Dear younger me, You were always the quiet one — the girl who preferred books over parties, cozy corners over loud rooms. You felt safer in your own world, where your thoughts could wander freely and your heart didn’t have to perform. And that’s okay. That was never a flaw. That was your beginning. I…
Tag: self journey
The Ugly Side of Boundaries
No one really talks about the awkward, uncomfortable, slightly soul-crushing part of setting boundaries — especially with the people you love. It’s supposed to be this healthy, empowering thing. And it is. But sometimes, it also feels like breaking your own heart a little. Because the moment you stop saying “yes” to everything, the people…
Memoir of my Heart
There’s a quiet place in my life where I go to make sense of the mess, the beauty, the ache, and the grace of it all. That place is Charina Writes. It began simply—as a space to share thoughts, to process life, to speak gently into the noise. But somewhere along the way, it became…
Unmei Ai
Unmei ai is a Japanese word which translates to “love of fate.” For someone who has never been anywhere in Japan other than the airport and a short ride by bus for airport transfer, my love of Japanese words and its deeper meaning is quite unexplainable. To be precise, I discovered this word, thanks to…
Dear Me,
Wow! Happy Birthday! Can you believe you’re fifty-five? Where do I start? Today marks a new beginning for you. Only time will tell how it’ll move forward, but it’s a step that you have to take. You deserve it. When you first moved here with no family around, you stepped courageously into the unknown. How…
What’s Your Love Language?
If you look up the meaning of love, it is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection. But what you do with that intense feeling of deep affection is what really shows love, at least in my humble opinion. Saying you love someone is easy. Showing that love is another story. My father’s love…
Our Kintsugi
Nowadays, we have all kinds of applications and filters to make everything look good, perfect, and unblemished. We have everything we can use to hide our flaws and everything else that we think of as imperfections. Kintsugi is the art of repairing broken pottery with gold, highlighting the cracks rather than hiding them. It symbolizes…
She.Writes.
When I first discovered my love of writing, I was unstoppable. In spite of my full schedule, full time work and taking care of the home. I found myself writing in the wee hours of the morning, during breaks at work, or in between doing chores. Writing helps me process my feelings. This is how…
What’s In A Day?
Can you believe there’s only eighteen days left until the New Year? Every night, my daughter and I spend a few minutes talking in bed before I go to sleep. Sometimes it’s just about how our days went, what her plans are for the weekend, or what to cook for the next week. There are…
What’s Your Story?
The beginning is always today… Forget the fear of blank pages, every new day is an open book waiting to be filled with all kinds of narratives. Why not be the bold author of your own book? If you can write your own story, how would you like it to start and end? Today is…
Charina.Writes 