April showers and such

STEEPED BY SAMIA #30 | 04.30.24
Scooping water into the ocean with a plastic shovel and pail.

Feeling a ~ 11:59PM before the assignment is due ~ kind of vibe with this Steeped post I’m starting at 7PM on the last day of April, lol. But here we are; I hope you’re lounging somewhere cozy with a warm beverage as you read this.

This time of year feels like a good turning point to understand what this year is shaping up to be and redirect or reaffirm your focus. For me, April is especially so because it’s my birthday month.

If a goal I had for myself isn’t underway, then:

• Is there way to find new energy in it or an approachable starting point?
• Is it important enough to care about right now? Can it be shelved for later?

We’re constantly in conversation with ourselves to reconfigure our brain space. The hard things might have to stay, but the way you think about them might change. We’re all human beings, though, and a lot of things we think we need to do are a reflection of conditions placed on us by society.

I started participating in group life coaching,

— with two of my amazing friends and an amazing life coach. I feel like this is something I didn’t know I needed, and it’s helping me reframe my values and intentions, both personally and professionally.

Yes, you can dig deep and write the answers to introspective journaling prompts on your own. But this group coaching dynamic has been meaningful to talk through things with like-minded individuals in a guided structure and go through a process of discovery and re-affirm parts of ourselves, together. More on this someday, hopefully!

Lately, I feel as if I’m scooping water into the ocean with a plastic shovel and pail.

The seas are calm / the seas are torrential

I’m sure you can relate to this. The very real, murky, and disorienting time we’re all experiencing shades of. I know some of us — no, many of us — are saying “good” as the answer to “how are you doing?” when we’re feeling the opposite.

If you go on Al Jazeera under ‘Live Updates’, you’ll see an interplay of headlines, such as “Clearing Gaza war rubble to take 14 years” and “Columbia University students respond to threats of suspension”. Palestine is continuing to experience the most horrifying, gut-wrenching genocide, and many college students across America are maintaining liberation encampments in their respective universities.

I’m super moved and hopeful from the scenes of these past few weeks, and wanted to note some incredible Substacks that touch on the ongoing fight for Palestinian liberation:

• If I don’t think, I am not by Renuka in Warmly, Renuka Substack — I love Renuka so much, her writing is awe-inspiring 💕 
• to Columbia’s undergraduates (and students everywhere): HOLD THE LINE by Ismatu Gwendolyn in Threadings Substack — Renuka introduced me to Ismatu’s work, so brilliant !!
• A collectively owed debt by Anam Raheem in Liminal Fuzz Substack

“Scooping water into the ocean” can be interpreted in many ways. How we’re giving so much of ourselves to things that are out of our control and it’s overwhelming and life is hard. On the other hand — how we’re adding our own droplets and splashes in the ocean of our collective existence and centuries old movements toward bettering human conditions for all.

Free Palestine.

Some things that have brought me back to myself lately:

In lieu of the Steep On This section this time!

1. Taking Zayn outside and staring for a long while at the butterflies and birds, in a green patch of shade in our front yard
2. A spontaneous weekday morning trip to a sprawling plant store in San Jose (pictured below). Big fan of Payless Hardware, Nursery, & Rockery now!!
3. Long walks on the trail near my house and seeing the ducklings splashing in the water and the smell of new fennel in the air
4. Lots of anime !! Discovered an anime genre called Cute Girls Doing Cute Things (CGDCT) and lol’d. Here’s one: Yuru Camp△
5. Turning 26 on April 9th and the lovely messages, cards, and trinkets from my loved ones. Feeling cherished and warm ✨
6. The eclipse and the collective awe was pretty cool. Sufyan spontaneously went to New York & Canada with his friends to be in the path of totality, and I’m happy he went on that adventure!
7. Drinking chai with Oatly full at oat milk and eating almond butter on Dave’s Killer whole grains & seeds bread in the morning — it’s the consistency, you know?
8. Yes, I read Tavi Gevinson’s new Fan Fiction zine and loved being enveloped in early 2000’s nostalgia (I’m not a Taylor Swift fan tho, aha). Manifesting a physical zine someday where people feel steeped in Samia-verse !!
9. People are finding my blog around the world?? Perhaps SEO isn’t dead but takes 5+ years to work, lol. People are searching a Mario world called “Chocolate Island” and coming across this blog post. I find that sooo funny
10. The days getting longer and micro-dosing summer sunshine while enjoying the vibrancy and lushness of spring this year

— S.A.

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💫 Catch Up:  

03.28.24 | What to read & watch in the transition to Spring

STEEPED BY SAMIA #29: Finding themes of Spring — recollection, re-imagination, and more.

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💌 About This Blog:

Steeped by Samia is a space where I can simmer on thoughts & curiosities about life, liminal spaces, digital culture, & more. Far too often, my writing ideas fizzle out in energy; I never get to see them to their full potential. While building my rhythm with writing, I want to share these stories with you. 

Subscribe for Free by adding your email and clicking the ‘subscribe’ button at the bottom of the page. Make sure to confirm your subscription in the email you’ll receive from WordPress. You will then receive an email or WordPress notification every time I post! I aim to publish a new blog post 1-2 times a month. Thank you for supporting my storytelling! 🧡