This Week Burned and Bloomed

This week hasn’t been soft. It clawed at me, pushed me, dared me to keep up. Between deadlines, conversations, and the endless list of “must-do’s,” I felt myself slipping away—like I was present everywhere but with myself.

I laughed, I talked, I worked, I filled my time with people and noise. And yet… my inner self sat quietly in the corner, waiting for me. Missing me.

Every distraction was a ticket on a roller coaster I never agreed to ride—fast, dizzying, and never-ending. I lost my rhythm with reading, skipped workouts, and let confusion blur the lines between what I felt and what was simply happening to me.

And in the middle of all this chaos? I noticed the void. Missing my mom. Missing people who drifted in and out of my life. Trying to stuff that empty space with “new”—new faces, new activities, new everything—only to realize I was forcing puzzle pieces where they didn’t belong. They might have fit, but they weren’t meant to stay.

So yes, the week was confusing. Sometimes angry. Sometimes euphoric. But I showed up. I cooked. I worked harder than asked. I sat in waiting rooms. I swallowed hard truths about myself and about life. I kept moving forward, even when it burned.

And you know what? Burnout can feel like victory, too. The kind you get after a brutal workout—the soreness, the sweat, the fire in your lungs—yet still the thrill of saying: I survived this. I’m stronger now.

The lesson? Be daring enough to meet yourself again. In between the world’s demands and the endless noise, stop running. Say no when you need to. Ask for what you crave. Draw the line. Push that toxic bucket away.

Because this world isn’t flawless. It’s messy. And the more you bend yourself into shapes to fit in, the quicker they’ll label you, box you, break you down. They’ll whisper that you’re “too much,” or worse, “not enough.”

Don’t buy it. Don’t let them inside your mind. Be kind, yes. But be bold. Set boundaries that protect your soul like armor. And when people leave? Thank God they did. That’s not rejection—it’s protection.

So here’s to the chaos, the confusion, the anger, the fleeting joy. Here’s to being burned, but still blooming.

Go green movement

Hello, dear writers and readers! Lately I have joined a voluntary project in the company (it’s not like I don’t have many other tasks to do 😒) but I always like to multitask and do numerous things. Keeps me alive.

This voluntary project teaches me to be more aware and to offer more attention to nature and consumerism. So, today’s post is going to be about changes that we can do on our own to be more self-aware and to make a difference for the environment.

Go green list

1. Reusable bag practices – In Romania we have a „tradition” to keep the bag with bags (excuse the repetitious expression). We have a bigger bag with smaller bags within. It’s a good option to use a reusable bag when we go to grocery store, instead of utilizing a plastic or a paper one. Several bags can add up to a whole lot of garbage over a lifetime, believe me. 
2. Bottled water – We can keep the plastic bottle of water or purchase a new one, only for this purpose. We get to refill the bottle instead of tossing it away. I bought myself a glass container for water and I refill it when needed.
3. Recycle smart – It’s essential to recycle, whenever we can. Whether we are referring to paper, plastic or upcycling old items, everything needs to be separated. In this way we get to consider if we need to throw away this item, or if we can re-use it.
4. Power down – When we are not using the power and stay in another room, cooking or performing any other actions, it’s necessary to turn down the devices not used. For mobile phones, place away the charger if the device is fully replenished. For the computer, think of reducing the brightness of the screen and avoid using a screensaver. When left plugged in, our electronic gadgets and basic appliances still use what’s called phantom or vampire energy, even when they are turned off or in sleep mode. A plugged-in cell phone charger sucks energy even when it’s not charging your phone.
5. Take notes electronically. I haven’t bought myself a notebook since University, and I got 2 with a discount 😁. All the notebooks that I have, I received as presents and still haven’t managed to use them. Leaving the stories aside, taking notes electronically could save us a lot of money and a huge waste of paper. I also discovered that taking notes electronically is very practical, as we lately use more electronic devices and we don’t have to keep writing, we can just copy and paste the information.
6. Buy less or borrow. I am not a huge fan of borrowing stuff as I am more keen on having things that belong to me only (don’t judge). So, whenever I want to buy an item of any sort, I always ask myself if I really need this thing, and only buy as a necessity. This does not apply for clothes and skin care products though, they are my weakness 😁.
7. Bike or walk more. I am going to tell you a secret, guys, I don’t know how to bike. Even from my childhood, from the first efforts, I always managed to somehow get injured. The last time when I did tried to bike, I ended up in a field full of nettles. Not a nice memory. But in regards of walking I do tend to walk more than advised. I sometimes walk kilometers and feel energized and happy. Besides, walking can keep us apart from spending money on fuel, crowds through transportation and keep us in shape!
8. Switch to energy Efficient Light Bulbs. It’s important to switch our bulbs to energy-efficient compact fluorescent (CFLs) or LED bulbs. Even if they are a little bit expensive then regular bulbs, these can last up to five times longer, consume less power and are quite bright.
9. Eat sustainable food from local producers – Apart from the fact that it’s advised to consume food from the local producers, think of the point that the food is healthier, has less chemicals and it’s more delicious than over counter foods.
10. Water shortage – Let’s turn off the tap when brushing our teeth, let’s opt out for a shower instead of a bath when we can. 
11. Efficient fridges – We can clean up the dust from the refrigerator coils. Cleaning the refrigerator coils helps the appliance run more efficiently and uses less power.
12. Keep the fridge out of the sun light – We need to make sure the fridge is not located in a sunny area, as for every degree above 70 degrees F, the fridge uses up 2.5% more energy.
13. Batteries – Don’t throw away batteries! Lithium-ion batteries used by devices like phones should be taken to a battery recycling center.
14. Nature friendly products – We can switch to chemical free cleaning products. We can even DIY our soap by using baking soda and essential oils.
15. Stay dressed – Let’s consider wearing a large hoodie instead of turning on the heater. Personal space heaters are considered one of the most inefficient appliances at home.
16. Go paperless- Switch out from paper bills to electronic bills. They are easier to pay online and we get to save the paper. If we need to print any documents, we can always go for edouble sided. We may also want to set them to print double-sided by default.
17. Use laptops instead of computers – Laptops consume up to 80% less energy than desktop computers.
18. Avoid over night charging – It’s important to not charge the batteries of mobile device over night, as they only need a few hours to reach the full battery.
19. Using the rain water – Rain water can be used for gardening and watering the houseplants.
20. Donate or give away – Your trash can be somebody’s fortune. So let’s not throw away in the trash things that may be needed for others.

Do your part! “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Lorax