This morning, I found myself completely drawn in by Tracee Ellis Ross’ documentary Solo Traveling. I watched the first episode, set in Marrakech, and I loved everything about it. Her style while traveling, the ease she carries herself with, the quality of the pieces she chooses, the places she explores — it all spoke to me. But more than the beauty on screen, it was the vulnerability she shared that left me so moved.
At one point, Tracee said:
“This phase of my life, in so many ways, emotionally and spiritually, feels like a transcendent time. I feel like I was fighting to be in my skin when I was growing up, and I still have these really low dips of fighting with my own sense of unlovability and my own grief around not being a mother and being single. So much of what solo traveling is, for me, is about not waiting for something in order to walk towards my life, in order to be in my life, in order to experience my life.”
Reading those words again gives me goosebumps.
It broke my heart a little, because society has conditioned women to believe there’s a perfect timeline: a prince charming, a marriage, children, and then finally, fulfillment. And if you don’t follow that script, the world whispers shame, as if your life is somehow incomplete. Even when you do climb each rung of that ladder, the truth is — it can still feel painful, lonely, and not what you expected.
What I loved about Tracee’s words is that she is no longer willing to wait to live. She is choosing to inhabit her own skin fully, to explore the fullness of life on her own terms.
And I found myself saying yes — yes, this is what life is meant to be. Watching her made me want to do more living. It reminded me that aliveness doesn’t come from ticking society’s boxes, but from how present we are in our everyday choices.
That same morning, inspired by Solo Traveling, I tried cooking something new — something totally different from the ordinary — and I loved it. I felt alive. It was such a simple thing, but it lit me up.
And that’s the beauty of it: we can all find small ways to choose aliveness daily.
It might be having a great breakfast, a sumptuous lunch, or a decadent dessert.
It might be sinking into a long, bubbly bath.
It might be walking in the park, sitting in your favorite coffee shop, or reading a book that makes your soul feel awake.
Lately, I’ve been reading Growing Boldly: Dare to Build a Life You Love by Emily Ley, and it echoes this same truth: life is not something to wait for, it’s something we are invited to live now.
Not everyone can afford Tracee’s exact lifestyle. But everyone can afford to find a beautiful tree, spread a little blanket, and have a picnic. Everyone can find 15–30 minutes in a day to do something that makes them feel alive. Because life is happening right now. And you are worthy of inhabiting your own skin fully — with joy, with tenderness, with delight
Journal Prompt ✍🏾
Ask yourself: “What is one small thing I can do today that makes me feel alive?”
Little Things Making Me Feel Alive Right Now 🌸
- My favorite shower treat: Lavender Shower Gel by L’Occitane En Provence
- The current book I am in love with: Growing Boldly: Dare to Build a Life You Love by Emily Ley
- The recipe I cannot wait to try: Roasted potatoes and chicken balls with coriander from Nadiya Hussain
- The trip I am looking forward to: Montreal
- The daily indulgence: A gourmet coffee ☕
These aren’t just things — they are reminders. Reminders that I don’t have to wait for the “right time” to enjoy life. Joy doesn’t live in the future. It lives in the now.
Living doesn’t always mean climbing mountains or buying plane tickets. Sometimes it’s in the tiny indulgences, the way we let our souls feel alive on a Tuesday morning.
✨ “May you never wait to live. May you find joy in the simple, the ordinary, the sacred moments of today — because aliveness is already in your hands.” ✨
Salima
Just me thinking out loud over here