July: A Letter to Myself About Returning Gently

Letting July be a soft landing, not a sprint toward becoming someone new, but a quiet return to who I’ve been all along

Jul 18, 2025

Dear Me,

It’s July. Your birthday month. And whether or not you feel like celebrating, I want to pause with you here.

Half the year is behind you. Half still lies ahead. And I know how strange it feels to sit in this in-between space - part of you wondering if you’ve done enough, if you’ve grown enough, if this year has taken you anywhere at all.

But just for a moment, let’s set down the measuring stick.

Instead of asking, Have I done enough? let’s ask something softer: How have I shown up?

Because the truth is, you have shown up for this year in quiet, steady ways. You’ve kept your home going. You’ve kept your boys fed, loved, and supported even on days when your own strength felt frayed. You’ve filled out forms, kept appointments, remembered packed lunches and last-minute birthday party invites. You’ve stayed up late looking for ways to stretch the budget and still made time to answer a million curious questions about the world from a little boy’s lips. You’ve handled tantrums and teenage moods and still carved out moments to dream about your writing, your degree, your own healing.

No, this year hasn’t been what you expected. There were things you hoped would have happened by now. You thought maybe by this birthday, some of the heaviness would’ve lifted. That certain chapters would’ve closed, or new ones begun. You imagined a version of July where life looked a bit more put-together. A little more “on track.”

But life doesn’t always unfold neatly. And still, you’ve kept going.

You’ve shown up tired. You’ve shown up uncertain. You’ve shown up even when you felt like disappearing. And that matters more than any goal you’ve ticked off.

I know birthdays can be emotional for you. Not because you don’t want to grow older, but because each passing year brings a mix of reflection, grief, and hope. You remember where you were last year. You notice who isn’t here now. You feel the weight of time - how fast it moves, how much has changed, how much hasn’t.

And yet, here you are. Still standing. Still soft. Still choosing love in a world that hasn’t always been kind to you.

This year didn’t unfold with dramatic changes or picture-perfect milestones. But that doesn’t mean it’s been empty. It’s been a year of quiet progress. The kind that’s easy to overlook because it doesn’t come with applause.

It’s in how you’ve started asking what you need, instead of just what others want.

It’s in how you’ve said no more often, with less guilt.

It’s in how you’ve caught yourself in moments of overthinking and reminded yourself, “I’m safe now.”

It’s in how you’ve opened up again - to trust, to love, to being seen even if just a little.

You’re not the same woman who blew out candles last year.

There’s a deeper steadiness in you now. A quieter kind of strength. One that comes from walking through fire and still choosing gentleness. One that doesn’t rush to prove anything, but simply is.

So, this month, as you mark another year around the sun, I hope you can give yourself credit not just for what you’ve done, but for how you’ve done it.

With grace. With softness. With honesty.

Not everything has gone to plan. But you’ve learned to adapt. To bend without breaking. To carry both the ache and the wonder of being alive in a world that offers no guarantees.

You’re still growing. Still becoming.

And that’s enough for now.

With love,

Your Turn to Reflect:

As you reach the middle of this year, ask yourself gently:

What have I carried?

What have I let go of?

What do I want to take with me into the next half of the year?

Write a few lines in your journal, or whisper them into a quiet morning. There’s no pressure to fix or change…only to notice.

Resources to Explore:

The Quietly Becoming printable Mid-Year Journal Prompts PDF is available to all email subscribers (including free ones!).
💌 If you’re already subscribed, check your inbox for the download.
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🌿 More to Explore This Month

✍️ Mari Andrew – Mid-Year Check-In Art Prompt - Her illustrations feel like handwritten journal entries for the soul. A gentle way to reflect visually.

📖 The Lightmaker’s Manifesto by Karen Walrond - A soulful reminder that joy and activism can live side by side and that meaning isn’t something we find, it’s something we create.

🎧 On Being with Krista Tippett – Episode: “The Inner Landscape of Beauty” with John O’Donohue - A poetic reflection on belonging, stillness, and the unseen beauty that shapes us.

🌸 Morgan Harper Nichols – Gentle Desktop Calendar Download - Soft, artistic wallpapers for July to ground your days in colour and calm.

A Gentle Reminder:

You don’t need a big breakthrough to be proud of yourself.

Sometimes survival is the milestone.

Sometimes showing up is the bravest thing.

And you, dear one, have done exactly that.

“Letters to Myself” is a yearlong journey of reflection, growth, and becoming. Join me every month as I explore the past, present, and future through heartfelt letters. Subscribe to follow along and be part of this thoughtful journey.