You and I are thousands of miles apart. With travel restrictions, requirements, and whatnots, the maze we are navigating seems to get more complex as months go by.

We thought our circumstances would change soon. They didn’t. What makes things more difficult is no one seems to know how and where the maze ends.

But in this maze, I find you. You make things easy.

You start calls even when you’re tired from work. You consider how I feel even when you’re hurt. Your sorry doesn’t come too late. Your voice turns a hard day around.

You prove me wrong.

Though you’re far, you give me no reason to doubt your intentions, words, and actions. You trust me with your life story, your struggles, your political opinion, and the secrets you’ve kept for so long. …

Are you a writer who’s been undecided about whether to create your own website or launch your blog?

Are you hesitating if this is the right time? Are you afraid of being critiqued because your website might not look as good as the ones you admire?

After writing in Medium for over a year, I finally took the steps to build and launch my website. It was scary, but worth all the effort and time.

A few weeks after, I found this article by brilliant writer Casey Botticello. …

This year brought the world to its knees. We took comfort in food deliveries, Zoom calls, loungewear, and…old books.

I didn’t understand how people wasted time rereading old books. There are millions of new material waiting to get noticed. Why waste hours on a book you’ve read before?

Because familiarity brings comfort. Old books feel like old shoes.

Because great books age like fine wine. No matter how old they get, their lessons remain. Sometimes we have to reach a certain age to finally understand them.

Or we just love the book.

When you read a good book through the second time, you don’t see something you didn’t see before, you see something in yourself that wasn’t there before. …

Over 83 million infected worldwide. This comes with an unknown number of daughters, husbands, friends mourning the loss of a loved one. In most cases, they all had to die with no family beside them.

In the Philippines, over 400,000 succumbed to the disease. It’s inexplicable suffering.

As of September 2020, over 700 private schools closed in my country. It affected over 40,000 learners who needed to re-enroll somewhere else, adjust to a new study environment, and lose face-to-face interaction with their teachers and classmates.

There’s no rulebook to a pandemic in the 21st century. According to science journalist and writer Tara Haelle, “the destruction is, for most people, invisible and ongoing. So many systems aren’t working as they normally do right now, which means radical shifts in work, school, and home life that almost none of us have experience with.” …

In a few days, we will finally call this the year that was.

The new year is starting and bookworms like you and me will be updating our book lists.

When we look at books we’ve read, we see patterns, relive the experience, and remember the lessons.

What do you see when you look at yours?

This was my list from 2019. Here are the best books I read this year.

Wintering by Katherine Kay

I randomly purchased this book after I saw it posted on Elizabeth Gilbert’s Instagram page. Timely, appropriate, and exactly what I needed. …

Patreon is a membership platform where content creators — writers, digital artists, yoga teachers, video editors, musicians, authors — post their work and get paid by their patrons aka fans or subscribers.

How much does a patron pay each month?

It depends on the amount that was set by the content creators. I’ve seen some patrons who ask for $1, $10, $15, and even $45 monthly. Each tier comes with rewards and benefits. The higher you go, the more you get.

What are the benefits of being a patron?

Think major exposure to an expert of a skill, a lifestyle, a sport, or art that you’re crazy about. …

4 Things A Good Yoga Teacher Does Not Do

And things that she does right

‘Straight legs! No resting! Do that again. Again.’

Whenever I do self-practice, my teacher and her voice go with me. I admire and respect her dedication to the practice and her desire to instill the same in us, her students.

I’ve been with the same teacher since January 2019. She has seen the highs and lows of my practice, my shortcomings as a student, and a few of my so-called breakthroughs.

It’s a simple formula. If the relationship works for both teacher and student, it can turn into a long-term commitment.

When one teaches, two learn.

A good yoga teacher does not harass students.

Look at Bikram Choudhury, the man who built an empire out of hot yoga. The money and fame and began exploiting women. …

Looking at a blank sheet of paper can be seen in two ways.

First, as a threat. Starting a new article, story or chapter can create a tinge of anxiety. What if no one reads this? What if it doesn’t get published anywhere? What if my idea sucks??

Second, it can be seen in a positive light. Optimistic people see the New Year as a blank canvas to be painted on. To them, a blank sheet of paper signals a new beginning.

It all starts with one idea. It may not be outstanding or special, but your story is yours. …