Hey amigos of the internet! How’s everyone doing today?

It’s Monday again—can you believe it? Time flies, and yes, I did forget to write my blog last week. Oops! For someone who’s absolutely obsessed with Mondays (seriously, they’re my favorite day), I have no idea how that happened. Thanks to everyone who checked in to see if I was okay. Y’all are the best.

Life in my little Tiny Town has been extra magical lately. Autumn is in full swing, and let me tell you—it’s breathtaking. Imagine streets lined with golden, orange, and red leaves that cascade gently with every breeze. Walking outside feels like stepping into a Studio Ghibli movie, with that soft, dreamlike charm you can’t quite capture on camera. Oh, I try! I take way too many photos and videos, but they never quite do justice to the real thing.

And maybe that’s the point. Maybe not everything is meant to be captured and stored away. Some moments are meant to be lived. To breathe in their beauty, to be fully present. There’s something powerful about squeezing every drop of wonder out of the here and now.

Life has a funny way of distracting us, pulling us into the endless loops of “what was” and “what might be.” But what if we flipped the script? What if we focused on the now, gave all our attention to what’s unfolding before us? It’s an act of both courage and gratitude.

And here’s the best part: life is full of second chances. Or third chances. Or a hundredth. Every single moment is a fresh start—a chance to refocus, to let go of what doesn’t serve us, and to lean into what truly matters. It’s never too late to choose peace, joy, or a new path.

So here’s my wish for you this week: may you choose a life that feels as cozy as a Studio Ghibli autumn. May you live fully, love deeply, and remember that every moment holds infinite possibilities.

Until next Monday (promise I won’t forget this time),

Your artsy-monk pal 🖌️🍂
Ishani

To play: Last week I was all bout red! I started a painting for me this time. Not a commission, not part of an exhibition, but for me. I was told not paint a red portrait because it would be too intense, I was told I was too intense. Years passed by and I decided to make a red portrait and my own intensity? I embraced that years ago too. So I bumped into this Monet’s Blues collage, and I thought it would be really cool to make a collection of photos, objects, paintings, home decor, a collection of anything with a color as theme. Let me know if you try it.

To exercise: I know, I know, haven’t used the e word in a long time lol. But I went with a beloved friend to a Vinyasa Yoga class…geez, my shoulders still hurt, but my heart is still happy because of that. I always forget that I do like to exercise! But it's great to surround yourself with people who care about you and remind you the good things and team up for it. Yoga is not something that I’ve done many times in life, so I would recommend you do some exercise or sport that you don't practice regularly because big surprises can come out of there.

To eat: I tried this Orzo recipe and o-m-g LOVED it. I have a liiiittle problem, I am not able to follow recipes, it’s a disability, following instructions is not in my genes I believe, but this time I went beyond that belief and I follow step by step, I kept the ingredients list as it was and I couldn’t stop eating this. I strongly suggest you try it, to me it tasted like Mac & Cheese for grown ups.

To listen: I can’t say enough how much I liked this podcast, it really made me go inward and realized some things about me, embrace others, like I’ve listened to it 4 times now, I know, you don’t need to be this intense if you don’t want to, but I think it’s a very interesting topic, more nowadays. Plus I LOVE Simon Sinek. It’s in audible but this one is free, so go for it if you want to, it’s just 13 minutes long.