I started my entire life over at 30 and it didn’t go so well (van build)

Back in 2022, I built out a van and filmed my journey. Two years went by and I never made a van build video with the footage. I even lost a lot of the footage due to a hard drive failure.
Finally, here it is; a reflection on the build, van life, and finding joy and love amidst fragility and grief.
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Earlier this year, I was reading a book and the author kept emphasizing how happiness is always a choice. I felt very resistant to this belief at the time and felt he was being a little too casual with his words. It also felt very corny.
However, the last few months I have been really fixated on this idea and have been growing to love and admire it, and have been practicing it daily (to the best of my ability, at least.)

I am, and always will be, a firm believer in all emotions having their place and time; as Mother Nature must have given us each of them for a very specific and important reason. It is sometimes necessary to lean into and hold space for emotions such as grief and sadness; regardless of how other people around you may view the situation. But eventually, there will come a time when these emotions no longer serve you, and it is time to choose how you will be each day going forward. By thanking the “negative” emotions for their service, releasing them into the wind, and going forward choosing to be happy. (As cheesy as that sounds, wow)

As for today, it is actually quite easy to choose happiness, because…
Today is Finn’s birthday! Happy birthday Finn 🥹🍓✨

P.S. I need everyone to know about the two gorgeous mugs that you see in the video.
They were made lovingly by hand by my friend, Lisa.
You can find her other stunning creations at her Instagram account; cloudsrestpottery

Thank you for watching and reading 🧡