It’s 11:22 as I sit down to write this — and that feels worth noticing. Not because it’s mystical or predictive, but because it invites a pause. A moment to breathe before moving forward. I’ve always noticed patterns like that, not as signs to follow, but as gentle reminders to be present.

And right now, presence feels important.

CherryCoBiz has been under construction lately — not loudly, not dramatically, but deeply. From the outside, it might look like things have slowed down. Internally, though, there’s been a lot of movement. I’ve been refining, re-centering, and asking what this space is really meant to hold as my life continues to evolve.

I haven’t been writing as often, but I’ve been listening. I’m nearing the completion of my first book, and I can feel the next one forming quietly in the background. Creativity doesn’t arrive the way it once did — it’s softer now, more intentional. Less about output and more about alignment.

This time of year always brings reflection for me. My birthday falls on December 30th, right between Christmas and the New Year. I’ve always lived in that in-between space, and over time I’ve grown to appreciate it. It’s a place where endings soften and beginnings don’t rush.

I created my own rhythm around it.
December 29th became Terra Eve.
December 30th is my birthday.
Then come New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day — four days that feel less like a reset and more like a threshold.

Some of my friends still wish me a “Happy Terra Eve,” and it always makes me smile. It’s a small thing, but it reminds me that meaning doesn’t need spectacle to be real.

This is also where my thoughts about “Monday” come in.

For a long time, Monday represented discipline. Correction. The place where we’re supposed to pull ourselves together and try again. But over time, I’ve realized that Monday is often just a cultural ghost — a borrowed rule that says change only counts if it starts on a clean square of the calendar.

I don’t live that way anymore.

Healing doesn’t wait for Mondays.
Growth doesn’t ask permission.

This past year made that unmistakably clear.

Last year, I was sick for nearly three months and eventually landed in the ICU — not because of a chronic condition spiraling, but because the flu hit hard and sent my blood pressure into dangerous territory. That experience changed how I listen to my body. It taught me that pushing through isn’t strength — presence is.

I’ve lived with gastrointestinal issues for much of my life. Not dramatically, but persistently. Over the years, I’ve explored different approaches, including a season of vegetarian eating that taught me mindfulness, creativity, and respect for food. That chapter mattered, even though it wasn’t meant to last forever.

What I understand now is that health isn’t a destination. It’s a relationship — one that evolves as we do.

Over the last decade, I’ve lost 94 pounds. Not all at once. Not through one method. The most recent chapter — the last six months — accounts for about 28 of those pounds. That progress didn’t come from intensity or restriction, but from alignment. From listening instead of forcing.

At nearly 50, progress looks different. It’s slower. Deeper. More sustainable.

I live with fibromyalgia, and pain has been part of my landscape for a long time. Over time, I’ve learned that my body doesn’t respond to force. It responds to care, rhythm, and trust.

I’ve also had to face habits that once helped me cope but eventually needed to be released. Some were heavy. Some were subtle. All were understandable. Healing, for me, hasn’t meant erasing those chapters — it’s meant understanding them with compassion.

Meditation has been central to that understanding. It didn’t fix me or make life easy. What it did was slow me down enough to hear what was true. That awareness reshaped how I move, how I choose, and how I create.

That’s where CherryCoBiz truly came from — not from a business plan, but from presence. From curiosity. From the courage to share what unfolds when you listen deeply. What began as something small has grown into something far more meaningful than I ever expected.

Which brings me back to this moment.

As the world rushes toward resolutions and reinvention, I find myself standing in something quieter.

I’m not starting over.
I’m continuing.

And that feels like enough.

If you’re reading this and feeling tired, uncertain, or quietly hopeful, know this: you don’t need a clean slate or a brand-new version of yourself.

You just need permission to keep going.

CherryCoBiz will continue to evolve alongside me — not as a brand, but as a shared space for reflection, wellness, curiosity, and becoming.

You’re always welcome here.
This is a place to pause, to breathe, and to continue — gently, honestly, in your own time.