The Nail Polish at the Bottom of My Bag

A gentle rebellion, a quiet whisper and the small things that bring us home when we begin again.

Dear You,

It was never about the nail polish.

I found something unexpected at the bottom of my handbag the other day—
a bottle of nail polish.

Not exactly life-changing, right?

And yet, there it was…
a whisper from the past. A soft reminder of who I’ve been—
and who I still am.

Of all the life transitions I’ve walked through—
the moves, the letting go, the starting fresh—this little bottle held a kind of quiet magic.
It didn’t shout. It didn’t demand.
It simply offered presence.
Stability.
A moment of return.

It reminded me that even when we begin again—
in new places, new seasons, or new versions of ourselves—
we don’t have to abandon everything we’ve carried.
Some things stay with us. Some things ground us.

Sometimes it’s not the big breakthroughs or bold steps that change us.
Sometimes, the whisper is enough.

That tiny bottle of polish was never really about nail color—
it was about choosing presence in the midst of change.
A gentle rebellion against the pull to forget ourselves.
A way of saying: I’m still here.

Maybe there’s something like that for you too.
A scent, a sound, a simple act that brings you back to yourself—
no matter how far you’ve gone.

We don’t need to shout to be seen.
We just need to remember.

Still here,
Carolyn

PS: I read every reply. No team, no automation just me. If something in this note stirred something in you, I’d love to hear it. What brings you back to yourself?

PSS: If this post felt like a little whisper of your own… would you tap the heart? ❤️
It helps more gentle rebels find their way here.