Since I first created the Ash & Ember Rising blog, I’ve posted every Monday like clockwork.
But this week Monday came and went… and I didn’t post.
I didn’t plan to skip it. I didn’t battle with it.
I simply… forgot.
Why?
Because life got heavier.
I took on a fuller load at work — just for two weeks, and yes, I can handle it, and yes, it is needed. But it’s more work, which means more stress.
I have three major assignments due at the end of those same two weeks.
And then I got sick.
And I’m tired.
And I’ve been really, truly, just surviving.
The kind of surviving where brushing your teeth feels like a quest.
Where hydration becomes an achievement.
Where your body wants to stop — but your deadlines don’t.
So hello, overwhelm.
And welcome, guilt.
Guilt?
Yep. He showed up loud and dramatic, like always.
Because I missed a blog post.
And the perfectionist in me? The completionist in me?
They’re spiraling.
“This is the end!”
“You failed!”
“You gave up!”
“You didn’t finish the thing — so now it doesn’t count!”
That’s what they think.
But I know better.
Choosing Yourself Isn’t Giving Up
I know that during these two weeks, I’m going to have to choose.
I’m going to have to let things go.
Not because I’m lazy. Not because I’m weak. But because I matter.
And moving past survival — into something resembling stability — means being intentional.
It means choosing what to spend time and energy on.
Because if I try to do it all anyway?
Then I’m not choosing growth.
I’m choosing misery.
And I deserve better than that.
We’re Taught to Burn Ourselves Alive
We are taught — over and over — that we must juggle a hundred things.
Flawlessly.
Without pause.
Even when we’re sick.
But that’s not care. That’s collapse.
Choosing yourself is hard.
It feels rebellious. Shameful. Lazy.
But it’s not.
It’s what lets you keep going.
It’s what lets you come back.
Missing a blog post doesn’t mean my dream is dead.
It just means I’m choosing to live long enough to carry it forward.
A Reminder, For You (and Me)
My dreams will still be there when I feel better.
They’ll still be there when I have time.
They are not made of glass.
That email isn’t going to explode if you don’t answer it today.
Those dishes will still be there tomorrow.
Your work? Will probably thank you for showing up rested, not wrecked.
You don’t have to do it all.
You just have to choose.
Choose your health.
Choose your peace.
Choose you.
Even when it’s hard.
Especially when it’s hard.
Ash & Ember Rising 