Vanessa Harris

My sister recently returned to school after the holidays. This is the first time in many years that I’ve been able to spend a significant amount of time with her since moving across the province. Every time I visit her, we usually end up at the gym together. I help her refine her workouts, explain movements, and answer questions. This year, while I was getting settled into my new home, we were chatting and she said something that has stayed with me. She told me she wanted to prioritize her...

A few weeks ago, I found myself hovering over the purchase button for a new planner. You know the feeling. That small rush of anticipation. The promise that this year, with the right system, everything might finally click. This one was digital, beautifully designed, full of hyperlinks and colour-coded sections. I could already imagine myself drawing in it with my Apple Pencil, perfectly curated pages, aesthetic routines, a life that looked as calm and intentional as the template itself. I...

The months before Latvia were quieter than anything I had known in a long time. Not empty, not stagnant, but spacious. My life had slowed enough that there were no immediate fires to put out, no major decisions to make. For the first time in years, I wasn’t bracing for the next disruption. I had space to breathe, to move my body without proving anything, to let my nervous system settle instead of staying on high alert. Last week, I wrote about what it felt like to blow my life up. To step...