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Instant miracle.

I just found a note from several years ago on my phone. It said:

I woke up feeling raw this morning. As I meandered toward the kitchen, I began wishing. Wishing for salvation. Wishing for a miracle hand to come down and…

Coffee? Do I smell coffee?

I’d completely forgotten that I’d taken the time to set things up the night before so fresh brew would greet me upon rising. Before pouring the first cup, I breathed in that deliciousness, filling my lungs and my belly.

Just like that, my wish for salvation was granted.

And the miracle I’d been waiting for was my own breath.

I came across these words at the end of a hard day. Wow—past me was showing up to take care of today’s me yet again! She reminded me of a simple truth: you don’t need to be at your best to take care of yourself. Return to your breath; it’s where all things begin.

The path you’ve walked, the experiences you’ve had, the work you’ve done to come this far—it’’s all coffee you prepped the night before. Let it surprise you, wake you up, and ground you in deep comfort.

Breathe it in—that’s my wish for you this weekend.

You are your own salvation.

Rumi

P.S. You can catch me in conversation on TWO podcast episodes, both released this week. (I can hardly believe I’m writing this!)

On Collective Wisdom with Cat Preston, I share how I became a writer (or rather, how I didn’t know I already was one long before I “owned” it), the tricky thing about growing up bi-cultural, the back story behind my new card deck and first book, and why vinyl records have a special place in my heart.

On Honey Gone Nuts, I chat with host Dingding Hu about writing as a tool to find your true self, what being Asian means to us, how our early stories shape us (and invite us to rewrite them!) and share what our “spirit condiments” are.

It’d mean a lot to me if you’d have a listen and tell me what you took away from the conversations!

P.P.S. This song asks big questions in the most beautiful way. And it has an enduring place in my heart as the evocative Nescafe instant coffee commercial music in 1980s Japan.

P.P.P.S. A big thank you to everyone who ordered the Garden Meditation Deck! A round of shipments are going out very soon.

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