One Day (And Sunset) at a Time

Self-love isn’t something that arrives all at once. It’s not a switch you flip or a lesson you learn and never forget. It’s a slow, quiet unfolding — a gentle returning to yourself, piece by piece, after life has taken you apart. For me, self-love began not in celebration, but in survival. It began when everything familiar started to fall away — my marriage, my career, my mother.

Each loss felt like an anchor being lifted, leaving me drifting and unsure of where to go next. But in that space, where sorrow and stillness met, I found something I hadn’t given myself in years — attention. I started small. A few minutes of prayer. A quiet walk by the water. Sitting with my thoughts instead of running from them.

I began to realize that self-love wasn’t indulgent — it was sacred. It was the act of listening to my own heart with the same compassion I’d always given to everyone else. Meditation helped me find stillness, and prayer reminded me I was never truly alone. Slowly, I began to see that this — this moment, this stage of life — wasn’t an ending, but a rebirth.

Living on Galveston Island has become both my teacher and my muse. Every sunrise feels like a fresh start. There’s always something new here — music in the distance, people dancing barefoot on the sand, laughter echoing through the breeze. It reminds me that joy is everywhere if I keep my heart open enough to notice.

So, I’ve started saying yes again — to new places, new people, new experiences. I dance. I sing. I try things I’ve never done before, even when they scare me. Especially when they scare me.

Because self-love is also courage — the willingness to keep showing up for yourself, even when it’s uncomfortable. There are days when the memories return, when I miss the people and pieces of my past. But I’ve learned to let reflection be a teacher, not a prison. The past is not something to escape from; it’s something to build upon.

Every joy, every heartbreak, every loss has shaped me into the woman I am now — resilient, curious, grateful, and free. Gratitude is what grounds me. I am forever thankful — for what was good, and even for what wasn’t. Because both have brought me here, to this moment, this version of me that is still growing, still learning, still becoming.

Self-love, I’ve learned, isn’t a destination, and end to a journey. It’s a daily choice — to forgive, to trust, to create, to hope. It’s dancing in your kitchen just because you can. It’s walking along the beach and realizing you are exactly where you need to be.

It’s living — fully, honestly, beautifully — one day at a time.