Meisje van Moss

For as long as I can remember up until recently, whenever I felt burnt out, bored, or mildly unsatisfied, my instinct was to travel or move. I was always chasing that fantasy of a reset or a fresh start in a new place. But after years of doing that, living on 3 continents, and visiting over 10 countries, studying 4 languages, and enjoying it mostly, I realized I didn’t actually want to keep packing up my life to find peace. I just wanted to be grounded. I wanted to create that feeling of a fresh start day to day, right where I am.

I was kind of a minimalist, before I knew what that meant. For the longest time, I was the girl who slapped on some coconut oil as a moisturizer and called it a day. But in January of last year at 40, I really started noticing the neglect, years of sun damage, the effects of low iron, of other countries healthcare, and just the reality of getting older. And now that I am older, I am no longer guilty about luxury and loving right where I am. I won’t say I’ll never leave my hometown again, but I am enjoying the process.

For me, boredom was a biproduct of not enough options. Not enough daily glamour, variety, scenery. I thrive on peace and solitude, but I also thrive on novelty. Instead of running off somewhere new, curating a calm, scent-safe home is what actually anchors me now. Skin care, can be boring, natural hair can be challenging, home improvement can be tedious. I had to make it fun and enjoy the process. The joy of discovering new things, and while new at it, and no means an expert, I have enjoyed the process. The process is where most of life happens.