The Call That Took Up My Whole Morning

 Day 310 of 2026

Hi Friends,

It was a bit of a hard day. Someone needed an explanation of something, and I did my best to give it. I had to look in a few places for the answers, and the call ran longer than she wanted. I could tell she was frustrated.

Then she followed up with another question, and I answered it. Almost immediately she said, “Oh, I know why,” and began typing out the very reason I had just shared. A moment later, when I repeated my point, she told me I was now repeating what she said.

It’s a small thing, almost petty. But small things like that have a way of settling in. They can quietly take a good day and make it feel heavy.

Looking back, I don’t think she meant anything by it. People are often rushed and under pressure, and when someone is focused on getting to the answer, it’s easy to miss who helped them get there. 

What I’m taking from it is this: I can’t control whether I get credit or whether I’m heard in the moment. But I can control what I carry out of the call. I can acknowledge that it was uncomfortable, let it be what it was, and choose not to hand it to the rest of my day.

When someone is working through something with me, I want them to feel that their effort mattered, even if we land on the same answer.

Has a small moment ever taken more of your day than it deserved? What helps you let it go?

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita

Feeling Welcomed At The Grocery Store

 Day 309 of 2026

Hi Friends,

I went to the grocery store today and watched a woman learning the ropes at the self-checkout.

The man training her was talking to customers about his trainee. He seemed happy to be teaching her, and she seemed happy to be there.

She was talking with customers, too. While I waited at the checkout counter, she came over and said hi to me. She smiled, joined conversations, and clearly enjoyed herself.

It was a small moment, but I kept thinking about it after I left.

Being new can feel uncomfortable. You don’t know the routine yet. You have questions, but you might hesitate to ask them. Even a simple task can feel harder when someone is watching and you’re trying to get it right.

But what I noticed about her was her enthusiasm. She was learning her job while making time to connect with the people around her. And the person training her seemed to welcome that.

It made me wonder how much our experience of starting something depends on the people around us.

Think about someone who was patient with you when you were learning. Maybe they answered the same question twice without sounding annoyed. Maybe they gave you time to figure something out. Maybe they simply seemed glad you were there.

Those things can stay with us long after we’ve learned the task.

Watching her also reminded me how far a simple hello can go. I was just waiting to check out, but her friendliness gave me something to take home besides groceries.

I’ve been thinking about what I bring to those everyday encounters. Do I make room for someone who is learning? Do I return a smile? Do I give myself a moment to notice when someone reaches out?

We don’t always know what makes another person feel comfortable enough to be themselves. That day, I saw two people who seemed to enjoy working together, and a woman whose happiness reached the customers around her.

It left me with a question: What could I do today to help someone feel that welcome?

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita

Noticing The Tone

 Day 308 of 2026

Hi Friends,

I’ve been more aware lately, and one of the things I’ve noticed is how much the tone of the person I report to changes from day to day. Some days she asks how I’m doing. Other days she goes straight to the topic. Lately, it’s almost always the topic.

She isn’t someone I idolize as a leader, and I’m learning that’s okay. Not everyone we work with will be a model we want to follow. But I’m starting to believe that every person we work with is still teaching us something, even if the lesson is simply what we want to do differently.

I don’t think she means anything by it. People are busy, and pressure has a way of narrowing our attention until all that’s left is the task. 

So instead of taking it personally, I’m choosing to treat it as a quiet reminder. A small “how are you?” costs almost nothing, but it can change how someone walks into a conversation. I want to be the kind of person who asks it and actually waits for the answer.

It also makes me wonder how my own tone shifts from day to day, and what the people around me notice when I’m not paying attention.

So here’s my question for you. What’s one small thing you could do this week to make someone feel seen before you get to the point?

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita

Day Job First, Writing Second

 Day 307 of 2026

Hi Friends,

Somehow, and for some reason, my focus on Monday went better than I expected. I can’t point to a special routine or a perfect night of sleep. The day simply cooperated. I got through most of my to-dos in the first half of the day, then spent the second half on lower priorities that needed doing but not my best energy.

Typically, writing is my first priority. It’s the thing I try to protect before the rest of the world gets a vote. But today, work took precedence, and that’s okay.

I want to say that plainly, because it’s easy to treat a change in plan as a failure of the plan. Skip the morning writing session, and suddenly it feels like slipping, like proof of weak commitment. But that isn’t what happened. I looked at the day, saw that my day job needed the early hours, and chose accordingly. That’s not drifting. That’s leading.

What helped most was a sentence I said to myself: focus on your day job first, and come back to writing later. That second half matters. “Later” can easily turn into “never” if it isn’t attached to an actual return. With that promise, I wasn’t postponing writing, just rearranging the order.

And now here I am, doing exactly what I said I would do.

Some days will go the way you planned, and some won’t. The question isn’t whether the order stayed the same. It’s whether you kept your word to yourself by the end of the day. Priorities can shift without disappearing, as long as you come back to the thing you set aside.

If your plans shuffled today, that’s fine. Just make sure you return to what you put down.

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita

A Little Sunday Inspiration: Meet Champ

 Day 306 of 2026

Hi Friends,

Hey, it’s Sunday, and I came across a story from October that felt like the perfect way to start a new month. It’s about a little dog named Champ, and yes, his name suits him perfectly.

Champ is a 10-year-old Yorkie mix who recently won PEOPLE’s 2026 World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest. While his adorable face and oversized ears certainly deserve some attention, it’s his journey that made me stop scrolling.

Found as a stray in Texas with a serious leg injury, Champ needed an amputation to give him a chance at a comfortable, pain-free life. In November 2023, special education teacher Susan Carmody adopted him. She soon discovered how much he loved running, playing, exploring, and being around people.

Today, Champ is a certified therapy dog. He visits schools, airports, and assisted living facilities, offering comfort and giving people a reason to smile. He even joins Susan’s special education classes, where the students treat him like a celebrity.

What stayed with me was how someone’s decision to help one little dog grew into something that touches so many other lives. Champ received care and a loving home. Now, through those visits, he gets to share some of that comfort with others.

There’s something lovely about that, especially on a Sunday when many of us are getting ready for another busy week. It made me think about the small opportunities we have to show up for someone: checking in on a friend, offering help, or making time to listen.

Champ probably has no idea he’s inspiring anyone. He’s simply enjoying his life and greeting the next person.

And honestly, a small dog with big ears spreading a little happiness feels like a pretty good story to carry into Monday.

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita

Source: PEOPLE, October 19, 2026.

Happy Halloween: The Only Scary Thing Left Is How Fast the Year Went

 Day 305 of 2026

Hi Friends,

It is the last day of October, all 31 days of it, and it is Halloween. Happy Halloween! I would say it is spooky out there, but let’s be honest, nothing is scary at this point in the year. The only truly frightening thing is the calendar. We have about eight weeks left in 2026, and that is the kind of number that makes you check your to-do list and quietly close it again.

So let’s not be scared today. Let’s be fun.

Here is my challenge: dress up. Pick any character you like. A witch, a pirate, a superhero, a cat, a movie star, or whoever you secretly wish you were on a Tuesday. If you are at home, wear the costume earlier in the day and act like nothing is unusual. If you are working today, wear the hat at least. Wear the wig. Carry the prop. It is the one day a year when everyone agrees to be a little ridiculous, and honestly, we should take full advantage of it. A grown adult in pajamas has never made a day worse.

And if costumes are not your thing, wear something orange and call it a vibe. I will not tell.

Now, once you've sorted your character and got a piece of candy in hand, take a quiet minute to look back on the month. October does not get enough credit. It moves fast, it looks beautiful, and then it hands you a bag of candy and a calendar full of holidays. So let’s slow it down for a second.

How did October go for you? What did you enjoy most? Maybe it was a cozy evening, a good meal, a weekend away, or a pumpkin latte you did not apologize for.

What surprises showed up? Some were good, like a message from an old friend or news you did not see coming. Some were not, and you handled them anyway. Both count.

What moments will you remember today, and forever? Not the big milestones, necessarily. Sometimes it is a kid pointing at a glowing tree on a drive, or laughter at the dinner table that carried on well past the dishes. Those are the ones that stay.

What are you grateful for right now? Pick one thing, then pick a second one. It gets easier.

And if you live somewhere with four seasons, did you enjoy the change? The cooler mornings, the golden leaves, the first time you reached for a sweater without complaining? If you live somewhere without much of a seasonal shift, there is still something about October that feels like a turning point. Maybe it is the light, the holidays on the horizon, or just the knowledge that the year is on its final stretch. Either way, this is the moment when we stop looking ahead to the year and start looking at its end.

That sounds dramatic, but it is actually a gift. Eight weeks is enough time to finish something, start something small, or simply enjoy the things you have been rushing past. There is no need to panic. You'll have time to plan tomorrow, when the costume is off and November arrives.

For tonight, enjoy the fun. Eat the candy, answer the door for the trick-or-treaters, and laugh at the costumes. Be a little silly. You have earned it after ten months.

Happy Halloween, and happy last day of October. Which character are you today?

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita

Why Life Is a Rolling Forecast, Not a Locked Plan

 Day 304 of 2026

Hi Friends,

Earlier this week at work, we finally closed out the annual planning process and finalized the numbers. No more going into the system to make changes. The plan is set for next year, and once we close out 2026 and move into 2027, we can start updating forecasts.

I have to admit, there was a small moment of joy in that. A locked plan. Done. Finished. Nobody touch anything.

Then it hit me that life has never once worked this way.

The Beauty of a Locked Plan

Let me give the locked plan its due, because it really is a lovely thing. For weeks, people debate assumptions, trade spreadsheets, and argue about whether a number should be rounded up or down. Then one afternoon, the system closes, and everyone exhales. There is a clear answer. There is a document with a date on it. You know exactly what the plan says, and nobody can quietly rewrite it in the middle of the night.

That feeling is real, and it is worth noticing. Humans like certainty. A locked plan tells us the future has been handled, at least on paper, and we can stop worrying about it for a while. It is the same feeling you get when the suitcase is packed, the house is clean, and the calendar is clear. Everything is in its place.

The only problem is that the feeling does not last, and it definitely does not follow you home.

Life Does Not Have a Close Date

Imagine if it did. January 1st, you submit your plan for the year. Sleep schedule, workouts, vacations, and how many times you will say “I’ll start Monday.” Then someone in leadership clicks a button, and everything is locked. No changes until the next close.

Meanwhile, your car makes a strange noise in April, your kid announces a school project the night before it is due, and the dog eats a sock. The plan says none of this was supposed to happen. The plan, with great confidence, expected a smooth and uneventful year.

That is the thing about real life. It is nothing but forecast updates. We plan the week, and by Tuesday the week has opinions. We plan a quiet weekend, and suddenly there are three invitations and a leaking faucet. We call the first version of our plan “the budget,” and every day after that “the variance.”

If you work with numbers, you know the variance is where all the real stories live. The plan tells you what you expected. The variance tells you what actually happened, and it is almost always more interesting.

Even the Weather Does Not Check With Me

The seasons are the same. Nobody asked for the leaves to drop on the one weekend I planned to clean the yard. The weather does not check with me, and it certainly does not wait for the quarterly review.

Remember the forecasters from a few weeks ago, all watching the same storm and each predicting something different? That is the best example of a rolling forecast I can think of. They did not lock a prediction in January and refuse to look at it again. They updated it every few hours as new information came in, and they were always ready to change their minds. Nobody called them unreliable for updating. We called that doing the job well.

If professionals who predict the sky for a living are allowed to revise their call every morning, the rest of us can give ourselves the same permission.

Hold Your Plans Like a Forecaster

So maybe the lesson is to hold plans the way a good forecaster does. Make the best call you can with what you know, keep a few umbrellas handy, and stay ready to update. A plan is useful, but it is not a promise. It is a good guess with a nice spreadsheet.

Here is what that looks like in practice, without turning your life into a finance meeting.

Plan the week, but leave one open block. Pick a stretch of two or three hours and keep it empty on purpose. When the surprise arrives, whether it is a sick kid, a last minute invitation, or a task that ran long, you have room to absorb it. If the week goes smoothly, you get a free afternoon, which is not a bad outcome either.

Decide what is fixed and what is flexible. A doctor’s appointment or a deadline is fixed. A grocery run or a workout can move to another day. When you know which is which, a change of plans feels like shifting a piece, not knocking over the board.

Review often, and keep the reviews short. A five minute check on Sunday evening and a quick look each morning is plenty. Ask what changed, what still matters, and what can wait. That is all a forecast update really is.

And expect the plan to be wrong in small ways. This is not pessimism. It just removes the sting. When you assume the week will have a few surprises, they stop feeling like failures and start feeling like weather.

The Surprises Are Often the Best Part

Here is something I did not expect when I started thinking about this. A little flexibility is a relief. When the plan is locked, there is no room for surprise, and some of my favorite moments this year were completely unforecasted. A last minute dinner, a lucky parking spot, a quiet morning that appeared out of nowhere, a kid who pointed at a glowing tree on the drive and said, “Look.”

None of those were in the plan. If anything, I would have called them interruptions. Yet they are the moments I remember, and the ones I would not trade for a perfectly executed schedule.

That is the quiet argument for a rolling forecast. A plan protects you from chaos, and that matters. But a plan that cannot bend also protects you from delight. The goal is not to have no surprises. It is to be steady enough that the surprises do not knock you down, and open enough that the good ones can find you.

Planning Without the Pressure

If you are a planner by nature, this may feel uncomfortable at first, and that is fine. You do not have to give up your lists, calendars, or color-coded spreadsheets. They are useful tools. The shift is only in how tightly you hold them.

When something changes, try asking three simple questions instead of feeling frustrated. What is new? What still matters? What is the next small step? Those are the same questions behind any good forecast update, and they work just as well on a Tuesday afternoon as in a boardroom.

You can also give yourself a gentle reminder at the start of each week: this is my best guess, not a contract. It takes the pressure off, and it makes room for kindness toward yourself and toward the people who do not follow your plan, including the dog and the sock.

A Toast to Both Kinds of Plans

So here is to a locked plan at work and a rolling forecast at home. May your variances be small and your surprises be good ones. And may you always keep one open block on the calendar, just in case the best part of the week shows up unannounced.

Have a flexible, steady, and surprisingly good weekend.

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita