without force…and an extended hand that says, “I choose you…every day for the rest of our lives.”

I remember…with heart…
I honor…without romanticizing…
I release…without bitterness…
I move forward…with ease, curiosity, and an extended hand that says, “I choose you…every day for the rest of our lives.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

A CULTURAL SHIFT…The Human Condition or The Human Disconnection:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

To Vicky, Bill, Lorraine, Miriam, Mickey, Dan and David…This one’s for you.

Yes, I write and post about my life experiences, relationships, and disappointments, and I also live a life that most people know nothing about.
People can be physically present while seeming strangely absent from the human moment happening right in front of them.
There are probably many forces behind this…technology and constant interruption, shorter attention spans, social fragmentation, anxiety, exhaustion, self-protective behavior, the normalization of transactional relationships, and a culture that increasingly rewards speed and personal agenda over lingering, listening, and genuine engagement.

I’ve literally experienced people see me in a room who know some of my “story” and walk out of the room to avoid closeness, comfort, exchange, and authentic human intimacy. Because that’s the world we live in today.

No connection. No substance.
It makes no sense. This is NOT the human condition I know.

Most people I encounter seem to have turned off their feelings, lost their willingness—or perhaps even their ability—to practice empathy, and become comfortable with keeping interactions superficial.
I experience people walking up to two people engaged in a deep conversation and blatantly interrupting for their own agenda, without even acknowledging the third person. And then…the conversation is simply over. Dropped like a hot potato.
It is jarring. It feels robotic.
Am I watching the 2026 version of The Stepford Wives??!!

And then… something happens that reminds me that genuine human connection is still very much alive.
Last night, I received a simple voice message from a dear friend. Two minutes of thoughtful questions about how I’m doing, how my health is, how I’m enjoying my summer, how my son is doing and whether he’s enjoying his work—and so many other little details of my life. He remembers…he engages and connects.

This week I have experienced my ride or die’s show up in a way that reminds me of what I look for and need in my relationships and connections…love, time and untimed presence…
Nothing extraordinary happened.

And yet, it meant so much…and they are my “constants.”
Friendship…Connection…Authenticity.
Because being genuinely remembered and being loved unconditionally is an extraordinary grace.

There are still people who listen. People who remember. People who ask because they truly want to know. People who take an authentic interest in another human being’s life without an agenda.

Those moments remind me that perhaps the human condition isn’t disappearing entirely. Perhaps it is simply becoming rarer—and therefore more precious.

So I have learned to fully respect the changes in human behavior around me. I don’t want to spend my energy trying to figure it all out anymore. My time is invaluable.

I continue to write because writing is one of the ways I unpack my life, process and make meaning of my experiences, and remain connected to myself.

And I continue to depend upon myself…and upon the handful of extraordinary people in the ordinary moments with whom I still share something I recognize as genuine human connection.

The people who remember.
The people who listen.
The people who remain present.
The people who truly want to be connected.

The “human condition.”

Intimacy isn’t necessarily romantic…it is the simple human act of remaining present with another beautiful soul.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Lifelong Friends:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

For Vicky and Bill:

Having a best friend of decades long is one of life’s enduring graces…and a kind of wealth that has nothing to do with money.

A lifelong friend knows your happiest memories, your deepest heartaches, your greatest triumphs, and the parts of your story you’ve shared with no one else. They’ve witnessed your growth, your mistakes, your laughter, your tears, and they’ve stayed anyway.

True friends don’t fix each other…they can’t. They simply listen, witness, show empathy, and love without judgment. In their presence, our hearts soften, our minds find new perspective, and the weight we’ve been carrying alone feels lighter.

Sometimes the greatest healing doesn’t come from advice or answers…and it is certainly not found in a pill…

It comes from being deeply seen and heard, fully accepted, and genuinely loved by two beautiful and authentic souls who have walked beside you through the seasons of life.

There are people who come into our lives for a season, and then there are the rare souls who become woven into the fabric of our life’s story.

A friendship measured by showing up—again and again—with love, empathy, and without keeping score. Listening until I’m finally able to hear, see and acknowledge…and then giving me the space to discover my own truth.

I hope you know that some of the strongest parts of who I am today were strengthened simply because you walked beside me.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Restoration:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

Serenity and peace are an early Sunday morning walk, taken slowly and purposefully…listening to my favorite music and watching the pond water ripple as the wind gently blows across its surface.

Nowhere to rush to, but excited to get home to bake fresh gluten-free Chinese almond cookies…then enjoy a beautiful cup of coffee while looking around at the haven I’ve created and thinking about how far I’ve come in these past 14 years of recovery. My heart is filled with gratitude.

Serenity and peace are cultivated intentionally, in whatever ways we choose to create them.

Simple. Strategic. Single-handed.

Restoration isn’t complicated. It’s intentional.

Love and blessings,

Wendy