Slowly: The One Word That Changes Everything

Huge pile of wood chips in my driveway.

This morning, a huge pile of wood chips appeared in my yard.

My husband looked at it and asked, "How are we going to move all of that?"

I looked at him and said, "Slowly."

And then I laughed, because it's true. And not just about the wood chips

That pile is going to mulch the flower beds. It's going to cover the space where I'm working on killing the grass to replace it with native plants. It's going to smother the grass around my garden beds so it stops creeping in and making everything harder than it needs to be. It's a lot of work. It won't happen in an afternoon.

But little by little, without hurting ourselves, we'll move it. And over time, we'll see the results of that effort take shape, a garden that's easier to tend, flowers that thrive, a yard that feels more like us.

That's how so many worthwhile things work, isn't it?

Building a business. Developing a self-care routine that actually fits this particular season of your life. None of it happens all at once. The results don't always come as quickly as you'd like, and sometimes they look a little different than you hoped or expected. But you're moving. You're growing, learning, pivoting. You're making things better, little by little, and that is the opposite of stagnant. Stagnant is where things only get worse.

This is also exactly how art journaling works.

There can be some small, encouraging wins right at the beginning, and we'll take every single one of them. But then things might dip again. You might open your journal and feel like you're back to square one, like none of it is working.

That's precisely why we keep coming back.

We notice the small shift. We return to it. We build on it. And eventually, something clicks. Something like compounding interest starts to take effect. The stress that felt so heavy starts to move. The anxiety that had no outlet begins to find one. We feel better, and then better still. And on the days when things feel hard again, we've got something to return to. A practice that holds us. A place where we don't have to be afraid of the hard feelings, because we know, we know, we've found our way through before.

That confidence is everything. No matter how many times something pushes us back down, we can rise again, because we've put in the time. We've done the work, slowly, steadily, one small effort at a time.

And it's so worth it.

So if you're standing in front of your own pile of wood chips today, whatever that looks like for you, just remember: you don't have to move it all at once. You just have to start.

Come Reset With Me

Once a month, I host the Monthly Reset Session, a guided art journaling experience designed to help you release what you've been carrying, reconnect with yourself, and step into the next season feeling a little lighter. You don't need any art experience. You don't need to have it all together. You just need to show up, and we'll do the rest, slowly and together.

You can join a single session for just $22, or if you're craving ongoing support and a community to come back to again and again, the Monthly Reset Session is included in the WILD Within Membership at $29 a month, along with regular guided prompts, courses, and a warm, welcoming space that's yours whenever you need it.

Because slowly, consistently, and with a little support, you really can feel better. I'd love for you to experience that for yourself.

👉 Join the next Monthly Reset Session | Explore the WILD Within Membership

See you there.

— Vicky